Euphoria!

Melancholy.

Pumped up!

deflated.

Flowing!

Sssstuck.

[bored]

And everything in between that.

Do you SHOW UP for yourself throughout all those cycles?

Do you make space consistently for connection to yourself and your creative expression?

If not, read on.

(If yes, then do a happy dance and let me know so I can do one with you!)

This week the message is simple - make space for yourself and your art CONSISTENTLY.

Schedule it into your calendar. Sign up for a class or program if you can’t motivate yourself to do it solo. However you need to, set aside that time.

Having space will allow you to FEEL what’s happening inside. It will help you take a break from the day-to-day and take a step inside of yourself. From that place you can get clarity about things and connect to your intuition. You can create something.

And, the consistent practice of coming to this place, no matter how up or down you’re feeling, will influence your art and your life in big ways. If you wait until you feel happy to make a dance or write a poem, you’ll only be tapping into one emotion. If you keep working on that dance or poem through all your feelings and states, you’ll access depth and authenticity.

Not having space can leave you feeling frustrated, lost, and out of sorts with yourself. It can leave you overly influenced by the demands and opinions of others. It can stifle you and make you want to jump out of your skin! (I know because I’ve been there!)

If you’re saying, “Jess, I get it but I have no idea what I’d actually DO if I created that space for myself...”

I hear you. The empty space can be a scary thing. So scary that we’d rather fill space with a bunch of other crap to avoid it.

If you need a plan of action, I created a quick set of instructions you can follow.

What to do in a creative session with yourself:

First thing’s first: Make the space in your calendar. Schedule it in. Rent studio space if you need to, or just clear out all other distractions for an hour or however long you need.
Start out the session with movement. Do the Dance Shuffle Solution or just simply play a couple of songs and let your body warm up and move intuitively. It doesn’t even have to be “dancing.” You can roll around on the floor or stretch or run around or whatever your body desires.
Next, go to your notebook and write. Set a timer for 10 minutes and do some free writing - about the random thoughts in your head, or about a particular theme that’s coming up for you in your life.
Then, lie down and do nothing. You can set a timer for this too - maybe 5 minutes. Allow things to settle. Call it meditation or just call it doing nothing. Most importantly, just do it and see what comes up. You might feel emotions. Great. Let them flow through you - cry, laugh, make sounds, or do whatever needs to come through.
Finally, make something. If you have a go-to artistic discipline, this step will be obvious - just go and do that thing (i.e. dance, paint, write, etc.). If you don’t have a go-to thing, then this is your time to experiment. The most important part is that you just commit to trying something.
Set up another time in your calendar for next week (or tomorrow) and repeat the process.

If you end up starting a project in this process, here’s how you can take it to the next level.

But you might not create an actual project. You might just come back to this process and let yourself play and feel and create things.

It’s a win-win either way. You come back to yourself. The world is affected by your expression.

Was this helpful? What are your favorite practices for making space for your creativity?

Please share in the comments below and let’s inspire each other to keep it flowing!

This is your life. Start creating it.

to making space,

Jess

p.s. If you’re ready to go deeper, check out this quick video that will help you connect to your rhythm and make space for yourself. There’s more info below that video about an awesome opportunity for you to work with me.

p.p.s. I’m also opening up Creative Office Hours this coming Monday June 8th only. Book a complimentary 15-minute time slot with me to jam on what's happening - or not happening - in your creative life. I'll give you my best guidance and laser-focused coaching to help you dance away from the call with a new perspective and motivation to do what you want to do.

There are 13 spots open - make one of them yours now.