Daily Creative April 21, 2020: Writing Through the Mud

It's been a rough couple of days. Nothing tragic, nothing I can't handle, but still hard. Kind of like trudging through thick mud. I am reminded again how important self-care is to maintaining any sense of balance in my life. Self-care is integral to being a present and compassionate parent. Self-care will allow me to get dinner on the table, and shower, and maintain optimism in the face of uncertainty. And the best self-care I know is my creative practice. If you are feeling discouraged, or stuck, unable to wade through the thick mud of your day, try a short creative exercise. Just give it five minutes. Then try it again the next day. Then the next. Just five minutes a day, done consistently, can change your whole outlook and energy level. And soon that mud will be clear water.

Today we are going to do some writing. Grab paper or journal, and a writing implement that you really like. Writing on paper is a visceral experience. Find a pen that feels luxurious on the paper. Or precise. Whatever feels good to you. Set your timer for five minutes, and start writing. It doesn't matter what you write, the important thing is that you don't stop writing for five minutes. Don't take your pen off of the paper. If you run out of things to write, you can write "I don't know what to write." Don't worry about what content comes out - it may be a poetic work of genius and it may be your grocery list. Either is just fine. There is no wrong or right thing to write.

If you need a place to start, you can use a writing prompt. Try "I am..." or "Yesterday I..." or "If I could..."

Let me know how the Daily Creative is working for you. You can comment below, or send me an email at karen@kscreativity.com, or find us on facebook or instagram. Happy writing and walking through the mud!