ebb and flow

The times are strange, of that there can be no doubt.

I’ve probably mentioned this a couple times in my subscriber emails, but I find myself easily overwhelmed lately. When that happens, what always helps me is to take a big step back and look at things from a broader perspective.

Let me describe a common occurrence in my world: I’ll be down on myself, feeling like I’m not accomplishing much (and feeling overwhelmed by all the things I should or could be doing), and then I talk to a friend (or my wife) and they remind me how much I have been able to get done. Then I say something like: oh yeah, I guess you’re right. And I won’t feel so bad for a while and I’ll hoist up my trousers (or skirts or what have you) and keep marching on.

Bit by bit, I’ve been getting better at all this. Better about not stressing. Better about being satisfied with what I can actually do in a reasonable time. Celebrating the victories and milestones, both big and small. “Do your best, trust God with the rest,” that sort of thing. (I did actually just finish a major draft on my sci-fi novel, basically a huge re-write. I’ll tell ya, that felt pretty good and I got myself a pretty big reward.)

All that said, while I’m still managing to get stuff done these days, I’ve been having difficulty figuring out what I really should be doing. Even when it comes to this website, I’ve been taking a bit of a step back to figure out what is most important and effective.

And when I can’t figure out what to do, I often end up not doing anything, and then I feeling worse for it.

Have you been there? (please say yes so I don’t feel so alone)

Here’s a piece of advice I’d like to give, both to you and to myself:

Talk less, smile more, don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for.

Oh, sorry. Still got that Hamilton stuck in my head. What I meant to say was:

Don’t try so hard.

Wait, huh? That doesn’t sound right, does it? Shouldn’t we be trying harder, giving it our best and all that?

Well yes, sort of and sometimes.

Let me put it another way: take some time to recognize the ebb and flow of creativity.

Allow the motivation to come and go and know that even when you’re in a dry spell, it doesn’t mean it’s a waste.

Pushing hard at it all the time, always giving everything your 110% (which really isn’t possible) is going to leave you drained and depressed (trust me, I know). Instead, recognize that you not only will have some “off days” but you need to actually take some days off.

Just as the waves and tide come and go in natural rhythms, so it is with motivation. I do think it’s possible to find inspiration and perhaps even feel inspired most of the time, that doesn’t mean you’re going to always feel motivated to do something with it.

That’s completely healthy and normal.

You don’t need to write, paint, play, practice, craft, cook, sew, build, etc. every day. Sometimes, you need a respite: a time to recover and refresh. Then you can go back at it with all the more gusto on the following day or week.

Now, if you are able to work at it every day and it isn’t killing you softly, that’s great! But when things just aren’t working, don’t force it. These are challenging times for pretty much everyone for a whole host of reasons. Being a super productive machine of a human might not be the thing for you right now. That’s fine.

However, make sure you don’t quit. Just because you’ve paused, doesn’t mean you’ll never get back to it. While you’re resting, take a little while to reassess what you’ve been working on and explore why it’s become such a challenge. Talk it over with a friend if you can.

Then, when you’re ready, jump back into it like a kid leaping in a pool on a hot summer day (wear floaties if needed).

Trust me, if you’re spending your creative energy on the things you love, you won’t be able to stay away for long. And if you aren’t, then it’s time to find the pool that’s right for you, whether that’s the kiddy pool, hot tub, or the olympic sort. Hey, as long as you’re getting soaked, I won’t judge.