You can’t do it all.
If no one has told you that yet today, allow me to give you the grace you need to breathe. Finding balance has very little to do with being balanced. Which is why I wasn’t upset over the last month when I noticed that I was barely writing for myself – a habit I had proudly put into place over the summer.
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If it were earlier in my career, I might have felt panicked. Or, I’d tell myself that other things were more important right now and I’d risk becoming complacent. Both are excellent ways to make sure you get nothing creative done.
Rather than always looking for balance, I encourage you to find harmony.
Work happens. Migraines happen. Joyful evenings with your loved ones happen. It would be a mistake to think that any of these could detract from your craft, because in the process of having that thought the only one detracting from your craft is you.
Creativity is not balanced. It’s a harmony of chaos and peace.
Level Up Your Habits
Building the habit of working within your craft on a regular basis is a powerful tool. It sets the expectation that you’ll do this thing at this time consistently.
But what happens when life disrupts this pattern? In the beginning of my career I found that any disruption was detrimental. It didn’t take much of a disturbance to break my habit of writing for myself. Anything more than a day and I was back at square one, going between panicked and complacent.
Establish a habit that becomes a treat you can indulge in whenever and as often as you want. It’s a transformation that will relieve the pressure of having to accomplish your task while still consistently working towards your goal.
I may not be writing every day currently, but I know it’s there for me as soon as I have a moment to create. In the meantime, I find moments between designing a new web page or publishing my own rebranded site where I’m able to let my mind wander to a story I’ve been working on. And as soon as I’ve had enough of a rest from work, I jump back into my task refreshed.
A truly unbreakable habit is more than repetitive actions. It’s a constant harmony of intuitively listening to your process.
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Set Future Goals
As I’ve spent less time in my craft over the last month or so, I’ve been contemplating what I want to achieve. It’s a thought process I often have when sewing. Planning silk jackets and fine wool blazers has always felt more exciting, because it’s a habit that’s an indulgence. It’s already leveled up. I don’t mind working on those self-imposed deadlines.
NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month – is fast approaching (as usual) this November. It’s an annual challenge to write fifty thousand words in one month, generally working towards completing a novel. This year, it’s a set time for me to treat my writing with the same excitement I have for new sewing projects. And while fifty thousand words is no joke, I can tell you that sewing a flat felled seam for every single seam in a silk jacket is also no joke. Did I do I it without hesitation? Yup.
Find excitement in the nuance of each challenge, and you might just view your goals as an event to look forward to.
Embrace Having Multiple Creative Outlets
The benefit of having multiple creative outlets is that when you find your harmony, you can shift your focus as needed to avoid burning out while still filling your cup. Allow yourself to indulge in the other creative ventures that are calling your attention. Learn from one and apply it to the other.
The benefit of writing and sewing is that I’ve given myself one craft that is cerebral and one that is much more hands on. Writing doesn’t come with instructions. Sewing does. Even when draping a new pattern, there are guidelines and rules. The reward is more immediate. I can see how it’s developing every step of the way.
Writing is a greater unknown. You’re making things up as you go and waiting to see if they work.
If you’re struggling to consistently find joy in what it is that you do, I encourage you to try its opposite or at the very least introduce opposing variables. Write outside instead of inside. Try different mediums that encourage you to alter your thought process. Writing a script or a graphic novel, though similar to a short story or book, evokes a much different process and can therefore be just as refreshing.
So how does this help you make time when there is none?
Sometimes holding space for your passions doesn’t translate to time. It can be appreciation, an acknowledgement of something that you’re going to do soon, a spare moment for stray thoughts that lead to a new idea. 20 minutes at the end of the day to complete one small step that moves you a little closer.
Mostly, it comes down to allowing yourself the flexibility to be human while understanding how interconnected everything is. By understanding writing, I was able to teach myself how to code. The ways that your creativity can benefit you are endless and unpredictable.
Find your harmony, and you’ll find your time.
SAMANTHA PATERNOSTER
Writing is much bigger than a career. It’s more interesting than a hobby. It’s the spark to an eternal curiosity that has led me to learn unexpected skills, treasure knowledge passed down through generations, and create a space for voices that need to speak.
I earned my B.A. in Creative Writing from Brandeis University, with a focus on long and short fiction. I have nearly a decade of experience as a copywriter and editor. But I’ve also worked as an Email Analyst and QA Analyst at Yale University, helping to launch their redesigned Giving page circa 2014.
Most recently, I’ve started my own business – Creatively You. Built for my clients, it is founded on one simple act: listening. By listening to my clients’ dreams and needs, I am able to help them develop their brands through cohesive web design and content that tells their stories.
I don’t believe in linear paths. I do believe in the magic that embracing the unknown can bring.
