The Hidden Work That Makes Creativity Real
And a kinder way to reflect
What a year!
Can you believe we are at the end of it? Seriously I think someone in my life has developed the ability to time travel and has been hopping around in my life timeline. They made November pass at double speed and completely erased the first week of December!
End of year tends to be a time for reflection. It’s when so many of us see how our year shaped up to the big bright-eyed goals we had 12 months ago. And it is SO easy to get caught up in only seeing your value through the milestones.
Did I publish a book?
Did I put on an art show?
Did I get 1000 new followers on socials?
Did I have a reel go viral?
Did I make X dollars every month from my creations?
Sure, those things have purpose, and likely help your overall plans as a creative, but they aren’t the whole story. More importantly, a pat on the back for any one of those milestones isn’t enough to sustain your creativity. They are fleeting moments masking the hundreds of hours of sweat that went into making them possible.
When I dig into my year with a focus on milestones, I always feel less than. Somehow I’m more behind than when I started, and the hopelessness creeps in. Reflection is supposed to ground me, help me connect to what I create, and encourage me to keep going.
There has to be a better way for us!
So I made you something.
Goodness knows I love a homemade gift, and just because we are long distance friends doesn’t mean you weren’t on my mind. I’m calling it “My Creative Tracker.”
It’s a simple tool for you to track of when you make space for creativity. The goal is that by filling it out, you will have more chances to reflect on your work, and in a way that helps sustain you creatively.
It’s a pretty simple concept. Each day you make space for creativity, you check the box in the tracker. It’s not about getting some blackout bingo card, nor is checking the box dependent on if you accomplished anything with your time. If you made space, you check the box.
Then at the end of the week you answer a few simple questions:
What did my creativity look like this week?
Where am I seeing the muse?
I felt most inspired/connected when . . .
These questions help you reflect at a more granular level about what is working. They are questions I use often in my own practice, so much so a version of them is at the bottom of most of these Musings! Every time I pause to fill them out, that whisper of creative magic sinks in, and I can’t help but smile. Despite my fast paced life and tiring days, I found the muse.
Once you reach the end of the month, count up how many days you checked boxes. Use that time to see what patterns have arisen. Do you have days that work best for creating? Maybe activities that help you the most? Or perhaps similar inspirations? This information can help frame your next month’s creation.
What I love about this tracker is the commitment is low, but the results are hugely beneficial. Even if day to day I don’t feel like I’ve made huge progress, at the end of the month I see my commitment over time. I see what inspired me! And all of it helps right my skewed memory of how creative I am.
The Creative Tracker built to be flexible for your practice. You can start at any time, and repeat it for months on end. It can be used digitally or printed out based on your needs. And the best part is regardless to where you are at in your creative journey, it’s usable. You can frame it for a specific outlet, like when you draft your book, or use it generally when you get up to something creative.
As a subscriber, you can download your copy for free from the Keen Musings Freebie page. The link is in your welcome email, but if you can’t find it, let me know.
When it comes to gifts, I also tend to be a words of affirmation girl. So I also want to take a moment to say thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart. Sharing these Musings with you is one of my favorite parts of the week, and it’s only topped when I hear back about all the cool stuff you are doing. The ripple effect of creativity keeps me inspired to do the same. So thanks for being along on this wild creative ride with me. I am really looking forward to more of it next year.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with laughter, relaxation, and some really delicious food.
Keep on creating,
How my creativity looks this week: I am a chicken with my head cut off this week creatively, but the biggest creative element for me has been tinkering with designs for the book cover of my next novella. It’s a fun and frustrating process, and I’m riding the wave through it.
Where I’m seeing the muse: Space. My husband recently finished reading The Martian so we watched the movie afterward. This created a tailspin of watching Passengers, and me feeling the need to re-read Artemis. I love the vastness of space and how simple things can become big issues all because of the environment. So yeah, my head is literally in the clouds right now.
A Creative Reminder from the three of wands. This is one of my favorite cards. One I kept out on my desk for weeks this last year even. It’s a reminder that you’re on your way toward your goals. It asks you to not only notice the dominoes you are stacking toward your dreams, but to visualize the universe stacking them back at you. Stay in that place of open expansion and keep moving forward. It’s just a matter of time before they align.
Thank you for this creative tracker as I always focus on what I didn’t do, as opposed to my accomplishments. I’m so grateful to have found you as you’ve brought me so much joy, Dani. Cheers to the Midwest and to Substack for connecting us. 🤍