Tag: creating

Shining bright!

When I think of constellations, I always thinks of the children’s nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.’ It was a rhyme I loved as a child and still do, as it conjures up delight and allows me to dream of things bigger than myself.

Constellation – “a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure”  or  “a group of associated or similar people or things” (Oxford Lexico, 2021).

All of us are part of a constellation and have constellations around us, relationships of differing kinds – family, friends, intimate partnerships, work teams, interest groups, sporting groups etc. Like all celestial constellations, there are groups or stars that shine bright – some for a long time, some that fade in and out, those that speed brightly across our skies like a comet and are gone in a blaze of light. The one thing these stars and groups have in common is you, the centre of your own constellation.

When coaching people around their creativity, a common theme that arises is “how do I put myself first, how do I have time for my own creative endeavours, time for me?”

Putting yourself first can be a challenge when you are part of a constellation, surrounded by those stars that shine bright and lighten your day, those that ebb and require your sparkle to help them burn more vividly; all those stars that require your time and attention. With all this activity, the question then becomes “But at what cost to your own brightness, to your own creative energy field and endeavours?”

Creating requires time and a commitment to self, to craft, to nurturing and bringing forth your own genius in whatever form that may take. It requires time to dream and indulge your imaginings before sitting down to do the hard yards of actually producing the work – be it a painting, a novel or short story, a photo exhibition, a film, a crochet artwork; the list is endless.

Pulling yourself away from the force field generated by your constellations to create requires strength of purpose. It calls for a broad vision around what you want to focus on and where you want to arrive at the end of the creative journey.

It involves planning and goal setting, making time and finding a place for yourself to work uninterrupted. It entails facing your demons around success and failure, about being good enough and having something to say to the world. In short, it requires work, and a dedication to and belief in self.

To come back to the nursery rhyme, it requires you to actually wonder where you are in relation to your creative journey, your work, your craft. It requires you to fade a little within your constellation and back yourself so you can fully shine and “Twinkle, twinkle little star… like a diamond in the sky.”

Please get in touch if you are looking to shine like a diamond and would like to uncover how best to do this.

REFERENCES:

Oxford Lexico (2021) https://www.lexico.com/definition/constellation

© First published via the Mannaz Journal – reprinted here with permission.

 

About the Author: Julie Regan

Julie is a professional transition coach, working with people in career transition and those exploring and developing their artistic and creative practice. She is the Director of Creative Coaching Options and brings over 20 years’ experience working in the creative arts and coaching space. Julie is also a writer and film enthusiast.

Pace yourself

Watching the Olympic games in Brazil I was again reminded of what elite athletes can teach us as artists and creatives, about life in general.

As we go about our life, practice and business there are many important things that we, like athletes, need to consider in order to live and create – building and maintaining our fitness, developing our practical skills and mental toughness, preparing for the big “race”, celebrating our successes, reflecting on and learning from our wins and losses, and importantly refreshing ourselves after our achievements.

Great athletes understand the importance of recharging and recuperating, of learning all they can from their performance whether they win or lose, and of refocusing on the next event, the next gold medal, trophy or premiership.  They understand how to manage their energy.

 

the challenge of great performance is to manage energy more effectively in all dimensions to achieve your goalsengagement is not simply one-dimensional.  The energy that pulses through us is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.  All four dynamics are critical, none is sufficient by itself and each profoundly influences the others.  To perform at our best, we must skilfully manage each of these interconnected dimensions of energy.” 1.

 

We need to manage our energy to ensure that we have the stamina to go the distance to fulfill our goals of becoming successful people, artists and creators, however we define such success.

How do you manage your energy across all your four energy dynamics – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual?  Do you give yourself time to rest, review and learn, recuperate and recharge on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis?  If the answer is no, or sometimes, then it may be time to rethink what you are doing.  Here are some suggestions to help keep your energy levels firing.

  Take regular breaks – Creating is a marathon and a good way to tackle the distance is with regular “sprints”.  Set interval targets for your creative endeavours, whatever they may be, over a day and then have a break to refresh. Write, compose, paint, draw etc. with no interruptions for an hour and then have a ten minute break.  It works and stops procrastination.

  Recharge – Identify things that bring joy to your life and make a commitment to do at least one of those things a day.  And make them achievable.

  Play – Feed the creative part of your life and make time to play2,  to do things that aren’t about projects and outcomes.  Go out and have some fun, and get caught up in living in the moment.

  Move – Move your body and exercise as it is a natural stimulant with both proven physical and psychological benefits.  Physically it increases your aerobic and anaerobic fitness; muscle tone and strength; energy levels; flexibility; sleep quality; plus more.  Psychologically it improves your confidence and self-esteem; reduces your stress levels; and increases your feeling of well-being.

  Reflect – Allocate time in your day to reflect on your successes, how you feel about your work and its progress, on your life, those people who are important to you.  Do something that allows you to listen to what’s going on ‘inside’ you and to be grateful for all of it.

  Sleep and eat well – Develop and maintain healthy dietary and sleep routines.  Choose nutritious fuel for your body and eat at regular intervals to maintain optimum energy levels.  Too little or too much food at the wrong times can impact on your performance.  Schedule your work to ensure you get between seven and eight hours sleep a night to rejuvenate.

Give yourself the best chance to do your best and have a break.  You don’t just deserve it – you need it!

Coaching can assist you to pace your creative life.  Please get in touch if you would like to explore these ideas in more detail.


1.  Loehr, Jim and Schwartz, Tony (2005) The Power of Full Engagement – The Free Press, New York, page 9

2.  National Institute for Play at http://www.nifplay.org

7 habits of mind to boost your arts career

Earlier this year I contributed to an article on ArtsHub called the Seven habits of mind that will boost your arts career.

Metalsmith and lecturer, Simon Cottrell, feminist organiser Karen Pickering, community cultural development practitioner, Susie Waller, and myself were interviewed and asked what behaviours and attitudes help artists to excel and survive in the demanding world of today’s arts practitioner.  The responses provide plenty of food for thought and focus on some of the important intangible aspects associated with creative practice.  Check out the article and enjoy.

Also check out my article on this site on self compassion.

Coaching can assist you to explore ways to increase your self-awareness.  Please get in touch if you would like to explore any of these ideas in more detail.