Maybe posting every day is overly ambitious (and more than anyone wants to read? Still, I’m proud of myself for posting more here in the past week than I have in the last several months.
But I have been writing every day and it’s been so good for me.
Have you heard of Seth Godin? He has a blog called seths.blog where he writes every single day. I listened to an interview with him where he talked about productivity. He said every creative (that’s you) should post something publicly every day. If you’re a singer, post a sound clip or video, if you’re a writer, write on a blog; if you’re a photographer, post a photo somewhere; if you design clothing, post about what you are designing or your thought about design, etc.
At first you might want to post anonymously, get a free Instagram account or a blog or channel and just start putting your ideas out there. Some will be lame, some will be fantastic. But as you work that muscle, you will improve.
If you’ve done something like this before (even weekly) you’re nodding your head. You know working on something, publicly putting your intent out there (even if you think there are only two or three people watching) pushes your creativity into motion. Ideas flood your mind, you start to get a feel for what people like (especially when you get feedback).
Honestly, I give this blog a lot of credit for learning to parent better. Writing about our family made me examine my thoughts and habits; photographing my family opened my eyes to the beauty of our life.
just found this photo from the old days of the blog– July 2007
I’ve certainly been teased over the years, “Oh is that going on the blog?” And, if you’re here a lot, you know that less than 1% or so goes on the blog. But it has instructed my thinking on many levels. It’s made me ask myself, “Who do I want to be? How do I want to show up?” I’ve never lacked ideas of what to write about, but I’ve often lacked time.
And that’s what happened this week. Erik was traveling, I was gone for two days, it was dress rehearsal and performance week at the high school (next post!) where I genuinely enjoy devoting several hours to photography and videography.
I’m not making excuses. No one is holding me to this standard but myself and I genuinely want to be here everyday. I’ll figure it out. But I know showing up here several times a week is a gift to myself.
Jessie/FoxyJ
I started blogging because I was surrounded by a bunch of creative writers and I wanted to become one. I’m not sure if I’ve gotten there yet or not, but during the last few years I keep getting the feeling “create more than you consume” when I think about how I want to improve my life. Sadly, I’m bad at acting on that and have been neglecting my personal blog and not writing as much as I want to. To many ideas live in my head and don’t make it into writing. Social media like Instagram and Facebook is made for easy scrolling and consumption, especially if you look at it on your phone. It’s hard to take time to write stuff, but when I’ve made goals for writing and blogging, I’ve found my creativity sparking, even when I fall short. Keep up the good work–I always love reading your blog!
mlehnardt8@msn.com
I love your writing, Jessie! I’ve learned so much from you over the years. And thanks for reading. Love you.
Emily B
So I am going to count creating this comment as my public artistic endeavor for the day. (I did “create” meals today which were neither public nor works of art).
There is an awesome book called “The War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield about the opposition to creative pursuits. This book is a go-to read (or listen, audible!) for motivation and eliminating excuses. One example he cites is that Leo Tolstoy had 14 children and still managed to write, and write well!
I also heard that Dolly Parton writes a song every day.
Heck, I hand wrote a card the other day and it felt amazing. Why are we missing out on doing these good things? It feels good to write.
So thank you Michelle for inspiring me to semi-publicly write.
Xoxo,
Emily
Sophia
I love this post, Michelle! It makes so much sense to me that writing and photography helped you both feel more intentionality and gratitude for family life – that’s such a strong testament to the power of creativity and reflection. I know I’ve learned a lot about parenting and family life from your blog, and you have such a gift for writing and sharing your wisdom in such a lovely and generous way. Grateful for you and your words and this challenge! Even when we don’t post everyday, we’re figuring it out – and that process itself is valuable. Xox