Writing to Heal
Lately, I've been feeling all kinds of stress. The stress of building a home, of growing a life, of working away at my doctorate. It's a stress that comes from deep within me. It's a stress that seems exasperated by the movements of the planets. And I realize a lot of people might think that is silly but I think it's real. That we are the land. The water. The universe. That what happens to them is also happening to us. And likely vice versa. So there are things that are important for that reason as well. That sense of connection that we have to the world. The invisible (and sometimes not so invisible) ways we are connected.
For the last few days I have been doing a lot of reflecting and soul searching. I need to do this every so often to find myself a calm and centred place to operate within. Lately, it's been harder than usual to find that space.
What seems to help, what seems to always help - is writing. Writing makes a huge difference to my overall health and well-being. Creating something everyday, even if it's not something I share or plan to publish, is important. It helps me organize my thoughts and ideas. It helps me focus my feelings and search them out fully, even when I'd rather ignore them. This has been an important lesson for me to remember this week. A reminder that even though I often wish writing were my full time job, I'm not doing it to make a living. I'm doing it as part of the way I live and thrive and move about the world.
Remembering this can be hard to do when you know that to be successful as an indie author you have to do certain things. Write a lot. Publish often. Market. Advertise. Get yourself out there. It can be a lot of pressure. But the most important thing is to feel the joy of creating. At least it is for me.
A lot of why I write is to heal and find peace so that I can share that peace with the people closest to me and hopefully spread it into the world, one drop at a time. If I'm acting frustrated or burned out or stressed out, those interactions aren't going to be what I want them to be. The people who I chose to navigate this world with won't be able to benefit from the very best parts of my spirit.
This week I was reminded to do everything i can to protect those relationships. To let writing be the joy it needs to be for me. To let creating and sharing ideas and thinking about things happen. To share. To forgive. To not judge. To be present in the moment. To let go of my insecurities. It's a wonderful feeling. Like I'm starting something new. Cleansing a slate. Replenishing my creative energy.
This week's Creative Penn podcast was super inspiring for me. It was very much about making art over a lifetime, about replenishing creativity and believing in yourself. I hope you have a chance to listen to it! It was exactly the message that I needed to hear and I definitely plan to read Lisa's book (and share it with a few other artists I know)!
Til next time, happy writing everyone :).
S.