how to take messy & inspired creative action: notes on creativity

Apr 27

how to take messy and inspired creative action

i feel scared. a lot. maybe you do too.

scared of visibility. scared of being seen. scared of being celebrated & in community.

in the (not so far away) past, those things made me a target for collective abuse. but what feels even more terrifying is letting my art die with me, never reaching or touching or affirming the folks in my community who need it.

like when anaïs nin wrote this banger: “& the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

focusing on taking MESSY & INSPIRED CREATIVE ACTION this year has been a lifesaver. i've been creatively prolific, continuing to publish zines & substack posts & write newsletters, as well as painting, creating mixed media pieces, & journaling.

“& the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - anais nin

five concrete things that have helped me thaw from creative freeze to creative FLOW have included:

💖 starting small. when something feels overwhelming & intimidating, i break it down into smaller, more concrete, steps & start from there.

💖 prioritizing rest. it's hard to do anything when you're exhausted & burnt out - &/also i want to acknowledge letting ourselves rest can be SOOOO hard & there may be a ton of systemic barriers preventing you from doing so.

💖 staying present. grounding & focusing on the moment & doing my best to let go of my attachment to outcomes. instead of focusing on what my project will look like when it's finished, i practice staying in the moment & in creative flow (what an incredible & holy experience that I'm so grateful I can access!)

💖 creation > consumption. making more things, playing, spending time with myself & my thoughts, letting myself get bored & daydream or my thoughts wander, creating (whether that's painting a pastel rainbow colorblocked urn for my beloved cat, zadie, putting my outfit of the day together, bedazzling my cats' scratching post with pink rhinestones, painting, etc.!) instead of scrolling, distracting myself from my feelings, or dissociating.

💖 consume content mindfully. this looks different for everyone but generally speaking, being aware of what i'm taking in, when & why i do so, & how it affects me vs. doing so mindlessly, without thinking.