Embrace Your Personal Rhythm in Your Creative Life
Do you ever feel like cocooning yourself away? Getting all cozy and forgetting about the world for a while? I do. At least once a month.
These past few months have been a big start to the year. Amanda, Naomi and I launched the Gentle Business Mastermind and welcomed close to 40 members from all around the globe, I drove up to Queensland and hosted an incredibly fun painting retreat on Lady Elliot Island, and I’ve been working on the final touches of my book on creativity (watch this space for the upcoming release!!!! I’m so excited about launching my first book on Amazon soon!).
Last Monday, we were all packed up and ready to sail north to Coffs Harbour at 5 am, but thankfully, we checked the weather and noticed a big low up in north Queensland that was predicted to move quickly south over the coming days. So we decided to stay here in Port Macquarie, which was good because the low turned into a cyclone.
That’s the funny thing about sailing. You can have plans, but if you want to stay safe, you need to be flexible. You have to bend and adapt and go when the weather is right. Having a schedule is the downfall of many sailors. I don’t know how many times I’ve read about people who were trying to meet a friend at the airport or had to be somewhere by a certain time for work. They decided to head off even though the weather wasn’t right, and ended up in a dangerous storm.
Are you a plodder or a burster?
Talking about timing, I’ve been writing about honouring your creative rhythm in my book this week. I’ve been exploring “plodders” and “bursters” and the benefits of both styles of working. I first heard the concept from Steve Pavlina who explains that someone who plods tends to like to create using a routine, day by day making progress through their creative project. Someone who likes to work in bursts, well, you can probably see where I’m going with this, they like to work with focused energy on a task and put everything into it, then take a break.
We can fall anywhere along the spectrum of the two, a plodder or a burster, and the key is to embrace how you work and allow yourself to flow with your natural rhythm, instead of working against it. Believing you are somehow flawed or unable to write a book, paint an oil painting, create a business, or grow a garden because you don’t do it the ‘right’ way, just stifles your creativity.
I tend to be more on the bursting side of the scale. Working diligently on just one project day after day does my head in. I can do it for a few days in a row, but then I have to break things up or I lose my enthusiasm, focus and momentum. The trick is knowing how to get yourself back into the flow again after time away. But it is possible, and it makes the process a lot more fun and enjoyable.
A collection of things I’m loving at the moment…
This week I thought I’d share a few disparate things I’m loving at the moment. I hope you find something to inspire, nurture or support you in your creative life.
My new paintings
I’ve been painting on the boat! These works on paper were inspired by the landscapes we are immersed in as we sail the coast. You can see my new series of paintings here.
Jefferey Archer’s latest short stories
I don’t often read fiction, but I wanted to unwind after my trip north and find a book to lose myself in. A fellow cruiser said she loves Jefferey Archer’s books, and I found Tell Tale Stories from my library ebook catalogue. It was a pure delight, with each story ending with an unexpected twist. Many tales were based on true stories he’d heard during his travels, so perhaps that appealed to my love of non-fiction and helped me suspend my disbelief so I could be carried away.
The Gentle Business Mastermind
We had our first community calls with our new members in the Gentle Business Mastermind and I was so, so touched to meet the inspiring, incredible women who have joined from all around the world. Members are having breakthroughs already with how they view and do business, and and the community support is wonderful. We are having our first guest mentor call on Tuesday, and if you would like to join us, it’s not too late. We’d love to support you in doing business gently this year.
Facebook newsfeed blocker for Chrome
If you are involved in groups you love on Facebook but don’t want to fall down the rabbit hole of your newsfeed, you may like to install the free Chrome app that replaces your Facebook newsfeed with an inspiring quote. You can find the app here. I have been using it for a few months and love it.
App blocker for Android
I’ve recently been using this app to block my Facebook and Instagram use in the evenings. I like being mindful in using these tools for connection, and having them blocked when I want to be spending time with Andrew, painting, writing, or unwinding for bed has been great. I love how you can choose the days of the week and times that suit you. Plus, it’s free!
Well, that’s about it from me. This week, along with sailing when the weather is right, I’m planning to focus on writing and editing my book. I’m going to embrace my bursting energy and I can feel the finish line is in sight. It feels like putting together pieces of a jig-saw puzzle and I’m loving the process of finishing the manuscript. It’s challenging but so rewarding at the same time. My aim is to have it ready to publish in May.
I’ll keep honouring my rhythm of creativity, and see how it unfolds. Fingers crossed you’ll be able to read it in just a couple of short months. Eeep!
Wishing you a beautiful weekend. Allow yourself to embrace your own creative rhythm and may you be delighted with what you can create.
~ Nicola
PS. Would you love to grow your own organic herbs and greens in pots? You can get my ebook at the discounted price of $10 AUD.
Find ‘Grow Organic Herbs & Greens in Pots‘ here as an ebook for immediate download.