It has been a time period, friends. My husband has a major, ongoing medical issue that is potentially fatal. My father was chased by a crazy guy with a machete. My cousin died of a drug overdose. The coronavirus might cancel a much needed and much anticipated vacation.
That’s on top of the normal, day-to-day issues (I am forgetting to do something for the small, mobile ones, I can almost guarantee it).
As one might imagine, my mental state varies widely at the moment, and sometimes it’s a struggle to get out of the house, let alone sit down and write a couple thousand words.
(Daylight savings is helping nothing, but it does give me a convenient excuse.)
But I am still writing, and I am still drawing, and I think it all comes down to being gentle with myself.
Should I have written yesterday, or the day before? Oh, yes, absolutely. Have I? No. Should I feel bad because there was a writing challenge in one of my writing groups that I completely failed at? No. It’s fine. (And also, if I do end up completing it today, I will count it as a win.)
If it gets done, fantastic. If it doesn’t, there is always tomorrow.
In the great scheme of things, a few missed days isn’t the end of the world.
And, like I said, things are still getting done. Not as many, not as quickly, but it’s happening. So giving myself a break isn’t the end of the world either.
What do you think, friends? What do you find helps when everything is going poorly?
I want to believe that creating is the Thing To Do No Matter What, but I’m not sure that’s true. Sometimes we need breaks, or at least a change of pace or to lower our expectations of ourselves.
Last spring, my father was hospitalized and nearly died. He was diagnosed with a chronic condition that has no cure, so he is now in maintenance mode, doing what he can to stay healthy. The whole thing freaked my mom out. She’s a ceramic artist and was just gearing up for a big group project when this happened. To my dismay, she pulled out. She said she knew she wouldn’t be able to work on it. I thought she should try, because it seemed like it would be a good distraction. But she felt that the stress of trying to meet the deadlines would be too much. She must have know what she was doing. She just got back to her studio last month, and it’s not like things have been all that rocky. They settled down pretty quickly. But she needed time to adjust to the new normal and wasn’t able to make things until now.
I myself definitely change my goals when things get hairy. I stop worrying about making detailed drawings and switch to doodling and coloring books. I knit socks (which is practically automatic for me) instead of sweaters. I do keep making things, but the kind of things I make are much simpler. I don’t expect myself to be capable of genius creating. But I can still get some things done, and they often bring me comfort.
Hoping things get better for you soon! And especially that your husband’s health improves.
Thank you for your insights, Kit. 🙂
I try to take each day at a time. Just focus on getting through it, and then the next one, and the next one.
I am praying for you.