A haven for curious creatives, just like me…
Hi there, I’ve been missing in action a bit since my last post where I finished off all guns blazing, determined that Chemo wouldn’t completely effect my life and then reality check, boom – here come the side effects!
I’ve been waiting to find a few hours where I feel ‘normal’ but it’s yet to happen so I’m trying to push myself to get on with it, before it all drives me slightly mad. I am hoping for the elusive ‘4 days of feeling good’ this week before the next treatment on Friday, so you may see a flurry of activity from me then,…we’ll see.
But, first of all, can I just say a huge thank you to the many people who read my last post and sent such lovely encouraging comments. I was well and truly overwhelmed by the response and also so glad that you appreciated the way I wrote it, i.e. with positivity and a dash of humour which was exactly the way I intended it to come across.
As I get used to this new way of life, it’s naturally drawn me back to my word of this year ‘Value’ which has now taken on a whole new meaning whilst I’m having treatment. I’ve never under-valued my life and always felt very lucky and grateful for the opportunities that were coming my way.
But I think when something like this happens and you’re going through chemo treatment, you don’t appreciate the real basic, normal aspects of life (explained later) that get cruelly snatched away from you, albeit temporarily, in order to make sure you live a long life!
So, if you are putting off starting a creative hobby, business or just joining a creative group, because ‘normal’ life gets in the way, then there are lessons to be taken from the path I’m on the moment, and really value where you are at and that ‘normal’ life is a gift of an opportunity, without I hope sounding preachy.
If at this present moment in time you are feeling good and energised, I can’t stress enough, to take full advantage of that. We don’t appreciate feeling ‘well’ enough or make the most of using that to channel our work or creative goals.
I’m completely guilty of this, it’s very easy to get stuck in a rut, humans are drawn to a regular routine, and often the path of least resistance but when that wellness and energy is taken away from you, you wish you’d done more with that time.
However if energy is lacking both physically or mentally it’s worth addressing this and consider what you really want to do, not just feel able to do.
For example; If your dream is to paint your favourite view on a hillside, requiring to carry your equipment up there, stand up most of the day, be able to stand the potential weather elements etc could you do that or would your physical fitness hold you back? And if that is the case, could you change that by getting some hill walking practice sessions in first?
Similarly, is your mind up to a challenge, or do you find it difficult to get rid of that negative voice chipping away at your confidence? Does it make you stop before you even start and completely put you off?
This is not an easy one to tackle and you may need help to re-programme that inner critic, by speaking to a good friend, coach or mentor. If the investment gets you out of that stagnation and moving forward closer to your dream, then it is completely worth it.
There are many creative ladies in our WOW group and we all support each other, especially when the inner critic kicks in
Life is busier than ever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build in some time for yourself. It’s all about priorities. You are just as important as every member of your family and if there is an imbalance of time devoted to other members and yourself then it needs addressing, or you’ll forever feel resentful and wonder ‘what if?’.
Many people I know now schedule their creative time or self-care time into their planner or diary, just like they do everything else, because it is that important.
It may be good to spend some time examining why it is so important to you – getting your thoughts down on paper makes it more real and actionable. Have it somewhere easy to hand to go back to when you need some extra encouragement.
If you find planning in time overwhelming then start off small and build up. Have a think about when the best time would be to do something, for example if you need complete peace and quiet, consider getting up 1 hour early one day, make a coffee and enjoy the peace whilst you create or if you are good at multi-tasking, whilst the kids are doing their homework on a Sunday on the kitchen table, set up stall next to them so you can do your creative activity whilst still answering the odd homework question.
This is the biggest dramatic change for me in this whole treatment process, more so even than how I feel physically. Because of the treatment I’m having and the type of cancer I have, i.e. a blood one (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) I am likely to soon become what is called Neutropenic, which basically means I’ll have no immune defence to viruses and bacteria. This means for at least the 6 months I’m on treatment that I can’t go to any public places for fear of getting an infection, which can then be pretty dangerous.
So that is the likes of supermarkets, cinemas, concerts, shopping centres, shops, restaurants, leisure centres, libraries etc etc. Bear in mind, most of the time I am out and about, at these places and all the creative groups I attend, I effectively feel like I’m now in jail and have a huge case of FOMO!
My last concert before the week before treatment, James Morrison at Sheffield
I love eating out! This is going to be hard!!!
I never anticipated that having cancer would effect my freedom so much, just knowing I can’t go to these places is a huge mental battle for me. I have a new level of respect for all people going through this and find myself trying to think of places I can go, but other than walks in the fresh air (typical that it’s winter!), driving about and visiting friends ‘infection-free-only’ houses, there really aren’t many options. And I know it’s to keep me safe but it doesn’t make it any easier.
Me in my ‘infection free’ car , although I’m not sure it is the state my kids leave the car in!
So, all those simple places to visit that we take for granted, my message is; DON’T! We are incredibly lucky to live in a western society where these simple pleasures are on our doorstep. My life prior to this was full of making the most of these opportunities; I’d go to art festivals, author events, art demos and workshops, craft markets, writing groups and photography workshops – all to get a huge fix of creativity that would inspire my work and meet like-minded people.
I’m going to miss art demos and festivals!
Plus, of course I’d run my own writing workshops and our bi-monthly WOW Wednesday, local community accountability group, both of which I can’t currently do, although I’m hoping to join our WWs via Face Time!
So, if you can, and want to, then do. Get out and use that freedom, take your wares to a public craft event to sell, check out trends on the high-street, extend your skills by attending workshops – don’t think, oh I’ll get around to doing that next year! You can just never tell what might happen.
As a creative person, I’ve no doubt you’ll also have creative friends, colleagues or social media creative people that you hold in high esteem. I also have no doubt that many of you think, how do they do it, I wish I could be like them, I wish I could really go for it / make it into a business, etc etc.
I myself have many of these people and many of these thoughts BUT also don’t underestimate the fact that other creatives will look at you in the same way and because of this, you too have the potential to be a good creative role model and by that I just mean, YOU ARE DOING IT, not just saying it! – you are actively pursuing your dream.
Creative people usually by their very nature start off timidly and seek reassurance, each person taking that leap encourages other people to do the same.
You don’t have to have the most amazing Instagram account or shop, the mere fact that you ARE USING YOUR TALENT is impressive enough, because creativity is unique. What you do is special and even if you don’t know that yet, many people around you will believe it is.
To me, (and feel free to slap me if you don’t agree on this) NOT using your talent or skill is a crime and a huge waste of what could be a key ingredient of living a full-filling life.
Look at it this way, if our children hear us going on and on about wanting to write or paint or play the piano but we don’t have the courage/time/impetus to do it, what do you think that is teaching them?
We tell kids all the time, they can do or be anything they want in life if they put in the hard work, but if we can’t be bothered to do that for ourselves for something we tell them that we are really passionate about, then what message is that sending to them?
We need to lead by example and make our kids and others proud of us in the process. Nothing makes me feel more a-glow than when my children say ‘Wow, that’s really good mum!’ when I show them a piece of art work or read them something I’ve written.
To go one step further, if you felt comfortable doing so, I’d say pass on that skill or talent you have via workshops, and spread the creative joy and well-being benefits further. It’s a very easy way that we can help people, through doing something we love.
I couldn’t get by at the moment without my support team; my family, close friends, new friends, far-away friends and social media friends are all cheering me through this and keeping me entertained!
It goes without saying to not only appreciate your support team but support them right back. Every creative I know needs encouragement, our work is incredibly personal and so it’s scary putting our work out there for the world to see but the more you do it the more confident you will get and you’ll grow the audience who loves your work too. Plus, you learn from other immensely talented creatives out there too.
I’ve been thoroughly spoiled with flowers, books and even a chemo care kit, all from my lovely friends and family…
The word ‘value’ means so much more to me now, and whilst I can’t fully practice what I preach on all the above, I hope sharing these insights, when the basics are taken away from you, boosts and encourages you all to follow those creative dreams whole-heartedly in the here and now!
Make the most of your passion, health, time, freedom and support team to get you going, I promise you wont regret it.
Please do let me know if this has resonated with you or has helped to get you started on your creative journey at all in the comments below and until next time, hopefully on one of those good ‘4 days!’ ….
Juliet, aka The Curious Creative x
Warning this may make uncomfortable reading for some
I’ll apologise now, this isn’t my usual chirpy creative post, much as I wish it could be just another ‘normal’ post but I figured writing all this down may help me process what is going on, help it sink in and may help others too, so here goes…
For the last 7 weeks I’ve been having a myriad of health tests, and on Monday (4th November) I get the ‘official’ results . Patience has most definitely never been my virtue….for example I always have to finish an art piece in one go, when really I should leave it and go back to it, so this waiting in limbo has been a big test culminating in as much distraction as possible.
But you can’t distract yourself 24hrs a day and the 99% suspected outcome is laying heavily on my mind, so let me give you a little background, if purely to raise some awareness out there too.
Around 5 months ago I found a smallish painless lump on my left collarbone, I was seeing a physio at the time for a problem with my right shoulder and mentioned it to him as I thought I may have pulled a muscle or something. He said it wasn’t a muscle and to keep an eye on it.
And then I promptly forgot. Which is hard to believe but I genuinely did, we had lots going on at the time; we went on holiday at Spring Bank half term and then in July my husband lost his job, which came as a shock. Then we were into school Summer holidays, away again twice and just generally very busy.
Then 7 weeks ago, for some reason on a Monday morning I woke up and just instantly remembered, went to find the lump and realised it was bigger and so immediately booked in at the doctors. Then life pretty much went like this:
Looking fetching in my CT smock!
10 days later appointment at ENT Barnsley hospital. Instant biopsy. Next day Ultrasound. Wait. Wait meant to be 1 week, turned into 3 weeks as biopsy was sent on to Sheffield. Back to ENT for results; ‘Inconclusive’ and would need a larger biopsy done under general anaesthetic and they’d book me in for a CT scan too. The following week in for Pre-op assessment on Tuesday. CT Scan on the Wednesday which went slightly wrong as the dye went into my bicep rather than vein! Instantly look like Popeye on one arm and it bloody hurt! Manage to get CT done via other arm. Later that day they call me and say they think they can get a better biopsy via a different consultant, can I come in tomorrow? We arrive a little dubious and wonder why the same thing I had done before will now suddenly work. But then I meet Dr Cooke, the radiologist doing the biopsy, who explained more to me in 5 minutes than anyone else over the previous 6 weeks.
My very painful Popeye arm!
On the CT scan they had found 3 other enlarged lymph nodes, one under my arm and 2 smaller ones that had merged behind my heart as well as the largest one on my neck (which was now 3cm x 2.5cm). The biopsy that day would be taken under my arm as it was denser tissue and therefore achieve a better result.
Myself and my husband had researched extensively via Dr Google and had a best guess what it could be and Dr Cooke confirmed what we thought, that he was 99% sure it was some kind of lymphoma (hodgkins and non-hodgkins of which there are 60 types in total) but the prognosis was good because of my age, I was fit (yes I’ll take that thank you very much!) and everything is above my diaphragm which is also a good sign.
So now we are just once again waiting for the ‘official’ results back from Sheffield and then we can get on with a PET scan and then a treatment plan.
So as you can imagine, life is a bit of a whirlwind of hearing nothing and then lots of tests to then waiting again….meanwhile the lump on my neck is growing and I’m trying to get to grips with this slightly surreal new world we now belong to.
And I’m fine, honestly, this is not a doom and gloom story, but it is all very strange, particularly as I don’t feel ‘ill’ , although looking back I think there have been some signs, but ones I wouldn’t have attributed to this in a million years.
This is partly why I’m writing this, especially as October is a key cancer awareness month, mainly for breast cancer. But I do think it is also important to take a look at lymphoma too, particularly as it can effect all ages and is actually the 7th most prevalent cancer in the UK and yet you rarely hear about it.
So here are a few facts around the symptoms provided by Lymphoma Action, which have been a great source of information for me, not at all to scare you but to just be aware that if any of these show up, to head to your doctors and not forget about it like I did.
Out of everything this could have been, the Lymphoma suspicion is not the worst one, and is highly treatable and so I am immensely grateful for that. Dr Google had a far less rosy picture for other options such as a lump arising from spreading from another form of cancer such as lung or bowel and so I thank my lucky stars that my prognosis is good and I recognise that for others it’s a far more difficult and challenging journey.
We know that cancer now effects 1 in 2 people in their lifetime and that is a very scary statistic, just looking around other family members and friends though, I know that to be true.
But as I wade into these un-chartered waters, I’m learning things left, right and centre about myself:
So, what is helping me in all this?
Research
For me personally it was never any good to tell me not to research. I’m obsessed with all things medical anyway, from my first ever job working for a medical charity and endless episodes of 24hrs in A&E but armed with some knowledge meant the Doctors’s suspicions did not come as some huge shocking surprise and already I understood a lot of the terminology.
If you do research though, look at reputable sites only, cancer charity sites such as Cancer Research UK and Macmillan are a good start.
But if you are of a nervous disposition who gets easily terrified then I wouldn’t recommend this route.
Distraction
Boy did I need this in those first long 3 weeks of virtual silence. I did every creative class or event possible and met friends whenever I could, otherwise you will literally drive yourself crazy. I even cleaned the house -desperate times!
Communication
Don’t feel like you can’t be proactive and call the hospital when you’ve waited passed the time they said results would be back. I wouldn’t have known my biopsy had been sent on to another hospital if I hadn’t called several times.
Extended Family and friends
It goes without saying to talk about how you are feeling, I’m not especially great with this, preferring to make sure everyone else is ok about things, and just get on with doing my normal things and routine, but eventually I got better at it, even if it was just to say ‘FFS when are they going to call me?’ out loud.
Telling my Mum was really hard, not least because her brother, my uncle is also on his own cancer path and is very poorly and so I feel like my poor mum is stuck in the middle of both of us, but I knew I had to eventually or she would literally kill me anyway! She says she’s currently in denial, her way of dealing with it for now I think and like me she’s not overly fussy, which is a good thing for me.
This one has been on a mission to text me everyday and has definitely kept me amused and entertained over 7 very long weeks!
Also, there are different friend’s personality types that can help, some will be reliably texting you every day just to check in. Others have helped in getting you’re ‘news’ out to your wider circle which is a big help; some will ask you difficult questions but then may also be the ones to make you lol with their hilarious stories, All have value.
But if there are people who may rub you up the wrong way – for me it’s making too much fuss or being overly flippant believing it could all just be fine (when you know damn well it’s not), then steer clear, it’s their own way of dealing with it, but you won’t have the energy for that right now.
People who have gone before
And by this I mean all those million’s of people who have had their own cancer journeys, there are so many unbelievably inspiring stories out there such as case studies on charity websites but also the likes of Insta-famous BowelBabe, aka Deborah James who I was following before all this just because she is truly amazing in all the work she’s done to raise awareness of bowel cancer, despite being very ill at times with stage 4 of the disease. I’ve just read her book F.U Cancer which is full of humour but also realistic in what to expect.
Fresh air and walks
Staying still or pacing the house does not help me. Since leaving corporate life 3 years ago, walking in nature has become such a vital part of my week to keep me grounded, fit and inspired in my creative work so when I’ve got to fever pitch in overthinking whilst waiting for news I’ve taken myself out to just breathe, walk and have a word with myself!
And finally my husband, children, and the dog….and most definitely cake!
Telling my children was tough, but I stayed strong because ultimately I know if they see that I’m ok they will be less worried. I was honest, they’re 11 &13 and so were old enough to understand. I told them lymphoma is a form of cancer but a really well treated one and whilst obviously they are not jumping for joy, I hope that’s put their minds at rest.
I’ve put in a request for lots of cups of tea which they’ve signed up to, and I may even get tidier bedrooms, yeah right! I know I’ll get lots of hugs from my son who’s a softie anyway, and the odd one or fist-bump from my teenage daughter!
My husband’s been great, researching just as much as me so I felt we were in it together from the start. He also knows not to overly fuss over me but has stepped up his game in trying to be funny and I appreciate his efforts – he’s the type who laughs at his own jokes! That, some cooking, and the dog walks in the rain have really helped!
And then there’s Barley, my ever-happy bouncy cockapoo who jumps on the bed every morning and licks my face until I protest, – she’s the biggest cuddly teddy bear and you just can’t be miserable around her.
Barley cuddles help, and cake! I’m going to be huge the rate I’m downing cake on a daily basis!
So that’s it for now, my landscape has changed but this blog won’t, I may mention how things are going now and again or maybe a PS at the end of a post, but I’m not going to change the content to be all about this, or I will have no escape, and you know how much my creative endeavours mean to me so I need that to be very much my focus….I’ve already thought if I end up having chemo I might take all my art gear in and encourage others having treatment to have a go!
If there are any readers going through similar things I’d love to hear from you or if you have any family or friends going through this and you think this post may help, please do share, I’d really love that.
Until next time, keeping my positive pants on for tomorrow and attempting to be brave for whenever the first treatment will be…
UPDATE: So on Monday I got diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma which is the rarer of the 2 possibilities, Non-Hodgkins is a lot more common. I have more scans and tests this week and next and then the plan is to start chemo on 15th November. There’s lots to take in and a 3-6 month journey ahead but at least now know and can get on with it.
Take care,
Juliet, aka The Curious Creative x
P.s The next WOW Wednesday is coming up on 6th November, 9.30am at Miriam’s Kitchen Table, Kirkburton and as always everyone is welcome anytime, we constantly grow and evolve, so why not become part of our community accountability group? It’s FREE to join and there’s delicious crunches, cakes and much needed coffee to purchase (plus free re-fill)
Last week on Wednesday I needed some serious distraction (more on that later) and after dropping my daughter off at swimming I could tell it was going to be a nice sunset so I decided to head to one of the most iconic places in Huddersfield, Castle Hill that stands tall and overlooks the whole town.
I haven’t actually been up close for years, it used to be a place I’d drive to in times of trouble when I was in my twenties. There’s something about going to somewhere, still and solid, and just taking a breathe whilst taking in the view.
I drove up there, just at the point when the sun was starting to dip and walked around Victoria Tower taking in the silhouetted tower along with a few dog walkers and couples, the wind whipping my face.
I walked passed the steep grassy banks where as kids, we once lined up at the top and ran down on a school trip, replicating battle charges and then along the edges of the path that looked out to where the sun was setting to the far left of the town, over Saddleworth Moor in the distance.
After returning home, I posted the main image above on my @soothedbynature Instagram account and one of my regular followers commented that I’d broken her heart with the picture! I was mortified! But basically, it’s because this area used to be her home and she lives elsewhere due to her marriage ending and so sometimes my pictures are such a source of nostalgia for her they bring back some deep personal memories.
I immediately replied to her and she reassured me that it was just a reminder of the past, times changing and the years rolling by but that didn’t mean to say the here and now is not wonderful and that she still loves my posts, PHEW!
However, this got me thinking, in particular as this is an area I’m also covering in my new course that starts this week; ‘Writing from Personal Experience’ about how places can have such a strong pull for us and have a huge place in our heart.
For example, being from this town we have 3 local iconic landmarks, Castle Hill being the main one but also Emley Moor Mast standing at 330 metres can be seen for miles and also the Holme Moss Mast, reigns high above Holmfirth.
I have fond memories of all of these places, Emley Moor mast is always the beacon of home when travelling home from the South.
My son ‘holding up’ the mast on Yorkshire Day last year!
A BBC news article here, describes it as one of England’s iconic sites that show’s you are nearly home.
In the article, Vikki Brown comments: “I suppose it is a bit of a constant in a mad world, and, crazy as it might sound, it feels as though there’s an invisible string that tethers me to it.”
I know exactly how she feels, when there is so much uncertainty around us, and particularly in my own life at the moment.
I’m also one of the few people that have been up the 7-minute lift journey to the very top as I used to work for NTL Telecommunications who used to own the tower, and what a great view it is from the top!
Holme Moss at sunset
In 2014 the Tour De France came to Yorkshire and the highlight of Stage 2 of the Yorkshire Grand Depart was reaching the top of Holme Moss. It was a highly anticipated event for locals and we camped near the night before in order to get a good position to watch on the road. Thousands of people queued for hours to watch the cyclists speed through in just a few minutes but the atmosphere was electric and well worth all the waiting!
It made me wonder as a ‘wannabe published author one day’ whether Authors tend to put familiar places known to them within their stories, whether they just naturally creep in because you can see in your mind these places and describe them accurately and authentically.
I asked Clare Mackintosh (one of my favourite authors above who I luckily met at one of her events 3 years ago) whether this is true of her books. I knew in her first novel, ‘I let you go’ the famous beach in the book was one she knew well but was unsure on other locations in her subsequent novels.
She told me, ‘I Let You Go’ is partly set in a location based on Three Cliffs Bay, and I did lots of location research on the London Underground for ‘I See You’. ‘Let Me Lie’ is Beachy Head based, but I’ve never been there. After the End has the richest setting I think, not just because of the Chicago research trip I did, but because the memory of being in intensive care is so incredibly strong, so I could write it with authenticity.’
I think this is the key really, for me it would almost be a waste not to use that bank of memories we associate with place in a story or a novel because whatever the emotion connected to the place; whether that could be a fondness for your home town, a regular place of work, or even the intense experience of Intensive Care the colours, sounds, smells and atmosphere naturally gets ingrained into our subconscious without even having to think about it. The richness of these places then shows through in our writing, making it all the more special and hopefully brings the reader along with us.
This has happened with my own writing recently, writing short stories from personal experience, such as an exercise I did for homework for one of my writing groups a few weeks back. I chose to write about how it felt as a girl aged 9 going to The Working Men’s Club, every Saturday night with my parents, back in the early 1980s – it took no time at all to pen the piece and recall all those tiny details such as the smoke-filled rooms, the yellowing wallpaper, the style of clothes, the banter, the drink I’d choose, the ‘turn’ on the stage….you get the idea.
Yes this is me, at The Club, being forced into a picture by my parents looking cute but with a pint and a cigarette – I don’t know why they did this, but it became some weird tradition, lol!
Likewise with the novel I’m writing, ‘The Key to Everything’, there are various locations in there that are amalgamations of where I live and surrounding villages, in particular the protagonist joins a local art therapy group, the experience of which is largely based on the local group I attend.
Also, when writing about a counselling session in the story, outside where the therapist’s office is set, I’d described a village High-street that I knew, without even realising it!
So, I guess my message is to not shy away from this, don’t be afraid to tap into these places and experiences because your heart and soul will go into your writing and the reader will hopefully vividly see the environment and feel he emotion you want them to feel, it’s just another way of writing from our own personal experience, even within a fictional story.
If you need some extra inspiration to think about this, try these following small tasks to get you going:
These are just a few simple, fun ideas that will soon get your memories associated with place, flowing and you can then use in your writing.
Speaking of Writing from Personal Experience, my workshop on this subject starts tomorrow and I can’t wait!
I’ve had a few reasons to jot down and process some personal experiences myself of late and it has helped, even if it’s just to empty your head of lots of thoughts!
Next week there may not be a Blog post, although I’m hoping to get one out early on Sunday, but I’m having various health tests done next week so I’ll just have to see how it goes but hopefully definitely back the week after….
If you try any of the ideas above then please let me know and I hope it brings back some fond memories of places that you love.
Until next time…
Juliet, The Curious Creative x
P.S It’s another WOW Wednesday session this week (23rd Oct), 9.30-11.30ish at Miriam’s Kitchen Table in Kirkburton, for more information, click on the link, remember it’s FREE and newcomers are ALWAYS welcome!
Main image – Getting my pine cones in a row this Autumn…
This week I’ll admit, for once I didn’t have a clue what I was going to write until Sunday night, which is rare more me, ideas usually spring up by at least mid-week.
I wondered if this was a sign that I should have written that ‘Ideas for Blog themes’ list that’s been on my ‘To Do’ list for a while and therefore it was my own fault for failing to plan for those ‘brain fog’ days? Maybe I’d gotten too comfortable trusting myself that the ideas would come?
So that got me thinking about planning, which apart from the ‘themes’, I’ve actually been doing a lot of in other areas of The Curious Creative Club. I decided that my spidery notes in my journal were not good enough and I needed to get more effective on scheduling time in for different pieces of work.
So, last week, I did a full-on schedule for my week, hour by hour, I even colour coded it into the following areas:
Pink = Self Care, Exercise (inc dog walks), Friend Catch-ups, nights out and photography time
Green = The Curious Creative Club; admin tasks, Blog posts, Social Media and business workshops / learning
Blue = Writing; my own writing, the book, planning and delivering my writing courses and writing groups that I belong to
Yellow = Art; art-work time, groups and workshops I got to, Art events I exhibit or run stalls at and finally Art admin – going to the printers and delivery etc
Orange = Housework, day to day chores, food shopping and Mum Taxi!
This technique enabled me to see where most of my time goes, and to ensure there was a spread of colours across my week like a rainbow! Needless to say, the over-riding glow was orange, BUT it did cover everything else fairly evenly too.
Since then I’ve broken it down further and bought a book for daily plans, because the small journal I have just wasn’t cutting it anymore, not enough space for my long action lists!
So, did it work? Well I didn’t complete all the tasks on there, it was a little ambitious and didn’t account for any ad-hoc things coming up, but it did keep me more on track and I had a better idea of the key things that I needed get done that week. Plus, the simple act of writing it down and using colour really works for me, more like a colourful visual map of my week, that sinks into my brain better.
After doing all this I was feeling a little more in control and it even spilled out into creating a weekly menu too – mainly to stop the kids asking what was for tea as soon as they walked through the door, I mean my son even texted me from the bus one night for goodness sake! Thankfully it’s working, apart from when it’s something they don’t absolutely love!
Next, thanks to using @ruthpounwhite’s ‘Back to Business’ free email challenge, I had access to her 3-month planner template, which just makes you step back a little and look ahead at what the key things are that you need to get done over the next few months…..and that got me thinking about the ‘C’ word which you’ll be surprised to know I am fearful of and hate thinking about it until at least Halloween has gone by. I have a friend who sends me text messages counting down to Christmas from about week 14, – it literally drives me insane, so of course she does it all the more!
Usually creative makers love the run up to this time of year, it’s one of their busiest and most lucrative seasons and they have probably been planning for it 6 months ago, but I am notoriously bad at it, despite selling lots of Christmas cards last year (all very rushed and last minute!).
So, I’m trying to embrace it all a little sooner by doing some research on trends, which I actually find fascinating, to help inspire ideas for my card collection this year.
For those who leave it as late as me, there are some useful resources out there; here are my tips if you want to quickly dream up a new collection of creative goods!
Just some of the ideas I’ve been gathering from Pinterest for my next Christmas card collection
If you have great ideas already then draft them up and test them out on your customers – you could easily use Instagram stories for this using their ‘poll’ gif.
Planning can not only help you be one step ahead of the competition, but also help you to tap into all your ‘planner’ customers; you know the ones who get giddy and organised at least 3 months in advance? It gives you a longer stretch to sell, which means you maximise your seasonal designs over a longer period of time and hopefully make more money.
Also, when you have more than one creative project on the go, like me, planning is practically essential, or you’ll just end up never quite finishing one thing and spinning quickly into the other.
Some of the new designs I’ve been working on…
For example, I’m currently working on a regular update to my card collection, the Christmas card collection, pulling together my new Writing Course which begins in October and planning ahead for new elements of our accountability group – WOW Wednesdays.
Using Ruth’s 3-month planner has helped me to see the key weeks where each element slots in and what I need to do before and after the main activity.
Not surprisingly, planning has other benefits too as cited in Andrew Macleod’s book, ‘A positive psychology perspective on quality of life.’
He states, ‘Individual well-being has been linked to having an approach to life that is goal-based. That is, those who have a goal-based orientation and a tendency towards planning report a higher sense of well-being.’
This makes sense to me, planning certainly get’s rid of that sheer panic that you’ve forgotten to do something major or that you’ve run out of time and can’t get that perfect piece of art to the printers on time. Essentially when you have a plan, you feel more in control. For me, it also breeds a little more self-confidence, like you officially know what you are doing, because you have a plan! It’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The one exception to pre-planning? Capturing the moment with photography, nature has a way of saying, ‘I’m here, lets do this!’
And whilst some creatives may feel it flies in the face of that ‘free-spirit’ feeling and that you can’t plan in when the creative lightening will strike, I do think that just getting down even a rough plan, does free up your brain for the really important stuff, the thing you love to do – create!
After all you can only hold so much in your head at any one time, right?
Plus, if you get all the nitty-gritty bits down on paper / computer or your phone, whichever works best for you, and schedule in the time for your creative projects, then you’re left with far more space for ideas and time to paint, write, knit, compose music or whatever floats your creative boat!
It’s those delightful chunky slabs of time, i.e more than that 15 minutes before you pick the kids up from school, or that half hour after dinner when you feel like you should do something but you’re too shattered, that are really important to us.
If you plan it in, it’s far more likely to happen.
So, maybe the saying could be true; If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?
It’s certainly worth a try with only 3 months left until the end of 2019, and a whole host of things I want to get done.
This year has been so great, in terms of the Blog and what I’ve done with The Curious Creative Club in just 9 months since I launched and I’ve run with all kinds of ideas and opportunities that have felt completely right for the direction I want to go but as new things come in and more and more ideas escalate, it’s definitely time to nail down a more forward thinking plan.
I’ve even taken a leaf out of Ruth’s book, and started to park my ideas, finally understanding that I won’t get to them immediately this year, no matter how much I want to! I’ve put them into a list for 2020, I’m actually reigning myself in which is major progress!
Plus of course my fellow WOW Wednesday accountability buddies help enormously with looking forward and planning ahead. For anyone interested in joining us, please click here. The next meeting is this week on the 25th September 9.30am at Miriam’s Kitchen Table, Kirkburton.
And if you live too far away to come along, why not set up your own? It’s so easy and a brilliant way to meet like-minded people who support each other in their businesses, passions or goals. If you do set one up then please do let me know, I would make my day!
I hope that this has been helpful in getting you to think how you would work best, are you a planner, like I’m learning to be, or do you fly by the seat of your pants and it still works out OR are you thinking it might be time for a change?
Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
Until next time….
Juliet, The Curious Creative Club x
P.s In the spirit of encouraging people to talk more and take more action on climate change, please see a post I did below on Friday and if you want to find out more, please click here.
First of all, I just wanted to update you a little on last week, where I wrote my most personal blog yet. Although it was scary, I’ve had so much lovely feedback from it (thank you!) and it felt good to open up about writing from personal experience. If you missed it and want to catch up, it’s here.
Plus, I did what I said I’d do too – read out-loud a personal short story at a new writers group called the Writers League at my local bookshop Read, my heart was hammering as I did it but I survived and that’s the main thing!
So, onto this week’s topic of Vision Boards! This came about as myself and friend Clair went along to @writerstogether’s first Vision Board workshop in the lovely Art in the Mill in Knaresborough last week.
I’ve always wanted to have a go at doing a Vision Board and so when I saw this course advertised, which also promised coaching on the ‘law of attraction’ and how to find clarity on your focus, I jumped at the chance.
The workshop was run by Francesca Hepton, a writer and writing mentor with an added interest in complimentary therapies (of @francescahepton) and Susanna Lewis (of @a_yorkshire_girl), a well-being blogger, speaker and writer who have come together to create Writers Together.
Francesca and Susanna, our teachers for the day!
After a quick introduction, the group, around 8 of us, were guided through a mediation which involved us walking along a beach to meet someone at a campfire who then passed us a box, inside the box was a gift and a few words but we weren’t told what.
After the mediation finished, we were then asked the following questions; who was by the fire, what colour was the box and any ribbon etc, what was in the box and what words did you see? You had to go with your first instant thought and not try to change it.
Francesca then analysed our results! So, for me it was my husband by the fire (although I suspect that is because I associate him with fire-pits and bbqs!), the box given to me was white leather, with no ribbon, inside was a very ornate, antique style old gold or bronze bangle style bracelet with an oval green stone in the middle and the only word I saw was ‘follow’.
I found doing this exercise so interesting! Francesca straight away asked if I believed in magic to which said yes (especially in terms of signs and higher powers in force in this world!) and she said I need to find a similar bracelet to keep with me as a talisman. She also told me that green means ambition, magic and jealousy but she didn’t think I was jealous – my husband being by the fire was a good sign – phew! She said my message was more about ambition, magic and bringing a more financial aspect into what I’ve been doing. The word ‘follow’ was simply a sign to follow my dreams and keep going.
It’s true that I‘ve been thinking about this as mostly what I do with The Curious Creative Club is free, other than my writing workshops and whilst this venture is definitely not about money for me, I consider the more people I can help to live a creative life as the meter of success, it would still be nice to earn a little from it too.
The rest of the group had really interesting results too, with quite a few not having anything in their box. Clair had pictured a man carrying a backpack by the fire, like a traveller she had seen many of when she was younger and went travelling around the world. Francesca honed in on that aspect and implied that she missing travelling and that sense or freedom and space.
Following the mediation Susanna talked a little about the law of attraction and how switching how you think can make something positive happen. She used parking spaces as an example! Often when we turn up to a car park we are thinking ‘I’m never going to find a place!’ and then often don’t, whereas if you flip that and think, ‘I will find a space today’, you will! It’s an interesting concept and one I’ll definitely give a try!
Our default as a species is to think more negatively, such as if one thing goes wrong in the morning, you are destined for a bad day. Essentially, it’s all about focusing more positively about what you want in life and then it’s more likely to happen.
Next she went on to talk about the vision boards and how to do them, a whole host of magazines sat in the centre of the table and we each had a small canvas board to stick things on to.
Participants getting busy with their scissors!
Susanna recommended writing key words down first to give you an idea of elements to focus on, on your board, so for example we might want to consider aspects that came out of the meditation.
I cut everything out and laid it all out before sticking down
I love messing about with magazine images and words so I had clear ideas of the kinds of things I wanted and quickly went to work cutting away!
Whilst there were definite goals I wanted to place on there in terms of creativity, I also considered adding a few financial goals too, but more in terms of aspirational future things that would mean more to me than money.
Therefore, on went a Summer House (which we’ve been talking about could be partly a creative space for me) and also a picture of a high cliff overlooking the sea – my absolutely dream is to have a cottage with a sea view at some point that I can escape to, to write or use as a creative retreat for customers. The fact it had a puffin on there too I realised later was quite significant, not only do I remember these a lot from my childhood holidays with my Dad bird watching, but also of course ‘Puffin’ is a book publisher!
I was also naturally drawn to magical imagery and words, which I think I would have chosen even if it hadn’t come out of the mediation, my favourite image on there is the lady in pink levitating in the forest – that feels like me to a tee!
A rainbow had to feature too, with the idea being in the article I took it from, that everything is in the palm of your hands – again a good message to remind myself of.
I had things linked to my house, the ‘calm and cozy’ wording is how I always like to feel, the neat and tidy pink chair is how I wish my living room would remain, without kids and a the dog diving all over it!
I then chose things that linked to my dreams as a writer; a journal to remind me to make it more personal sometimes, ‘Book Reviews’ – to remind me to get to that point with mine, a key, because that is the name of my book – ‘The key to everything’ and also the cover of Psychologies magazine who I would love to work with more in the future.
I also found an image of Allison Sadler with ,her Rebel Club T-shirt on – a woman I know from Instagram with qualities I deeply admire and I love all that she represents – fun, feisty and fabulous, which is why she is also on there – a reminder to not take myself too seriously.
Finally, I added healthy soups and fruit on there as I need to get back to some healthy eating habits!
So, you get the idea, Vision Boards need to be extremely personal, and each piece needs to really mean something to you. The images don’t necessarily need to be literal either, for example a plug doesn’t mean ‘turn the plug off’ as it might to someone, it is to remind me to stop and re-energise sometimes as often I keep going until I drop.
Whilst doing our boards and chatting, we realised something else too, that the way we display our images says a lot about us; mine has as much on as possible, with no space at all and lots overlapping – if that’s not a metaphor for my life I don’t know what is!
My board also naturally had similar colours that I love and bring instant calm and sanctuary to me, deep sea blues, teals, turquoise and forest greens, star-fish pinks and even an energising orange is in there too – this also mirrors my Living Room and office, all colours I’m clearly drawn to!
As an artist who loves colour, it felt important that it wasn’t garish or dull and would have a theme that would sit harmoniously in it’s environment, which will be most likely be my office.
Other participants boards were completely different, many had lots of purposeful space, so they would include some space in their lives. Others were more focused on one specific aspect of their life such as health, there was a real mixture!
Clair’s board, all about travel, exploring and space
Susanna also talked about how important it was that your vision board isn’t hidden away, it needs to be somewhere where you see it on a regular basis or as you walk passed for it to have the biggest impact.
My summary is that doing a Vision Board is a really fun and useful exercise and one that can give you real clarity on what’s important to you over say the next 6 months. I think its crucial to keep revisiting it and change or update it accordingly if situations change – this is a living breathing entity, just like your work and dreams.
And if you get a taste for it, you can always do more than one, I quickly ran out of space and could have done more, so it might be that you have a vision board for different areas of your life, such as health, creative hobbies, work, family, holidays, money etc, Susanna knows of a client who has a whole wall full!
Just before I left the workshop, I had a few realisations; firstly was the fact I had picked up a piece of bright green sea glass from the beach in Conwy a few weeks ago and I was going to show it to a friend who makes sea glass jewellery to see if she could do anything with it – maybe this is the green stone bracelet to use as a talisman?
And secondly one about the word ‘magic’ that made my hairs stand on end (this often happens to me!).
About 3 weeks prior to the workshop I’d read an article about an old-style bus that had been refurbished into a place to stay and was close to a place I’m desperate to visit, Hay on Wye. It looked amazing and I quickly sent the link to Clair and Kelly saying ‘we have to go to this and can we use it as a business retreat?!’ And what was that bus called? The Magic Bus. Now if that’s not a sign to go to it, I don’t know what is!
This is why I believe in magical signs!
Let me know how you get on if you give this a go and make your own vision board and send a picture to me via my Instagram account @thecuriouscreativeclub. I’d love to see how they look!
Until next time…wishing you a magical week!
Juliet, the curious creative x
P.s To find out more about Writers Together’s events, click here