Keeping Keeping On

There are two primary challenges with long-term creative work and continuing to produce it as the years come and go: 1) keeping your process from becoming a rut, and 2) not allowing life to dampen or even extinguish your creative energy.

We like structure. We crave it. Whenever there is work to be done we will create a routine and that routine becomes integrated with our productivity. Writing is no different. We all have a process we’ve developed and honed, and that process is how we roll. The challenge over time is to not allow the process to become a rut and hem in creative possibilities. I recently saw an interview with a very well-known writer. He stated that he starts all his projects long-hand, in a notebook. He writes and develops his ideas extensively by hand as his first step. This is the opposite of what I do. I compose first on the laptop and them move to editing the hardcopy. Because I don’t want my process to devolve from an enabling structure to a restricting ritual, I’m going to try starting as he starts and see what happens. What aspect of your creative process might benefit from being disrupted?

The other challenge is inherent in the fact that we, and our station in life, change over time. Our responsibilities, circumstances, energy, and concerns alter as we traverse through life.

We may have a creative process that’s well-hewn and highly effective; however this process must be protected from the onslaught of living.

This is as much a concern of psychology as it is a concern of scheduling or space. Just as we need a physical space and time in which to practice our craft, we need mental and emotional space as well. Life has the tendency to monopolize and consume. We must ensure we keep our practice a priority, giving it the focus, energy, and effort it needs. Be attentive to the demands upon you and ensure your craft isn’t a victim of the crush. Move your practice in time and space so that it remains aligned with those moments when you can step away mentally as well. What steps do you need to take to life-proof your creative process?