Finding your way through the creative muck
Four practices that saved my butt
This letter is for you if you're stuck in the muck of a creative project.
If you’re not currently in the muck, bookmark this for when you are <3
Last week, I finally wrapped up an intense overhaul of course curriculum that I had zero plans to overhaul. The whole process felt eerily on-topic since January's course is about pivoting and being curiously present during times both sweet and strenuous.
I’m grateful to plunge into the teachings and test their robustness, but between you and me, it was rough in the beginning. By early November, my frustration reached devastating levels. I sulked and stared…
… at the ceiling, lying on the floor listening to Sinéad O'Connor,
… at my laptop screen, hoping something would magically appear if I waited long enough,
… out the window at the unfortunately placed brick wall,
… at my cat, who stared right back into my soul.
And then I reminded myself of one of my mottos: no mental drama! As in: no mental drama needed—life is dramatic enough as it is. I want to feel what’s agitating and draining, growing my capacity to be with it, rather than getting wrapped up in convoluted thought corners.
In my heart of hearts, I knew that the pull to make major changes came from honoring the course's evolution. This wasn't about fixing or over-preparing. It was about being a steward to a creative entity that’s distinct from myself, a role I tend to with enormous devotion.
Sometimes my head spins, and I cry, throw my arms up, and wish it were easier or more convenient to steward projects and everything that comes with it (sharing openly and generously, working for myself, holding intense longing).
When the going got tough, these four practices helped me get unstuck from the muck. I hope sharing them serves your practice, too.
𓍼ོ Changing environments—from desk to bed to floor to library to friend's place to a café. The diner is reserved for last-ditch efforts, and thankfully I didn’t need it.
Beyond physical spaces, my process eased up when I changed another kind of environment: from working mostly on my computer to switching between analog writing containers. My notebook, legal pads, and flashcards came in handy here.
Instead of writing my thoughts out every time, making audio notes to process out loud was enormously helpful (especially on a walk).
𓍼ོ Talking it out—the love of my life is also my favorite creative thinker and conversationalist. We talked through conceptual knots for hours over coffee and dark chocolate. Like many people who write, I'm private about my work with friends, but talking it out with someone can be helpful depending on your comfort level. It could be a friend, a coach or mentor if you have one, or a tree! The idea here is to vocalize the process: let it stretch out in space.
I hope this makes sense: there’s a form of talking that’s actually writing and a form of writing that’s actually talking. ‘Talking it out’ can happen on the page when you’re in dialogue—with your deep self, an ancestor, a higher power, or even receiving messages from Love directly à la Elizabeth Gilbert.
Strong opinion incoming: I err on the side of caution when using ChatGPT to work out ideas. It's too slippery a slope and shortcuts the long way, which is muddy and tedious at times but also dotted with wonders I don't want to miss. The creative process can be agonizing but it’s yours to agonize over!
𓍼ོ Letting myself reorganize and deep clean and enjoy it instead of doing it anyway but berating myself for “lack of discipline”—Being disciplined doesn’t mean floating above the human urge to procrastinate.
Also, I know I’m not the only one that mislabels rest as procrastination sometimes. One of my mom’s favorite, and very mom-ish, lines is from Jason Bourne: Rest is a weapon. If rest is a weapon, procrastination on purpose is an underrated tool.
We often procrastinate when we’re confused or afraid, right? You can invite confusion and fear, as if they were vulnerable little beings, to be with you as you busy your mind with an intentional activity. For me at least, it’s best if this activity doesn’t involve consuming information, so something like a walk or cleaning works well. So, I invited my overwhelm to be just as it was while I got busy procrastination cleaning.
In October and November, organizing and cleaning was my creative thinking time. It got a little out of hand, I admit… The closet is color-coded and all of the plants’ leaves were lovingly wiped down. So here’s what I ended up doing: I set a timer to mark the end of purposeful procrastination time. When it went off, I squeezed and patted my arms and legs right away (before my thoughts could start chattering).
So much of pivoting toward wholeness is meeting these small transitional moments by trying something doable and gentle to ground. This makes enough space for compassionate inner-dialogue: I know feeling stuck is overwhelming and agitating, and doing something else around the house is tempting, but I just need to attend to this for the next set amount of time.
𓍼ོ The most energetic practice, but also the most pivotal: Even though we can't control the creative process, we can cultivate chosen energetic states through sincere intention and practice.
Inviting in ease helps to create a little more ease. Choosing playful reverence softens the grasping mind. So here’s what I did: I tuned into my animating principle—a feeling or virtue that is the energy behind what I do—and invited it into my heart with a few breaths. Mine lately has been trust. When I breathe in trust, I’m breathing in a state that exists across time and peoples, and I ask to hold a part of it within me.
And there it is, the practices that I washed, rinsed, and repeated all season long. I hope this list finds you when you need it, and if you have a friend who could benefit from these practices, please pass it on!
So much of what I did during the re-design of Pivoting Toward Wholeness was… pivoting. Again and again, I oriented my attention toward a state of receptivity and curiosity, making the next creative choice available to me in any given moment.
This is exactly what we’re going to explore and practice together, in depth. You'll be supported in laying the foundation for a year of making choices—from the micro to the major—in alignment with your deepest self. This includes unshaming needs, refining the energy you bring to your days, articulating your desires, and showing up for life in a way that makes you proud when your head hits the pillow at the end of a long day.
Click below to learn more and get your name on the waitlist for when the next cohort begins:
If you’re new here, I write about this topic a lot because I know this place well and I have the privilege of supporting people through creative muck moments every week in creative mentorship. It’s a through line in most of what I share, but here are some that come to mind:
