When Monday Wasn't Monday

I can't believe that I missed Monday! I'm not sure what's happening to my days of the week, but they don't seem to be running in the normal order anymore. So, I've decided that until Monday becomes Monday again I'll just pretend that today is Monday (which really seems truly practical don't you think?).

So, how was your Artist Date last week? Did you go on one? What did you do to nurture your love and appreciation of yourself and your art?

Most importantly, did you find yourself inspired to make more art after you took the time to feed your original passion for what you do? Or did you still find yourself stuck and struggling to take a creative action?

Did you know that it's widely accepted that most people are operating with a sleep deficit? Our deficit is why when we finally get a day off we never get around to all our great intentions and are instead struggling to find the energy to get off the couch; or why we fall asleep when we set out to meditate, etc...

Everyone has a different sleep deficit. The deficits accumulate over various late nights, early mornings, and days where we just insist on pushing ourselves too far and too hard. Adrenaline carries us through, but we slowly accumulate an energy debt that our bodies are eventually going to call in.

I've come to the conclusion that we must also carry a similar deficit when it comes to our art. There are definitely times when I've needed a whole lot more than an afternoon in Starbucks with my sketch book or a wander through an art gallery to finally be able to sit down and put pen (or brush) to paper.

Sometimes our creative souls need a lot of gentle, loving care to prompt them to come back out and play with us. Some of you are like me and have been a little hard on our creative selves ("I'll never figure out how to do this", "This is terrible, what was I thinking thinking I could be a painter/writer/artist (fill in your blank)!"). And then our soft souled Creative sides need a little bit of extra love and acceptance to draw them back out.

The problem, I think, comes from expectations. To often I set out to make art with the intent that it should meet my expectations for it. This, of course, makes it very difficult for my creative spirit to work; it not only means I've left no room for learning or making mistakes, but it also means there's no room for accidental greatness (the kind of thing that's sure to happen when we give our creative selves full control) because I'm too busy trying to make the work meet my expectations.

This week I had two different experiences that helped me see how much of a negative influence my expectations have been having on my art.

I realized that it's no wonder that the creative me sometimes just curls up and refuses to do anything at all. My expectations have created a kind of Creativity Deficit that takes a little love and play to help me recoup the debt.

Play, I discovered, is immensely valuable. There are no expectations, so there are no judgments. If sleep is the answer to a Sleep Deficit than creating must be the answer to a Creative Deficit and playing is the way to convince your creative self that's it's ok to come out, even if just for a little bit.

So this week let's spend a little time playing. Grab some old fashioned children's materials (I have a lovely box of 64 Crayola crayons that I used) - something that will be ok to waste (sometimes the cost of my materials is a big barrier to letting myself experiment with my art) and sit yourself down to play. No expectations. No rules. The goal here is to waste as much time as possible coloring and sticking and gluing. Be sure to let me know how it goes for you.

This Week's Resource: Eat, Pray, Love By: Elizabeth Gilbert

Not specifically about creativity or creating it is definitely a book that looks at the need we all have to rediscover love and appreciation for ourselves and the value of a little play in our lives.

I loved this book; every woman I talk to who has read loves it. I think there's something about Elizabeth's journey to discover who she is and what she wants out of life that speaks to something in all of us. Plus, if I ever go to Italy I know exactly where I'm going for pizza.

Read the book. Then book your own time to offer your soul a little love and a little play too.

Megan Potter is an intuitive Well-Being Coach and creative blogger. She runs a coaching and public speaking business as well as an Eco-Boutique called Every Day Well-Being. You can find her on her blog, Flaming Renaissance. Got questions or comments? She'd love to hear from you!