Planning ambitious creative goals for 2020, Myranda lays out a few specific actions to keep her on track for the rest of the year.
Every New Year’s Eve, I try to set myself up so I’m starting the next year the way I want to spend it. A few weeks ago, I started the new year – and the new decade – writing. However, this year, I want to make more of an effort to carry that momentum through the year. I want to nurture my creativity. In 2020, I want to set focused creative goals and I want to keep the pressure on to accomplish them (with apologies to Bridget on not giving myself a free pass this year).
The truth is, I’ve given myself a free pass on fostering my own creativity for several years. I’ve done some low key things. I’ve dabbled with my writing. I joined Empress Tea, to talk about creativity with other creative women. I’ve edited other’s work. Although, for the most part, I’ve kept the stakes low and the pressure off.
It’s time to change that, to make space for my own creativity. Time to turn the proverbial pressure up; not high, mind you. Just up from zero.
Creating space for my creativity? It means taking a few concrete actions.
I’m trying to do a better job of meal planning, for example. What does meal planning have to do with creativity? It’s less about being creative with my food than about being efficient with my time. Coming home and having dinner ready means more time to put toward creative pursuits.
A cleaner home can help too. I’ve started to set a timer for 15 minutes as soon as I get home, to tidy. A less cluttered home makes for an easier time focussing. That’s another way I’m trying to make room for my creativity. It’s not easy. I do not like cleaning. Manageable chunks help me manage.
The biggest thing I’ve done, is to start to speak my creative goals out loud. Here’s the thing: I have a bit of a secret. For the past couple of years, some of that dabbling has been on one specific creative work. I’m writing a romance novel. I’ve started telling people about my goal to finish it. To have something to work with in the next couple of months. I’ll need to do a lot of polishing, but I’m on the homestretch. If I push myself, I’ll have a manuscript to polish in the next couple of months. From there, I hope to have a manuscript to take to the next step before 2020 comes to an end.
So let’s make this happen. Let’s finish our manuscripts in 2020. Let’s make our creative dreams come true. And let’s tell those goals to each other, to find ways to help cheerlead on our own journeys in creativity!
What are your creative goals this year, friends? And how can I help support them?
Main photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash, other photo by hannah grace on Unsplash.
