Reflections on a Creative Life
A month in review
Creative Possibilities/Issue #19
Dear Reader,
In today’s newsletter I’m taking a look back on October from the seat at my art desk and answering three questions:
What's one thing I’ve enjoyed about my creative life this month?
What has inspired me this month?
What's one thing I’d like to keep (or change) about my creative process in November?
I hope these questions will inspire your own reflections as well.
Q: What's one thing I’ve enjoyed about my creative life in October?
A: Making rules and breaking most of them.
At the beginning of October I decided to participate in an annual art challenge called Inktober1. As I looked through the various prompt lists compiled by artists around the world, I found one that seemed like it was made just for me: a list of drawing prompts centered around birds.
The aim was simple: read the daily prompt and draw a bird.
Here’s how I made the challenge work for me:
First, I picked a theme that I knew I would enjoy. I’ve been drawing birds for over a decade and I never grow tired of it.
Second, I put limits on the type of art materials I could use. After the first few days of drawing birds, I happen to grab a piece of collage paper, glue it in my sketchbook and add a simple line drawing to finish the bird. I liked it so much I decided to stick with those supplies for the rest of the month. The prompts and the choice to use only collage with a pen scaled down any thinking or planning required to get started each time.
Third, I turned the rules into guidelines that could be broken. I gave myself permission to skip some days. Even though I ended up missing about half the days in October, I still made more art this past month than I would have if I’d never started Birdtober. I also looked through the list and picked the ones that jumped out to me rather than forcing myself to follow the prompt attached to the date.
By coming to the project with grace, I was able to keep a playful mindset instead of making it all about the rules or the amount of work I accomplished.
What about you? Do rules tend to help your creative life or hinder it?
Q: What has inspired me this month?
A: Attending an author talk with my daughter.
A few weeks ago my daughter and I went to hear authors Ruta Sepetys and Steven Sheinken speak about a book they co-wrote called The Bletchley Riddle. My daughter had read Between Shades of Gray2 and You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory, both by Sepetys.
As they explained their process for writing the book, Sheinken said to the audience3, “I imagine you’re probably familiar with the phrase ‘you’re either a pantser or a plotter’?” Only a few people nodded so he went on to explain that “pantsers” fly by the seat of their pants when they write and “plotters” outline everything ahead of time.
While they worked together on The Bletchley Riddle they found a way to navigate their two very different writing styles, each learning something new about how to write. After the book was finished they were asked if it was written in the pantser style or the plotter style and they actually disagreed about the answer. Sepetys (the pantser) thought they’d leaned more into outlines and Sheinken (the plotter) thought they’d flown by the seat of their pants.
The phrase was completely new to my daughter and I. We’re both pantsers when it comes to our creative lives. On the other hand, tell me to plan out a vacation and I’ll tell you the exact itinerary for each day, down to the restaurants and where the bathrooms are located. But when it comes to art and writing, I like to not know where I’m going until I get there.
What about you? Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter”?
Q: What's one thing I’d like to keep (or change) about my creative process in November?
A: I need to spend more time outside.
I rather desperately need to get outside more. I’ve felt this truth nudging me all month. Last summer and fall I spent a portion of every day outside: walking, bike riding, and kayaking. The rhythm and motion of my bike rides as well as the always shifting beauty along the greenway was the main place that ideas showed up for my writing and my sketchbook.
Many factors have affected my time outside this year: a hotter summer, adding a one day a week teaching job (and the time prepping for it), a violent crime that happened on our greenway this past month, and the damage to my hand in a car accident four weeks ago. I’m spending too much time on a treadmill, passively watching TV and movies, instead of out in the open air. I can feel the creative inkwell drying up every day.
It’s something I’m trying to pay attention to and change but not with the framework of shame: Why aren’t you going outside, you lazy person?!
But as an invitation: It’s time for a beauty hunt and you’re invited.
What about you? Does time spent outside affect your creative life?
I’d love to hear your answers to any of these questions in the comments.
Continue the Journey
Related Newsletters from the Archives
Blessings from the Guest Nest,
Aimee
P.S.—Thanks so much for reading! You can support the writing and art I share each week by donating to my art supply fund.
Inktober began in 2009 as a way to encourage people to grow in their skills and develop a daily art habit.
Not to be confused with Fifty Shades of Grey.
I’m also a pantser in my creative life and plotter in every other area! I’ve tried to do editorial calendars and outlines for posts, but those methods just don’t seem to work for me. Too constricting. I usually have little clue about what I’ll write. At this point, I let my posts turn into whatever they want to be!
Also, I’m with you on the getting outside in nature. Fall is so fleeting, but beautiful, and I don’t want to miss it. 🍂
I call myself a plantser. I usually write essays by the seat of my pants, but when putting them into a larger piece of work (i.e. the Lenten Devotional I wrote and the Empty Nest book I’m working on), I plot things out. I love seeing things fall into some kind of order and sometimes I have to create that order first. Idk if that makes sense or not. 🤷♀️
And yes, to needing more time in nature. I like your non-shaming approach and need to use that on myself! Thanks for sharing.