Howdy,
I can't quite believe that we are about to hit December. I am very grateful that this year I have gotten back into some incredible creative practices. I now write, paint and sing almost every day. I've built the life I've always wanted. Of course I have goals, some I'm crushing and others, not so much but, with a little more planning and habit creation I think I can get there. I think that's been the main changing point for me. Habits. When I read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear I liked it but, when I downloaded the audio book and listened it just seemed to click into my brain in a way that it hadn't before.
There are so many small gems from it that seem to sink in at just the right time. I started going to the gym 3-4 times a week and loving it. I've started to eat a lot better. I rebooted my art tube, sorted out my art store and am even running my day job better. I've always lived with a little and often philosophy but this seemed to help me apply that to my life in a new way and it's worked. I'm not the person I was at the beginning of this year. If anything I am starting to lean into the best bits of everything I've always been. It's like I've been picking up pieces of my creative fire that I seem to have left in different stages, different traumas of my life. I know there's more to come but what's returned already has been incredible.
I really can't recommend this book enough for creatives. It's not so much that the information in it is groundbreaking but it lays it out in a way that helped me to understand and digest it. With plans getting ready for next year I think it's a good time to invest in ways of organising that might help. I wake up each morning and write for half an hour and then I paint for an hour, then each afternoon/early evening I sit in front of the piano and play and write songs. Small, little, often.
What creative habits might help you in the new year? What daily creative practice might benefit you? Take some time and try a few things out. If you come up with anything good, let me know! I'm always open to trying new things!
Big Love,
Ryan x