I’ve been replying to comments this evening that are sorely overdue.
I’m not quite sure how this happened, but somehow I turned off commenting unintentionally at some point in recent weeks. 🥴
My apologies. I wondered why I wasn’t hearing from anyone! But I didn’t want to write a post sounding desperate.
Where have y’all gone? Is everyone OK? Ohhhhh— you’re just politely waiting for me to figure out the user error of my hyper-toggling ways. Got it.
See if you can relate. You have a dream you’re holding on to. A creative idea you want deeply to see happen. Months roll by, perhaps even years.
It begins to feel less like a not now and more like a not ever.
I want you to know that holding on to that dream is a ridiculously brave creative act.
Some things get created with pigment and canvas and water and brushes. Many others come into being because we are willing to do the deep active work of waiting, of holding on.
The exercise of creative isometrics. My mama swore by isometrics. It’s been years since I even thought of this word.
I was answering a comment and there that phrase was. Creative isometrics. Planking for your creativity. Wall squats for your creative leg muscles.
And here I am writing about it because let me tell you creativity is a muscle that can be strengthened.
But creativity isn’t just made strong by actively using it to produce things (like we have been doing together these last 100 days).
It is strengthened often in far deeper places by the act of holding onto our dreams, of holding hope and wonder, of holding.
It grows stronger by holding the beauty we encounter and letting that beauty hold onto us through the night hours when we feel like all of the above are gone.
It is so easy to see creativity where paint meets page. It is much harder to recognize when our creativity is in active waiting shrouded by darkness waiting for dawn.
There’s a huge transition when we’ve been in a season of busy outwardness. Of connecting externally and celebrating the vibrant dance of colors and textures and incredible perspectives this community has created so far.
Then things quiet and the rhythms begin to shift.
Every single one of you is important to me. So please hear me out.
Whether you paint every day or you sit in stillness watching a sunset, letting creativity and wonder be the thing you hold on to and that holds you back— You are living a creative act.
These in-between times are like isometics for our creativity.
Isometric exercises, also known as static exercises, are a kind of exercise that involves holding the body in one position while contracting muscles.
Isometric exercises can be beneficial in several ways:
They build endurance
They maintain strength
They help increase our range of motion
They aid in rehabilitation and recovery
These slower times of waiting help build our creative endurance.
They maintain the strength of our focus and increase the range of motion for our creative practice. Our brains need slower moments to make connections and process seasons that are faster-paced.
It’s OK to slow down. In fact, it’s essential.
And I want you to know for the 1000th time how grateful I am and proud I am of you and our journey.
If you like posts like this one… encouragement getting dropped off in your inbox, please do stick around.
The change in pace lets me write more pieces like this. And I am really stoked about that.
Your turn.
What changes have you noticed in how you experience your creativity now that we are standing at the end of this 100-day project journey?
Pop into the comments and tell us
Which PS, the comments are back on now.
I’ve noticed that on my daily walks, or when in the car I’m looking at the sky, the view, nature as I walk by and I’m identifying colour, Cerulean in the sky, Sap green in my bushes, raw and burnt umber in the sunset! I’m noticing and understanding composition and perspective in my photos for reference to paint later.
Your prompts and the varied interpretations from this amazingly creative group have taught me to think outside the box (even though the box is just as perfect!!) to paint things I never would have thought possible!
My humble thanks Michelle, to you and all the other creatives. I’ m so grateful I found this challenge at the beginning of my watercolour journey!!
I've learned to use the good paper. Just like the good linens and the wedding china, I have no reason to wait. I deserve the pleasure of using my good paper. My little paintings are "good enough" to warrant the splurge.
Also, my watercolors have shifted in their relative importance in my life. I felt a little guilty for the amount of time I spent on something I thought others perceived as a bit of a folly. As I see growth and seek growth I have come to realize that for all sorts of private and complex reasons, this is no folly. This pursuit is one of the most important mental health measures I have ever committed to.