SUSTAINING YOUR CREATIVITY

 

STRATEGIC RESET

(REST)

Have you sometimes felt like your writing is simply just flowing out of you and then suddenly there is a blockage? Or worse: perhaps your mind has been overflowing with ideas; you have been brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, you have been on a roll, writing consistently every day, passionately intent with your craft, until one day, you don’t want to do anything even remotely creative? You can’t even lift your pen, or stylus, or turn on your computer or sit at the typewriter. Loss of your creative energy might be accompanied by anxiety, or a feeling of being overwhelmed, you may be physically and emotionally fatigued, this all might be indicative of creative or personal burnout.

Over the years in my role as a Chaplain and supporting workers in a variety of industries I have witnessed people who have been incredibly talented, gifted, and passionate in their service simply stop.

 Burnt out. 

This has been particularly so for people who have been serving in humanitarian, caring, ministry, compassionate helping roles (such as the demand on Missionaries serving in intense cross-cultural contexts) who sometimes have expectations that may be more than a person can reasonably deliver without personal consequences. For some this sadly resulted in them not being able to sustain their sense of call for the long haul. 

In supporting them and helping them recover I have learnt some valuable skills to help support longevity of service that may be helpful to sustain your creativity for the long term.

There is a tension between our living and doing and service and sacrifice and our living in a state of rest and flourishing and sustained efficacy. This is highlighted when we consider scriptures such as Paul’s call to the Romans to be “living sacrifices” (Romans 12) and in 2 Timothy 2 to when he entreats Timothy to join him in suffering as a soldier, to compete diligently like an athlete, and to work hard like a farmer. Paul seems to be reinforcing the words of Jesus about “Dying to self” (John 12:23-25).

And yet in balance to this Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30 :

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The message version puts it this way:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

We are finite beings, so we need to place limits on how we expend our time and energies. Even Jesus, had time to reset; he walked away from the crowds that were thronging to him to be healed in order to spend time with his Father and be refreshed, revitalized, and recharged (Luke 5:15–16).

The point is that sometimes we overextend ourselves in battles that may not be ours. We might struggle through difficult writing projects that may not be our fight to bear. We may be running ahead of or writing beyond our training and ability. We may be trying to farm and write in fields outside of seasons that would bring flourishing for ourselves and those we minister with and for.

Writers are sometimes like athletes. Sometimes we are sprint runners, like when an article we are writing has a deadline. Sometimes we are marathon runners, like when we are working on deep-dive long term stories. In both athletic disciplines runners rest after a big event.   

In military contexts it is a recognised necessity that soldiers require a regular “reset" to prepare for future battles. They restore their readiness to serve through multi-faceted processes that include repairing and replacing equipment, retraining, and most crucially addressing their well-being as soldiers and care for their families. These processes ensure that military units can perform their duties effectively in their next active service. We would do well to consider some of the wisdom in resetting ourselves too.

To sustain our creativity for the long-haul we need to learn the art of the reset. We simply need to apply some mercy for ourselves. When we are hitting those creative blockages, losing our flow, getting frustrated, flustered and fearful of no productivity ‘resetting’ is essential. We need to allow ourselves to stop, rest and be refreshed in preparation for redeployment at our peak performance.

As writers, it is impossible to make art every single day. Sometimes you have moments of “I can’t do this anymore”. Don’t force yourself to be creative when you aren’t in the right headspace or heart space. Remember, you get tired, disinterested, and burnout for a reason — you need rest.  

What are you doing to reset yourself? 

Make a list of what it would mean for you to authentically take a rest and revive.  

Here are some ideas to  help you get started resetting yourself: 

Take some well-earned naps, get into some light exercise, make time for some quiet prayer, do something else that you love that you have been putting off, cook a hearty meal and enjoy it without rushing, spend some quality time with family and friends, take a vacation, take a walk in nature, or do whatever helps you feel at peace.

Take time to talk to someone you trust who will help you to reset yourself by helping you stay true to your reset plans and journeying with you in gentle accountability and encouragement.   

Ultimately, we need a constant reminder to come back to our essentials in Jesus: a rest for our souls, burdens that won’t break us, and learning His rhythms of Grace (Matthew 11:28-30).   

We want you here for the long run.

 I think Jesus does too.

Shalom.

Are You being Wooed?

 by Anusha Atukorala

The business from whom I buy travel insurance sent me an email.

“It’s been a while since you travelled with us. We have a very special offer to welcome you back. Buy now and save 10%* on your travel insurance. Let’s go somewhere.”

 

Let’s go somewhere? What a novel idea! But … with covid rampant? 

Hmm ... I don’t think so!

 

I have not been overseas or interstate since THE virus entered my world in January 2020. Fortunately, we’d enjoyed a fabulous vacation in Sri Lanka just before we were grounded, so it hasn’t been the least bit difficult for us to stay put. In fact, I feel I am on holiday when I’m home—peaceful mountain views serenade me all day long, I have a little den where I can write to my heart’s content, and our lovely backyard brings me into God’s sweet presence.

The world calls out to us on a daily basis. Advertisers seduce us to do things we don’t want to do, to buy things we do not need. Who gets our attention? Whose voice sounds loudest in our ears?

 

God woos us. Time and time again. Like children following the Pied Piper when he played his flute, we too are summoned to follow our Creator. He will lead us into a road off the beaten track, to creative paths, to scenic locations and also into rough and tough terrain, where we’re forced to learn more of Him as we lean into the unforced rhythms of grace.

 Where is God calling you to this season? More breathing? More being? More reflection? More writing? More living? More doing? The call of that advertisement to ‘go somewhere’ made me think of places I can spend time in, even during covid times.  

 

The first place God woos me is into His loving heart. He calls me to become a worshipper, to spend time with Him, to know Him more and to grow in my love for Him. The next place He woos me into is into character growth. James 1:2-4 reminds us to consider trials as joy - as pure, unadulterated joy! But … how do we find joy in hard times? Perhaps the way forward is by focussing on heaven’s perspective, and not our own! Colossians 3:1-4 is a great place to start.

 

The third place God woos me into, is to bless others. Covid may have made us a little more selfish – we’ve been forced to care for ourselves and to keep away from others. This Christmas, I felt guilty that it was a self-centred kind of season. But then, as I sought God, He showed me what I could do. I could care for one person at a time, in any way possible. It opened my eyes and my heart. I was blessed as He led me and it was a rich season, as I connected in varied ways to reach and touch others.

 

The fourth place God woos me is in my creative journey. My writing has taken a backseat in the past few years. But this year is going to be different! I will be more disciplined. I will WRITE! Every. Day. Does that sound familiar? Will you join me?

 

The final place God woos me into is a place of rest. A little girl trusts her Daddy when he leads her into difficult places, full of the unexpected and the unknown. I too likewise am learning to trust Him in the rough moments and seasons. Like a baby learning to walk who falls time and time again, I have often failed! But the beauty life with Jesus is that He never condemns, only encourages us as I get up and try again.

 

To what kind of places and spaces has God been wooing you? I’d love to hear of your journey. Like a row of skittles being struck down by a great black bowling ball, Covid has thrown us all helter skelter! However, even if you have been sent reeling into a dark corner, be assured that God has not abandoned you. From that place, He will woo you into godly spaces. He woos us gently into learning to live from the heart, to discovering more of His goodness, His grace, His love and most of all that He is enough, because He alone is the All Sufficient One. 

He alone is the One our souls thirst for!

 

Come join me as we follow the Heavenly Pied Piper into the adventures of a New Year. 

Wherever He leads us is the best place to be! 

May 2022 find us writing well, living well and loving well.

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

 

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey' and was released in March 2020.

 

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain - https://anusha-atukorala.webnode.com/

Light in the Darkness- https://light-in-the-darkness00.webnode.com/

 

 

Dancing in the Rain: https://www.booktopia.com.au/dancing-in-the-rain-anusha-atukorala/book/9781925380118.html

Sharing the Journey: https://www.booktopia.com.au/sharing-the-journey-anusha-atukorala/book/9780648713869.html

 

CHESTNUTS by Rita Stella Galieh

Winter time is chestnut time.  Who can resist these delicious potato tasting nuts once they're baked?

And I wonder why they say an old joke or story is a chestnut?

But they have another side to them. The sweet inside nuts, besides their brown shell, are covered with nasty, large prickles. Pity the growers having to remove these but it must be done.

I couldn't resist this parable similar to the whole area of Writing. I'm sure every one of us who desires to write has to suffer many trials before cracking the actual kernel. Besides the numerous steps of getting your story into shape before you can hope for publication, then begins the tricky hunt for an agent or publisher.

Many of us have felt the discouragement of disinterest, or outright rejections. Worse still the acknowledgement the story is great, but perhaps your platform is minimal or non existent. Or that particular genre is not the trend right now. So what's the next step? Give it up as being too hard?

Most of us are very aware that before finding success, we have to wade through a pond of failures. The inventor's attitude is, 'These are just ways of not doing it' and they persist until they find the way that works. Mind you, we writers have all all the rules set out beforehand and supposedly we know what we shouldn't do. Then ... some author writes a best seller that seems to break all the rules. It helps if they have published before as they have already won the confidence of the publishers.

Now this is the time to step back and work out what's really important to you. And never give up!

To quote my Canadian writer friend, Christine Lindsay:
'When life happens
Admit you can only do so much.
Do what you can and leave the rest to the Lord.
Trust God that your writing career is in His Hands.

Don't let life happen and growl that it is hampering your writing career. But instead rest in the Lord and you just might be amazed at how he takes your efforts during your weary times and blesses you.

EMBRACE your life, the good and the bad.
REST physically and mentally.
TRUST God for the outcome.'

So when you're on the point of tearing out your hair, (as I've been at times) grasp the advice and promise of Proverbs 3:5 and 6.
 
Rita Stella Galieh is enjoying the challenges and rewards of Independent Publishing.

The 2nd edition of her Victoriana Trilogy  has seen her dream realised. As an art student at her convict built college, she wondered about its history. Research revealed the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt had visited there. One of the jailers joked about the local cat, meaning the cruel cat'o nine tails.

The Bloody Code was an all encompassing method of punishment for any offence deemed illegal. Often felons were sent to the gallows or faced transportation to England's brutal prisons in the Southern Hemisphere. After tracing the life of one innocent woman, on whom she based her story, this became the theme of her novel ... Signed Sealed Delivered. Book 2: The Tie that Binds, Book 3: A Parcel of Promises.

See ritastellapress.com     for information on both print and ebooks.

Five Facts for Every Author

by Charis Joy Jackson 

 

My dream holiday, as a writer, is finding a cabin in the middle of the wilderness where I can sit and write for days.

So at the end of last year, when I knew I was coming home for the holidays, the land considered the "Last Frontier", I thought I'd found the perfect place and I day-dreamed of days and days of writing.

But it hasn’t happened.

In fact, I've spent very little of my holiday writing. At first I felt guilty. Why was the idea of writing my novel so overwhelming? Why was I procrastinating? I love to write. I love my story, so what in the world was wrong?

And then the self-doubt started… If I'm not committed to writing every day, does that mean I'm not a writer? Has all the love and passion gone? Will I ever get my novel published? Am I really a writer? Or am I just a fake?

I needed a broader perspective - the cold hard facts and I knew I wasn’t the only one who wrestles with doubts so I made a short list of facts to hold on to in the “dry” moments.

Fact 1 - We need rest

When I came home for my holiday I was sick. I spent the first two and a half weeks lying on my blue fainting couch, barely taking in the tv shows and conversation going on around me. I couldn’t even form coherent sentences, let alone try to write from one of my characters povs.

Sometimes we need to rest from the work and creativity to replenish our supply. In my case, I literally needed to recuperate and get well, but sometimes it may mean taking a day off from my computer.

It’s good to give ourselves a break from the world of our characters, because it allows us to see things differently when we pick up the story again and maybe we’ll suddenly have solutions to story questions that our over tired brains couldn’t find before.

Fact 2 - Being an author doesn’t mean you just write

The truth is, even when I was feeling better I wasn't writing my novel, but I was spending a lot of time building my author platform. Taking part in a blog tour and promoting Glimpses of Light, an anthology recently published with one of my short stories.

There’s a tremendous amount of other things an author needs to do, so many ways we build our audience.

Writing blogs, updating our author pages on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Wordpress, website, etc. These platforms are not just busy work, but valid, important sites to keep updated so we can continue reaching new readers.

Fact 3 - Reading more, makes you a better story-teller

One thing I’ve been doing a lot on this holiday is reading. Re-reading old favourites I knew would wake the “something” in me that seemed lost. Reading new novels that were recommended to me, reading my own copy of Glimpses of Light and being blown away by all the talented story-tellers I get to share the pages with and even branching out to other genres I don’t normally have a desire to read.

The best writing resource for any budding author is to read more.

I remember someone telling me to read everything I could in the genre I wanted to write in - the good, the bad and the ugly. When I asked why I should read the bad, I was told, "Even the bad ones teach us what not to do."

Fact 4 - Spending time with God is the secret weapon of the creative

One of the reasons I haven’t been writing much is because I’m hanging out with God. Reading devotionals, journaling, spending time in worship and prayer.

I’ve discovered that after times of deep immersion with the ultimate Creator, my own creativity and love for story takes on a fresh new life. Every word becomes richer and more profound.

In order to grow in a specific thing, you must learn from those who know it better. Well, who's better to learn from, than the One who created my story and yours?

Fact 5 - Don’t become a critic, keep your wonder

I recently finished reading Frank Peretti’s Illusion and one of the themes that stood out to me was the importance of keeping your wonder. In the case of Peretti’s story it was keeping their wonder as magicians, but I think it can apply to any creative - especially the author.

I like what Robert Frost says on the subject. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

In other words, be in awe of the stories and characters you dream up.

And more importantly, be in awe of the God who wants to see you make up these worlds of adventure, daring sword fights and great romances. It’s what He created you for and the more time we spend in self-doubt the less we live out the truth of what He put in us.

The other day my mom and I were walking to the car, we'd just finished doing some shopping. It was cold and the sky was blanketed with a thick mist, blocking the majestic mountains that surrounded us. I was just about to hop into the car and get away from the dreary weather when I glanced up.

The mist had broken in some places and revealed the hidden glory there. I snapped a picture on my phone and even though it wasn't the best photo, it soothed something within me. Reminding me that even the darkest days are filled with glory if only we take the time to look.

So, what about you? What are some facts you’ve found helpful to keep doubt away and hold on to the truth?

Charis Joy Jackson is working as a missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organization & is part of The Initiative Production Company. She loves creating stories & is currently writing a novel, which she hopes to create into a seven part series.

Here's to a life lived in awe & wonder.
Welcome to the adventure.
www.charisjoyjackson.com

A holiday and a rest ...

I recently took a long awaited family holiday. Something we really needed to do. It was a great opportunity to meet with family and friends. We got to visit all sorts of places, see snow, go for walks, take the kids places we hadn't before. What a blessing. 

I've come home and in getting back to life I have lost a bit of time and lost track of things including blogging. Sorry! But it has brought home to me or perhaps just reminded me how important it is to rest.

As authors, especially new ones and aspiring ones, the work seems to be constant. As a publisher or appraiser it isn't much different. All of us Australian Christian authors and artists are struggling against a big world, a lot of people who have been around a lot longer and the challenge in ourselves to do better and better.

But one thing that I know I often forget, and perhaps others do too, is to rest. Take a break sometimes! Write something different for a few hours to break up the process (though perhaps not in the middle of a flow). Go for a walk. Play some games. Take a proper holiday!

What I am learning to do is to take a day off. You know how funny it is to think about how God did that right at the beginning and I always hear how I should rest more! Well I guess it is finally time to listen!

So after having a holiday. It is time for a rest!

And then it is time to get back into it! My prayer for 2012 and moving forward is that by resting more I will have the strength to succeed better in the time I do work. Not sure if that works for others, but we'll see. Blessings!