I’m re-reading The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron at the moment*, a book subtitled A spiritual path to higher creativity. And the introductory part made me think about the type of energy we need for different activities.

For me, there’s “doing things” energy, which is where I spend a lot of my working time, and I can work out how to get paid for doing it. Being logical, going through tasks on a list, getting stuff done, making things happen.

There is mum energy, which requires organisation, negotiation, thinking ahead, playing and generally being immersed in interaction and practical activities of various types.

And there is creative energy. The one that from the outside can often look like not actually doing anything “useful”. But that I need for myself. This of course is the one I sometimes struggle to make time for and to prioritise, because it requires setting boundaries and explaining to other people that I need it, but without being able to explain why or what exactly I’m doing with that time. Because I don’t always know!

All I know about creative energy is that I need to spend time in it. It’s one of those things in life where once you know you need it, you can’t un-know that fact. Whether it’s gathering inspiration, writing down your thoughts, or actually creating something for yourself or others, it’s all part of creativity. So it whispers to you, and sometimes even shouts at you, making sure you know it’s there and it wants your attention. Even if you’re not working on a specific creative project.

So how do I find the time for being with my creative energy?

I plan my weeks so that little bits of time are blocked out for a few essential creative activities – and planning itself has a weekly time slot too. I keep one day a week free from “doing” as far as possible so I can focus on writing and creating. I regularly go for walks and take photos, even if only for five minutes. And I do creative journaling, which includes my own version of morning pages as well as some creative ideas I picked up from a course by Susannah Conway. (Journal Your Life.)

I’m hoping that re-reading The Artist’s Way will give me some ideas on other things I could add into my weekly routine to help me continue to find bits of time to connect with my creative flow.

What sort of things do you do that help maintain your creativity?

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