Chatty video about creativity and business *from the archives*
Creativity doesn’t want to be compartmentalized
Welcome to Gentle Musings, a publication about reconnecting with yourself, experiencing life as a creative practice, and living out loud. Gentle Musings is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Dear reader,
I have two special things for your this week, both *from the archives*
First, some bonus inspiration. Let’s take in this quote together by Seamus Heaney:
The true and durable path into and through experience involves being true to the actual givens of your lives. True to your own solitude, true to your own secret knowledge. Because oddly enough, it is that intimate, deeply personal knowledge that links us most vitally and keeps us most reliably connected to one another.
UGH. How good does it feel to read that?!
When I write of self-referenced living and dive deeply into this topic with private clients, this is what it’s all about.
Speaking of inspiration and self-referenced living…
Chanelle Allesandre, a profoundly inspiring human, interviewed me for her interview series Rhythm/Devotion. Chanelle writes a publication called Moon Drops, which is as luminous as it sounds.
Chanelle’s words offer a sensory path into the intimacy of life. To me, her writing reveals the pleasure that naturally emerges when we slowly look around and sink into deeper attention.
For every writer and herb/plant life enthusiast who reads this letter, I think this might be of interest: Chanelle is offering her exquisite series called P O A C E A E this summer. Think: the structure of a poetry workshop with flower essences woven through. Learn more about it here.
And if you want to get a very personal glimpse into my days, click here:
Here is a preview…
What do you do/not do if you are feeling stuck around your work?
I’m in the stuck/unstuck dance often. It usually means that I’m too close to what I’m doing and need some lemon water and fresh air. I like to invite my stuckness on a walk.
When I feel stuck, sometimes a part of me doesn’t feel safe to be seen, mess-up, or be perceived in a way that feels untrue. I remind myself that we aren’t meant to figure everything out alone, and I ask a friend or beloved if they want to have a mutual brainstorming session.
I think about this quote by John le Carré: “Sometimes we have to do a thing in order to find out the reason for it. Sometimes our actions are questions, not answers.” Sometimes we also have to do a thing alongside our fear, without the need for it to subside, to know that we can be daring and sensitive at once. I get stuck when I forget this. Thankfully, this is at the center of my contemplations, so I consider myself knee-deep in the curriculum of my work whenever it gets stirred up.
Massive gratitude to Chanelle for the invitation to contribute to this gorgeous series.
Alright, ready for something from the archives?
This is a video that I made in June 2021. I forgot it existed, and so here it is made public! In it, I reference a little something called harvesting.
It’s sweet that this was a time capsule for myself because it was around this time that I realized Regarding Dew was all about creativity—LOL.
Brew yourself something delish and tune into this particularly chatty video…
As the Youtubers say: If you like the video, 💥smash that like button💥
And please, subscribe for more.
Wait: what is harvesting?
If you’ve been around these parts for a while now, you might remember the monthly harvest video diaries—the video above is one of those monthly entries—and the Gentle Musings all about building a harvest practice of your own. Keep an eye out later this week as I send the Gentle Musings all about what harvesting is and how to build your own harvesting practice.
In this video, I muse on…
🔸 Sharing my process of feeling free in my creative voice and clarifying themes of Regarding Dew. If you are building a creative business, you might find some useful nuggets here!
🔸 Considering the principles of your practices—what are the principles that run your creativity, day, business, etc…? They are there, even if you haven’t defined them. Giving some time to explore, or even refine, the principles that guide you and your work is well worth the effort. And like everything, it’s a creative practice in itself.
🔸 Being in a responsive relationship to what you’re creating with the idea that it is its own entity, and sometimes it needs to lead the creative process.
🔸 Pausing before taking action. Pause before action! Even when you have creative momentum, carve out a few simple seconds of pause. Self trust is built through action, for sure. But even more, it is built through tuning in before your move forward. Listen, then act. You don’t have to determine the new direction, you just have to listen for it. A friend, accountability buddy, or creative coach/mentor helps with this massively.
🔸 Bringing ALL of yourself into the creative process. Your creativity doesn’t want to be compartmentalized.
🔸 Writing your own rules!!
Lastly, some of what I talk about echos this letter in case you want to go deeper:
Thank you for being here & thank you for being you.
Talk soon xo
Maggy
Liking, commenting, sharing on social media or forwarding to a friend, and subscribing (or becoming a paid subscriber) let’s me know that this is being received by you and your heart. It means so much. Thank you.