My post last week was about developing consistency and showing up for my creative practice. During the last month, I set some things in motion to help me show up. One item is reconnecting with my planner and another is setting a small very doable daily creative task (the stitchbook challenge).
Over the last several weeks, what I’ve found is having the accountability to myself keeps me on task. It also energizes my creativity. I want to be more involved and spend more time in my studio. The “wanting” is the key. My experience is if I want something bad enough, it is easier to make time for it. If things feel more like a chore, (e.g., something I “have to” do) it is easier to find excuses. For me, the “have tos” are guilt laden. For sure, guilt can motivate. However, who wants to create because they’re guilted into it?
The creative muse is more willing to play when things are fun! So over the last few weeks I noticed I was finding more time in my day to work creatively. Over a year ago, I started creating the patchwork backgrounds for these post cards. They are scraps stitched together and cut to 4″ x 6″. All I had to do was cut the backgrounds to postcard size and finish the edges. Yet, it took me over a year to get here. That’s because, I was guilting myself about working on them. In the last few weeks I noticed the “I should do that” had become “I could do that.” And with a little more time, it became, I want to do that.
Having the daily stitch practice inspired me to add more opportunities in my day because I want to do more. I am enjoying myself in those 15 minutes I carved away each day. And, I crave more. So here I am channeling and redirecting that craving into making a new batch of fabric postcards, because I want to.