September 29
Creative Thursday – Week 3
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For the next few weeks, I’m reading the book Creative Thursday by Marisa Anne.
Creative Thursday is a book about learning to make creativity a daily habit. Over the last few years, I have made creativity a priority, but just like any habit or practice, it requires consistent attention.
Chapter 4, Commitment, talks about committing to the practice of creativity and establishing it as a habit in your life. Marisa gives several ideas to help you towards that goal and towards setting accountability. The first suggestion was to write a blog. This made me chuckle because writing a blog is my number one accountability partner.
Chapter 5, Setting a Time Limit, was of particular interest to me because I’ve recently been hard on myself for not feeling motivated. Since I’m starting a new job, I’m expending a lot of energy focusing on learning my new position. I want to be gentle with myself, but I do realize that I can’t use that as an excuse. Even with what I perceive as less time to paint, I still have time. I’m working on this.
Chapter 6, Redefining the Role of Perfection, is a chapter that will strike home with many of us. At times, I’ve felt perfectionism is one of the biggest negatives in my life. Over the years, I’ve let go of a lot of my perfectionistic tendencies, but they are always lurking. This chapters strives to put the role of perfection into proper perspective. Marisa defines perfection as “a desire to create with excellence.” I like this definition. It lines up with her encouragement to “increase the self-love, decrease the self-judgment.”
Oh, that perfectionist devil sits on my shoulder all. the. time! I had to laugh, because for a minute, I thought this was a Thursday post and I felt like I’d lost a lot of time off vacation already! lol
That perfectionism devil hounds me too. Now, I look back at photos that I took a few years ago, and I can’t believe how many details of a good photo I overlooked. I am coming to accept that “perfect” is relative to where my skills and vision is now… and will be a moving target forever more…
We don’t have that perfectionist thing. We’re more the usual Australian ‘near enough is good enough’. BOL!
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
I think that is going to be my new motto.
I like things to be in their place.
We too like things to be in their place but we are not perfectionists. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
I like the sound of that book. Think I might be off to Amazon to get a copy xx
I was so inspired I’ve just bought one from her Etsy shop (told her where I heard about it of course!) Thanks for the inspiration.
You had me worried there for a minute. I thought, ‘it can’t be Thursday already, I’ve just got up!’ and besides – I’m not even drinking that much these days 🙂
Lynne x
You’re so funny!
I tend to do everything early, which is also bad time management. At work I often finish early and then find out they have changed something and have to start over. Keep up the good work at yoru new job
urban hounds
Points 4 and 5 yes. Perfectionism? Not sure I’ve ever been accused of that 🙂
Those are all things I can use too. The time one especially is tough. because of the blog, I don’t have as much time as I would like to create. How do you fix that one? LOL
Gosh, I wish I had the answer. That’s what I’m struggling with now too. I’m going to try to change the time that I set aside for painting. I’m used to painting on days off (don’t have too many of those anymore) and in the evenings (not much time there either because I go to bed earlier). I’m going to try to start painting in the mornings. I’ll have less time, but if I can do it more days, it may work out okay. It’s always a juggling act.
I use to create a lot everyday!!!! Found Memories!!! Still wear lots of those cloths too!!