Ep 11: Keeping Up a Creative Habit in 2020
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Perfectionist in Recovery
Keeping Up a Creative Habit in 2020
Hello and welcome back to the Perfectionist in Recovery Podcast! My name is Marcy Parks and I am a Perfectionist in Recovery.
On today’s episode, I wanted to talk about keeping up with a creative practice in the messy landscape of 2020, but first, the “There are No Bad Emotions” Collection is coming out TOMORROW! And I am SO, so excited. If you are on my newsletter, you are actually getting the first look today, but for everyone else, the collection will be available for public viewing tomorrow. This is a big day for me, in a lot of ways, so I just have to celebrate being here. I have spoken in previous episodes about what this collection means to me and what this experience of painting hard emotions has been like and I will say again that it has been incredibly profound and absolutely essential to staying afloat during 2020.
That being said, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to celebrate on my own, so thank you for being here, too! Thank you for listening to and supporting this podcast. I so appreciate you being here and appreciate the feedback you have shared, if you have already shared it. If you have feedback you would like to share, send me a message on instagram at @MarcyParksArt or go to www.marcyparksart.com and fill out the contact form there to let me know what you think! As I have said before, your feedback makes this podcast better for you to listen to, so definitely share all the feedback. If you are already enjoying the podcast, please follow, subscribe, and leave a review on whatever streaming platform you are currently using.
Now, let’s get into it!
Keeping up a creative practice in 2020 is HARD, but it is essential. A few friends I have spoken with recently have shared how in the unrest and chaos that is 2020 they have let their creative practices slide because “there is just so much else going on and it is one of the first things to go.”
I just want to say that I hear this and I feel this and I, to, do the same.
One of my creative practices is swimming. I love swimming. I love being in water. I have a strong connection to water. I feel best when in water and I feel best when I am swimming regularly! Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, I have gotten out of my creative habit of swimming, but if I am being honest, I had actually gotten out of my swimming habit even before then! I don’t guilt myself over this too much because this is not unusual for me. I have a creative rhythm with swimming as much as I do painting and I will cycle through periods where I am swimming more and swimming less, but every time I come back to swimming after being away from it, I always think, “Why do I keep myself away from this?! Why do I not do this more?!”
I shared recently in a previous episode, we all have a cycle, a rhythm that we follow. Sometimes one creative practice is in season, and sometimes another. BUT it is very important to discern the difference between a rest & recharge period and when you are neglecting yourself and your practice. There is a definite and distinct difference. One implies neglect, one implies care.
I feel like it is really easy to dismiss our creative practices, whatever that looks like - be it writing, painting, walking, cooking for yourself, whatever it is - as being “non-essential”, to use relevant phrasing, and to let them slide when we enter periods of stress - especially in periods of stress when there is homeschooling and working from home that has to happen at the same time, there is a deadly pandemic raging along completely unmanaged, half the country is on fire, the other half is underwater, and we are very literally seeing our fellow Americans and people of color being killed and brutalized in the streets through viral videos. Of course, your creative practice is going to take a back seat, because that’s more than just “a lot going on”.
But I want to encourage you, dear listener, and I am saying this to you as much to myself, is that your creative practice is an essential part of your mental and emotional wellness. It is equally as important to your physical exercise routine, if you have one. Your creative practice is not selfish, at least not in a bad way. Your creative practice is not less important than the dishes piling up in your sink. Your creative practice will do more for you than scrolling the doomsday posts of social media.
And I want to clarify that the news is important and keeping yourself informed about what is going on, especially this year, is very important, and I want to argue that as even more reason to maintain your creative practices or to develop a creative habit. A creative habit becomes a lifeline of support at times when every news cycle is equally devastating. A creative habit will allow the opportunity to decompress and even process the stresses of daily life in 2020 (and also any other year beyond that). Your creative practice is grounding, clarifying, energizing, life-giving!
But in the landscape of 2020, it may very well be hard to find the time to give to your creative practice. There IS a lot going on. So I wanted to share some tips for maintaining a creative practice at this time.
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE: Perfectionism has no place in your creative practice! It has no place in your life! As you can see by having lived every day so far of 2020, things are far, far away from perfect! You do not need any extra, unnecessary guilt. If you have fallen off a wagon, or even multiple wagons, fine, no problem. Let’s take the next step to getting back on.
ADJUST YOUR SCHEDULE: I don’t mean your work schedule, I don’t mean your homeschooling schedule - what I really mean is adjust your expectations around your schedule. Is a DAILY Creative practice out of reach right now? NO problem, make it weekly! Take yourself for an unplugged (tech-free) walk once a week! (Unless you love listening to music while you’re walking, then indulge yourself in your favorite playlist). Is journaling daily not working for you right now? No problem, make it 5 days a week, make it 3 days a week, test out what works and commit to that.
GET OUTSIDE: My heart broke a little writing this one because I know for some people right now, outside is not necessarily safe with wildfires burning and the smoke that comes from that affecting air quality. So I will say if you are in an area unaffected by wildfires and unaffected by flooding, get outside and get moving. Sunshine and fresh air (and that hint of fall feeling that is already coming - and yes, I am a fall enthusiast) can do wonders for a despairing mood and can inspire all the goodness of comfort and peace.
JOURNAL: Are y’all sick of me talking about journaling yet? Because I am not going to stop. Get a journal. Please. Write down what is going on in your brain and get it out of there. Start once a week, then add a day, and another, and another. Try it out at different times of the day - first thing in the morning, midday, at night before bed. Find the time that works for you and try it out.
PHONE A FRIEND: Making time for connection is important at a time when we are so isolated. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to or heard from in a while that you love chatting with. Set a date to actually talk on the phone so you can hear their voice instead of just texting. Even better if you can facetime or zoom or skype or whatever else with them.
And if you are in a position where you are still grounded in your creative habit, help someone else to maintain theirs. I recently asked people on instagram what emotions they struggle with the most and someone shared that right now they are struggling with their happiness because their personal life is really happy, but the world is really sad right now. This was something I really resonated with and could empathize with because I have experienced similar feelings at other times in my life. If you are in a position where you are happy and doing well, but recognize that your community is hurting and struggling, this is an opportunity for you to support others. Research organizations in your area that are doing the work to support people in your area (or beyond) and donate.
If you are interested in supporting others in their creative practices, I will link in the show notes three organizations I support and how you can support them, too.
Otherwise, that is all I have for you today!
For your journaling prompts for this episode, it is actually less of a journaling prompt and more of an affirmation, but I am going to ask you to:
Write in your journal the affirmation: “My creative practice is worth my time and attention.” Write this affirmation ten times. Bonus points if you write this down and stick it somewhere where you will see it every day!
My recommended reading for this episode:
I am actually currently between books at the moment. I am finishing up a parenting book “How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen”, right now, but my next creative book that I will be starting soon is called “The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself” by Lucia Capacchione. Lucia is a registered art therapist and pioneer in expressive art therapies, so you can imagine why I am interested in this book.
Alright friends! I hope this episode finds you well and helps you keep on in the pursuit of creative freedom and happiness. Thank you again so much for listening!
Until next time.
Organizations I Support:
Tessera Arts Collective: Tessera Arts Collective is an arts nonprofit that supports womxn (including queer, trans, femme and non-binary) abstract artists of color in the Greater Philadelphia area & nationwide by providing opportunities, resources, and programming that elevates their work and practice. Tessera propels these artists to take their rightful place in the art world by providing a refuge to incubate and nurture creativity.
https://www.patreon.com/tesseraartscollective
Black Women in Visual Arts: The mission of BWVA is to serve as a resource for Black women in the art world for an equitable and harmonious future.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-the-start-of-black-women-in-visual-artBrown Sisters Speak: Suise Hill Therapy Fund “Healing Is Our Birthright” : Womxn & Men of Color deserve access to healing. Our therapy fund supports Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Island, Men of Color to pay for therapy services. COVID-19 is highlighting the economic disparities facing Womxn of Color, and Brown Sisters Speak wants to help change that. We've created the Susie A. Hill Therapy Fund to support Men and Women needing therapy services.
https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/ODY1NDc=
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