Flourishing as a Creative Has a Lot to Do With Your Wellness Habits

February 13, 2024

This year, I am on a mission to be more intentional about making space for creativity in my everyday life. I admit I haven’t always made time to allow my creativity to flow freely without inviting the pressure of perfection along for the ride.

When the pressure of perfection becomes the fuel guiding our creative journey, burning out is inevitable, and giving up becomes desirable.

I cannot tell you how many times in the past I have started and stopped projects instead of intentionally working through my emotional and mental roadblocks. Rather, I gave up every time I was stretched beyond my comfort zone. Whenever you enter a new territory, you are challenged to find your footing in a space that may feel foreign. The process can feel like a juggling act between making a new space your home and continuing your creative pursuits with courage.

For example, writing in my journal feels a lot safer than writing on my blog.

Writing on my blog feels a lot safer than writing a book.

Writing a book may feel a lot safer than speaking in front of a crowd of, let's say, a thousand people about my book.

My point is that every level of your creative journey will require you to stretch while still owning and embracing the art you are called to share.

Knowing how terrifying this process can sometimes feel can make us want to shrink and hide, give up before we’ve even gotten started, or start, then stop, feeling paralyzed with fear.

I know firsthand the internal pressure we place on ourselves when starting a new project or continuing our creative pursuits. So I want to share a few lessons I have learned about embracing the ebb and flow of this journey while also paying attention to the areas you are struggling to own your creativity with courage.

If you desire to create more, do more of the things that bring you joy, and enrich your own life creatively (while inspiring others to do the same), this one is for you!

Pay Attention to Your Body

How you “feel” in your body can serve as a signal to the areas within in need of your attention. If you are constantly tired and find the creative process to be extremely taxing all of the time, maybe that’s a signal to book a doctor’s appointment and get your labs done. As someone who has low iron, if I am not on top of eating my greens and taking my iron supplements, I begin to feel sluggish with the desire to lounge around more than usual. In the winter, I know my energy is going to be lower, and my mood is going to fluctuate a little more, having fewer hours of daylight to soak in. Knowing your body and your physical health is an opportunity to find sustainable ways to manage it so that you can maximize your highs and nurture yourself at your lows. The same goes for your mind; when everything feels cloudy, and you are in need of a mental release, it might be time to book a therapy session, go for a much-needed walk, sit in nature, or grab a pen and journal to write your thoughts down. The sweet spot is, knowing how to listen to your body when it’s in need of your help, without becoming a slave to your “feelings” that aren’t always based on fact.

Do the Work in Waves

The terms “night owl” and “morning person” are thrown around a lot when it comes to describing a person’s productivity preferences. Some people can stay up all through the night to get work done, read, write, record a video, etc. On the other hand, some people prefer to wake up early and get to work. And depending on our daily commitments, sometimes we are forced into being morning or night people because our lifestyle calls us to be one. So how do we make the most of our days while honoring our daily commitments? First of all, we need to identify the “waves” in our day-to-day lives. What are those moments we have that are uninterrupted and available to feed our creativity? Maybe it’s 15 minutes, maybe it’s an hour. However long it may be, when we approach what we do have with gratitude, rather than focusing on the “more” we wish we had, we can utilize the little moments of our day, thus beating the paralyzed state we may be used to experiencing.

A moment of reflection: Are you confidently riding the waves of your day, or are you drowning in fear and dissatisfaction with the little mustard seed you currently hold in your hand?

Guard your heart and mind when online (and off)

When you feel like you don’t have enough to get started, one of the worst things you can probably do is spend the time you do have scrolling your day away, investing in everyone else’s lives (that conveniently look so much better than yours). As someone who has built a career in the marketing field as a strategist and consultant, I understand the pros and cons of social media and the internet, but like anything, too much of anything can be a bad thing. If it becomes our source of life, we become susceptible to both the truth and the lies it feeds us. Setting boundaries over who and what you allow to speak to you and into you is one powerful step you can take to ensure your mind isn’t constantly filled with everyone else’s voice that you struggle to hear your own.

Most importantly, the more I prioritize hearing God’s voice over everyone else's, the clearer I am about what I should and should not be investing my time in. I understand the desire to stay clued up, indulge in mindless scrolling, and enjoy a few moments of entertainment, but when that “entertainment” starts to harm your self-image and perception of your life, it may just be time for a digital detox.

Proverbs 4:23 is one of my favorite reminders of this: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Nurture Your Spirit

Over the years, I have learned that my faith is so much bigger than going through the motions. It’s about connecting deeper with God and getting to know the spirit that lives within me. Sometimes, we get so caught up in religious acts that we become a shell that has mastered the art of “doing” but has yet to master the art of being.

Being in the presence of God.

Being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Being a vessel that understands the divine power that flows through you.

Developing daily practices that help you ground yourself in truth will create a firm foundation for not only “getting things done" but getting them done with purpose and clarity. It will be about taking the necessary steps each day to align deeper with your God-given purpose and continue creating the life you know you were created for (while making the difference you were created to make).

As you continue along your creative journey of growing in your gifts and sharing them with courage, remember to take some time to check in with your mind, body, and spirit. Your wellness matters, and though it takes time to build sustainable wellness habits, it always starts with one step, so start with one.

Shandice xo

Ps: What wellness habit are you working on developing in this season of your creative journey?

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