An Invocation for Beginning
Building self-trust as a creative
“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded.” -Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones
Despite the risk of becoming a cliché of a middle-aged woman, I’ve started going to the gym to lift weights. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for years, and I’ve found it incredibly hard. So far, I rarely go for more than 15 minutes at a time, and it feels like it can’t possibly be doing much for my body. But I’m not focused on results. Instead, I’m building the habit of simply going—putting on my “gym clothes” (a giant t-shirt and slightly more outdoorsy stretchy pants), lacing up my shoes, and leaving the cozy confines of my house to brave the hard, loud, clanging world of lifting heavy things.
What I’m really doing is building trust with myself: trust that I can show up and do this hard thing. Thanks to my writing and meditation practices (and maybe most particularly sobriety), I know that even 15 minutes a day can change everything. The hardest part of change for me is always going from zero to fifteen minutes.
How does this relate to creativity?
A study once asked kindergarteners across the country to raise their hands if they considered themselves artists. Every single child raised their hand. But by fourth grade, only one or two students would raise their hand, often glancing around the room in embarrassment.
What changed?
The study suggested that we lose our sense of creativity as we begin to fear judgment. Young children aren’t afraid to put themselves out there, but as we grow, we learn to fear vulnerability and critique.
The cure for this learned self-judgment, according to the study, is daily practice.
Daily practice builds habits of mind that foster creativity and reconnect us with the visceral experience of making. Whether through a sketchbook, a notebook, or even the gym, consistent engagement helps us push past fear and desensitizes us to self-doubt. We rediscover flow and play, and creativity becomes joyful again.
“We should write because it is human nature to write. Writing claims our world. It makes it directly and specifically our own. We should write because humans are spiritual beings, and writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insights and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance.” — Julia Cameron
Many of us are intimidated by the idea of artistic creation, believing it’s a skill reserved for a “special kind” of person. But I believe we’re all wired to create. We just need to get out of our own way and begin.
Creativity, as they say, lives at the intersection of surrender and discipline. It’s the practice of showing up to the page, the canvas, the instrument, the stove, or the garden and simply doing. Like meditation or any spiritual practice, what matters most is the showing up, not the result.
An Invocation for Beginnings by Ze Frank
This video changed by life 12 years ago when I saw it and I have returned to it every so often for encouragement. Maybe it is something you need to hear, too <3
Prompts for Creative Practice
Build the Habit: Every day this week, set a timer for 15 minutes and write without stopping. Describe the room you are in, how you feel, the exact shape of your need. Don’t edit and don’t stop.
The art of Fear: Write a letter to the fear that keeps you from starting or continuing your creative practice.
An Invocation for Beginning: Write your own version of Ze Frank’s spoken word poem.
Reclaim Play: Think back to a childhood memory when you felt completely creative and free. How can you bring that sense of play into your life now?
A little note about the world
I am holding space for everything that is going on in our world right now, and sending loving care to those directly and indirectly effected by the LA fires, global warming, war, and political unrest. It feels like a hard time to be a human humaning. I truly believe that art and creativity are a force for good in the world. Keep resting and playing and making things.
Next week, I am going to create some prompts to honor the life of the weird and wonderful David Lynch. We will play a bit with film and surrealism as a source of writing inspiration. And our next Zoom writing call for paid subscribers is January 25th at Noon Eastern. Be sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss it!
If you are enjoying these little letters, please do share them with anyone you think might like them. I appreciate each and every one of you!
My daily meditation is changing my life. Period. I had no idea. And only now can I see the entry points into tiny things.
Very powerful, positive post. Thank you for sharing the video too. Inspiring.