Creativity Boot Camp

Tuesday I joined the month long creativity camp run by Jane at That Curious Love of Green. Minimum "requirements" for participation are to:

• Journal each day (think Morning Pages from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way)
• Work on one creative thing each day

I want to apply consistent BIC (Butt in Chair) with the story in process, specifically, 1000 words per day and/or average 4 hours per day (20 a week). This is supposed to be a full time job; obviously it's not. If I can't dedicate 20 hours, then what the heck?

I also want to walk into my sewing room & do at least one thing each day. I was afraid that forcing myself to finish the Bichon quilt would cause procrastination too intense to overcome, but the quilt interests me (surprisingly). I've been forced to learn new skills -- applique, embroidery -- and I am excited about how I might apply it to future work.

Being in boot camp won't remove the obstacles I've experienced for so long. These first few days have been busy with all sorts of commitments and while I have done the minimum, yesterday I did not achieve my writing goal. Gotta keep working at it!

They say perseverance & grit are more important than pure talent or even intelligence. So for this boot camp, the primary goal is simply to persevere. When Kat went through the police academy, her mantra was "one day at a time." She didn't think ahead too much, and she let each day's pain and failure remain in the past. The focus was on today. And even then she almost quit. She showed grit and it has paid off with a career she loves (and good money).

I don't anticipate the month will be as painful for me, but fighting procrastination, self-doubt, frustration with obligations, etc. can be tiring and overwhelming, so it's one day at a time. Today my morning is full, but I have the afternoon and evening for some BIC and a little sewing. All will be well.

In My Corner, Singing!

Here I am, back in my little corner of the internet.

"In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be . . ."*

What I am NOT is a meek, mousey girl waiting for her prince to begin living.  (Well, sometimes I do feel mousey).

I digress.

Jane at That Curious Love of Green inspired me with her month long creativity boot camp which starts tomorrow. I jumped in, hoping the community of like-minded people and the short time frame will help me focus. The priority will be the book I'm writing -- a middle grade fantasy. I've made a good start, but I'd like to give it more of my time, which bumps up against time I give to quilting & other projects, friends, home & family, and volunteer work. The juggling continues! We'll see how it goes with some accountability in the mix.

I thought it a good time to re-start my blog. The only major change, for any reader who may be returning, is that I outed myself. Susan is my real name. This used to be Jessie's blog, but Jessie doesn't exist and I found myself, the longer I wrote here, not liking the pseudonym. It just seemed to complicate things, contrary to the goal of living more simply, and was something I did from being afraid of writing for others to see, contrary to the goal of living more bravely. 

I will return tomorrow with a life update and a plan for the month.


*Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella