M Is For… Motivation!

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by

Is there such a thing as self-motivation? Perhaps, but a shared load is halved, right?

It’s tough enough to stay motivated on a good day; shelter-in-place is making it harder for most of us.

How do we motivate when our new normal is commuting 20 feet to the home office? Except for a few video conferences most of us are cut off from motivational confabs with the coworkers.

I know of one executive who is attempting to make a go of it in a more excellent way than just getting through another day. His wife also is working from home and they have small children who need to get schoolwork done. They motivate each other by keeping a routine: wake and sleep times have stayed the same as before with both spouses taking turns keeping the kids moving while the adults work through their day. Easy? Not really, but definitely stimulating.

I keep a routine as best I can (never have been good at it). My husband and I lavish motivational praise on each other for completing even the most mundane tasks. Keeps us going!

I also make it a point to share motivational texts with a few besties during the day: quick snappy messages that are joyful and encouraging. Keeping it short can still connect you without being disruptive of your work schedule. You can always have a longer, more relaxed chat after the workday is done.

So, who can you share a motivational moment with? What positive reinforcement can you gift someone?

You’ll feel less isolated and more productive by sharing motivational forces with your household loved ones and your remote partners-in-captivity.

Go on, enjoy sharing some positive motivation, have a delightfully productive day.

Bio:

Jonni Lukenbill-Bowles is a Career Counselor and Lifestyle Coach in the midwestern United States. See more about Jonni on sageprairie.net and her blog at sageprairiestudio.com . Write to Jonni at CoachJonni AT CoachJonni DOT com.

L Is For… Learning About Tropes; and Theme vs Trope vs Motif, and What About How?

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Contributed by Sela Carsen.

I’ve been writing romance for… well, let’s just say a long time. A very long time. I write this genre because I love it. For all the ups and downs and ins and outs, the vast variety of stories speaks to me.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m done learning. Even things that sound simple aren’t always easily understood, so it’s important to constantly study. Just last week, I had an epiphany around a word I thought I knew, until I began to examine it more closely.

Let’s talk about tropes. But to do that, we’re going to work our way through motifs and themes first.

Thesis: I’ve come to believe that we typically call a “trope” might be more usefully defined (at least for my own purposes) as a plot motif.

Theme: What’s the heart-meaning of this story?

Motif: What symbols, metaphors, or characters can I use to reinforce and illustrate that meaning?

Trope: What commonly identifiable plot structures can I use to reinforce and illustrate that meaning?

To take an example that’s commonly misidentified as a trope: “billionaire romance.” This is, in fact, a motif, but it is neither a theme nor a trope.

“Billionaire romance” hinges on a commonly recurring character, so it’s sort of a motif, but really, it’s little more than a job description that we use as shorthand for a specific type of character. It’s not even a particular archetype of a character, except as “hero,” and then it doesn’t really define which type of hero very well. Is he the hard working and polite hero? The trickster rogue hero? The hero who was born under a lucky star?

It says nothing about the story itself. It’s just… a guy with money, which isn’t especially heroic, in and of itself, but it’s often touted as a romance trope. How does “guy with money” make the leap to being called a trope?

It doesn’t. It’s just a character. A character is not a trope, and it’s only a motif inasmuch as the character archetype illustrates the theme of the story.

By that reasoning, then, we can take away all the “this type of character” elements of romance that we love – biker, geeky heroine, virgin hero, boy next door, kickass heroine – and put them aside as Motifs, Not Tropes.

So how does a trope compare to a theme? Are they the same thing?

Nope. Theme is more like “what’s the meaning of this story?” Is it trying to teach a lesson, or illustrate an element of human nature, or, to use that high school lit class question, is it man vs man, man vs nature, man vs himself, etc?

The literary world uses the word “theme” like a 20-lb sledge hammer. “But what does it MEAN?” they ask, as if the question itself has meaning.

“Is it about how beauty rots from the inside?”

“Does it boil down to the meaningless nature of life?”

Oy. Some people need to get over themselves.

But the sharp stick up the literati’s collective ass doesn’t negate the idea that a lot of romance is based on the central themes of Hope or Redemption or Truth or any number of wonderfully positive ideals.

But an ideal or a theme doesn’t tell you how the story is going to go. That’s where plot comes in. And that’s where tropes come in. If we take the idea that a trope is really a plot motif that fortifies the theme, let’s work it out with some examples.

Let’s take the theme of “Truth.”

One way you could illustrate the theme is by using the trope of “Fake Dating.” It’s usually employed because one or both parties want to pull the wool over someone else’s eyes. They’re lying and the plot hinges on them working their way up to telling the truth – to themselves, to each other, to everyone else.

You could also illustrate the theme of Truth by using the tropes of “Marriage of Convenience” or “Love Triangle” or “Secret Baby.” Those are the vehicles you use to get to the main idea of Truth.

Let’s do another one. Say, “Redemption.”

My favorite Redemption storyline is “Beauty and the Beast.” The Beast can only be redeemed – become human again – by learning self-sacrifice and pure, giving love. So the trope, the storyline, the plot of Beauty and the Beast is one way to illustrate the theme of Redemption.

Another possible trope/plot motif to illustrate the same theme would be “Second Chance.” One or both of them screwed up earlier and now they have to forgive. They have to redeem their chance to love again.

So there are many different tools that can be used to illustrate the same theme. A trope is simply the commonly identifiable plot structure you use to get there.

Bio:  Sela Carsen is an award-winning author of paranormal and sci-fi romance — with or without sex and dead bodies. Your pick. She maintains a permanent nerd-on for fairytales and mythology, and openly hoards reference books about obscure folklore. Born a wanderer, she and her family have finally settled in the Midwest. Until they move again, at least.

K Is For… Knowledge, and Other Smart Things!

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Image from airplane window while flying over two snow-capped volcanos in Washington State USA

Noony here. As I write this, the U.S. passes the half-million mark of those infected with COVID-19 and my state, Washington, is still under a Stay Home, Stay Healthy order until the end of the month at least. It’s hard to overestimate the trauma caused by this situation: to individuals and families, forced to shelter in place; to the millions experiencing job loss; to the small businesses facing stoppages; children not able to attend classes, prom, and sports games; and a host of other things. This doesn’t even mention the families who have lost loved ones or are currently facing illness.

During a time like this, unprecedented in its scope to us in modern society, it is incumbent upon us to follow the best knowledge that we can. Here are a few ways to do that:

  1. Remember that the media companies are in business and their business means they need your attention.
  2. Constantly focusing on the negative, whether it’s politics or a health crisis or something else, is unhealthy.
  3. If you do want to find out what’s going on, use good data sources:
    1. In the U.S., that means the doctors who specialize in epidemics and viral disease, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci.
    2. The World Health Organization.
    3. John’s Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
  4. If you want to learn about the disease itself, The Great Courses Plus has some excellent classes available to subscribers. In the U.S., you can access them through Kanopy via your public library’s electronic learning, or you can subscribe directly to the courses (which I enthusiastically recommend).
  5. Beyond that, ignore the news. Stop focusing on it, going bananas about what this or that person is doing or saying.
  6. Make something.
  7. Meditate.
  8. Garden.
  9. Nap.
  10. Take it easy. Trauma is exhausting. That’s meant literally: it makes our bodies physically tired. Get more rest, and if you’re tired, take a nap.

 

Knowledge is power, as the saying goes. Read books, write in your journal, and use your mind. It’s easy to become scared in a time like this, particularly if you go online and find so many other scared people. But we need to take a deep breath and remember: we were given a mind for a reason. Use your knowledge. Build your knowledge. Keep calm and carry on.

It worked for the British during World War II and it can work for us, now.

Stay well, my friends.

P.S. Wash your hands.

J is for… Jadoo

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jadoo, n.
Magic, conjuring.

Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɑːduː/
Etymology: Hindi jādū, enchantment.

Oxford English Dictionary, March 2020

Every time I turn on the news, it seems like we’re even deeper into the Bad Timeline. Economies crashing, plague spreading, terrified people locked in their homes. It’s a whole lot of awful, no good, very bad days.

And this is where we need some magic, because we have to figure out how to make it through this madness. Now, Magic (big M) is for things like miracles and sorcery and other things found in all my favorite fantasy and sci-fi books/films. Perhaps also in my favorite Wiccans, but that’s another story. Mostly I’m talking about magic (little m). The magic of ordinary people, living average lives. Ordinary and average don’t sound exciting, do they? There’s no thrilling heroics or saving the day. There’s just getting on with all the things that make you, well, you. Then again, in an age of quarantine and social distancing, maybe a little bit of normal sounds downright miraculous.

So, magic is all the wonderful, tiny things in your life that you love. Maybe even things that no one else would notice. But you do, because it’s the magic you conjure. Reading a good book that makes you happy-sigh (hint: romance novels are awesome), wearing your favorite fuzzy socks, ticking things off your to-do list that you never have time for when you’re allowed to venture outdoors without a mask.

The last few weeks, I’ve been working from home (and I know I’m hugely privileged to be able to do so), and I’ve had to focus on those things that make my strange new normal pretty damn wonderful (because, let’s be honest, the other option is going stir-crazy). There’s the cup of tea my husband makes me in the morning before we start work, the fact that I can be in a meeting with a professional blouse on top and my comfiest yoga pants on bottom and no one knows over Zoom. There’s the spendy yarn I scored online on clearance that’s knitting up into a beautiful sweater. There’s raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens…you know, the good stuff. To me, focusing on that instead of the whole world going pear-shaped…that’s magic. That’s enchantment.

That’s jadoo.

Wishing you all a little bit of jadoo today and every day.

~Crystal Jordan

Find me online:

I Is For… Imagination!

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Contributed by Becky Kapjon.

According to the dictionary imagination is the action of forming new ideas or concepts of objects not present to the senses. What does this truly mean to each one of us? When asked this question each person will have a different answer.

I will tell you what imagination means to me. My imagination is my inner place where my stories live and where the visions I have for them take place. It is the place where my stories come alive. Before I start to put my stories down on paper, they play out in my head. I can see how my character will react and feel to different actions. I can also see the settings where they are taking place, so I can try to capture what they are doing. As the story unravels in my mind I start to make notes, so I don’t lose the essence of what I am about to create for my readers. I can be in the most unlikely places when I think about something that would be great in one of my stories. As I am there I can see it playing out in my story or I can hear my characters talking to me. My stories always play out as if they are a movie in my mind, so I can see how each action and reaction happens as I am developing the story before I start to write it. I let my imagination run wild in hopes of a good story.

I am working on getting what’s in my mind’s eye onto the page. Sometimes the translation takes a bit of time to get just right. I want people to be able to read the words and feel as if they are in a corner watching what is going on in the story or better yet a part of the story. I always thought it was great the way authors would paint a picture of their story, so their reader feels as if they are standing in the corner watching as it happens. My goal is to be as imaginative as they are and paint that picture with my words for my readers. I hope my imagination comes through when people read my stories. I’d love to hear how your imagination works?

You can find Becky online in the following locations; stop by to say hello!

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/beckykapjon1/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/beckykapjon/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/BKapjon

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Becky-Kapjon/e/B07N8JRPY6/

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18815014.Becky_Kapjon

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/becky-kapjon

Website: https://wordpress.com/stats/day/beckykapjon.wordpress.com

H Is For… Hope & Happiness = Health

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Contributed by Tammy-Lee Moore.

Health has become a global concern.  Many of us are overwhelmed by the rapid changes occurring each day with new information on Covid-19 happening almost hourly.

We’ve all learned about hand washing, disinfecting, physical distancing (at least 6 feet apart) and the need to stay home.  This has been and continues to be the gold standard to help stop this virus in its tracks.  What I wonder is, have we been allowing ourselves to be so overwhelmed with the fears, changes and information overload that we are living in a state of anxiety and/or depression and been allowing our immune systems to be compromised?

While we can not control what is happening in the world around us, we can put some of our energy into focusing on what we can do to help ourselves feel better and improve our immune systems which in turn will help us stay healthier during this corona virus pandemic and beyond it.

There are two very important areas to put our focus on right now. HOPE and HAPPINESS.  I know many will look at those two words and think, “Yeah right.  How am I supposed to feel hope and happiness in this shit storm that is happening worldwide?”  The answer to that question is moment by moment and small action by small action.

At first glance, HOPE seems like a nebulous concept.  You keep thinking, “I hope things get better”, “I hope this pandemic ends soon”. Yet those thoughts don’t make you feel any better.  So how in the world is HOPE supposed to help me?

Once again, the answer is moment by moment and small action by small action.  Did you notice that your thoughts on HOPE were general and evoked no feelings?  Did you notice that there was no action involved in the thought? I bet you only thought those hopeful thoughts once!

Moment by moment means that you need to address what you are feeling moment by moment and take a small action in those moments to help yourself feel better.  For some of us, we need to do small actions frequently and regularly throughout the day to keep ourselves from spiraling into a pit of despair.

Let’s take the first thought of “I hope things get better” and turn it into a small action.  Grab a pen and paper and write out “I hope things get better” at the top.  Now take a few deep breaths to relax and then write down what things you hope get better.  Write as many as you can.  Once you have your list, take the first item, read it, then close your eyes and take a few deep breaths and then imagine in your mind that this item is better. Let’s say your item is being able earn and income from home.  What does working from home feel like?  What does it look like? What are you doing? What do you smell? How does your body feel? Get as many details in your mind as you can.  Then do the same thing for every item on your list.

Once you have finished imagining all the items on your list, how do you feel? What thoughts are flowing through your mind now?  I bet you are feeling uplifted and hopeful and even thinking about what small action you can take right now to help move you toward improving these items on your list.  This is the powerful force of HOPE.  Just this small action has improved how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally and boosted your immunity.  Each time you find yourself feeling hopeless, take one of the items on your list and do the imagining process and help yourself harness the power of HOPE.

HAPPINESS is a concept that many of us find confusing.  Is it a destination? A journey? A feeling? A state of mind?  The answer is yes.  Happiness is all those things.  The role HAPPINESS plays in health is more vital than many of us can imagine.  Like HOPE, HAPPINESS is a powerful force that we can use to help us improve our immunity, thus improving our health.

I bet you are thinking “That’s nice, but how can I feel happiness when my whole life has crumbled around me?”  And again, I answer, moment by moment and small action by small action (are you sensing a theme here?)

Even during the darkest times, we can find moments of HAPPINESS by practicing gratitude.  And now you are rolling your eyes at me and thinking “Gratitude, are you crazy? I’ve lost everything and you expect me to be grateful for that?”  Of course, I don’t expect you to be grateful for losing everything.  What I am suggesting is to take your focus off what you have lost and put it on what you still have.  When you are grateful for every little thing you have, moments of happiness arise.

Grab that pen and paper again.  At the top write “I am grateful for” and then list every little thing you can think of.  Even the fact that you can take a deep breath in and release it is something to be grateful for. Do you have food to eat and water to drink?  Do you have a roof over your head?  Do you have internet access? Do you have a bed to sleep in? Do you have family and friends? Do you have a loving pet? Can you stand up? Can you walk? Do you have clothes to wear? Do you have a voice to speak or sing with? Do you have crayons to colour with?  These are very simple and basic things to be grateful for.  I bet you could come up with many, many more.

Once you have your list, I want you to read each item out loud beginning with “I am grateful for…”  For example, “I am grateful for the ability to breathe deeply.”  I suggest that you do this twice a day, every day.  If you find yourself feeling unhappy during the day, grab your list and read it again.  While you may not feel happiness immediately after doing this, you will begin to find yourself having moments of happiness as you continue to focus on what you are grateful for.  As any activity or sport, this takes time and practise. Your health is well worth it! You will also find that the more you practice gratitude, the more you will have to be grateful for. This provides even more opportunities for moments of happiness to improve your immunity.

Using the power of HOPE puts our focus on what is possible and increases our strength of purpose for our lives.  A daily gratitude practice puts our focus on all that we already have which ignites the power of HAPPINESS.  With our energy being focused on HOPE and HAPPINESS we are igniting the power of our immune systems which will create and support our HEALTH.  I wish you all, HOPE, HAPPINESS and HEALTH.

BIO – 

Tammy-Lee Moore is an empath, writer, intuitive coach and a recovering people pleaser.  After leaving the corporate world, she began a journey of creative recovery and self discovery.  Today, the journey continues, and she invites you to join her and begin your own recovery and self discovery.  She can be reached at tammylee@wakingthecreativesoul.com.

 

G is for… Guilt

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Contributed by Elizabeth Szubert. Find her on the web, here.

Let’s get this out in the open. We are all dealing with guilt right now. It’s the guilt that we’re not putting the right effort in the right places. The guilt of being home but sitting and watching the 24/7 news that is our life right now (hi, that’s me). I have a family member who is an essential worker and she’s dealing with the guilt that she has to leave the house every day. The guilt that your child is missing their friends and there is nothing you can do about it. We all, possibly, are dealing with this right now. But, two things.

#1 – For all those who are essential workers who have to leave the home, THANK YOU.

#2 – You are human and your feeling are valid. All of them and you should try to be compassionate towards yourself.

It’s hard to do that. I’m not going to lie to you. Guilt is one of my hardest emotions to deal with, especially towards my writing. I feel guilty when I only write 100 words for the day instead of the complete chapter. Even though I am out of ways to deal with making myself work. I feel guilty when I take a day off on the weekend because that’s a day I could be working instead of relaxing. However, more and more I’ve been coming back to this very simple idea – I am only human.

I am only human with a finite time and mental space to deal with things during the day. I am only human who needs a day off in order to make the rest of the days of the week be amazing. I am only human who is doing the best I can with the hand that I have been dealt. We, as human beings, can only do so much. Now, this is not a cure all. There are still a lot of days where I sit and feel guilty that nothing got done. Especially when I sink into the 24/7 news cycle or try to shut off my brain with binge reading a book. However, with the guilt, I am also learning to be compassionate to myself.

That compassion starts with being human and taking one deep breath. Then another. Sit, breathe deep, and remember that we are trying. That we need to be nice to ourselves and then we can be nice to each other.

Stay safe out there as we are all in this together.

F Is For… Family and Flower!

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Contributed by Nikki Memmott: excerpt from her “Knights” universe, from a story duel on Romance Divas a few years ago. Enjoy!

“Kayla Bernadette, get over here right now!”  Phallon watched as his five-year-old daughter continued to spin in circles across the courtyard from him, arms extended to support the weight of eight or nine diamond and ruby bracelets several sizes too large.

“Look, Daddy!  I’m a princess!”

Phallon knew his daughter’s expression of wide-eyed innocence was intended to disarm and charm him – and it was working, damn it – but he forced himself to maintain his stern expression.  If the volume of jewelry Kayla was wearing was any indication, she had raided not only her mother’s jewelry box – Saints rest her soul – but those of her grandmother and aunt, as well.  His daughter was in danger of becoming a real menace.  An adorable, beguiling one, but a menace nonetheless.

“Kayla, give me the bracelets,” Phallon demanded.  Kayla stopped spinning but stayed far away from him.

“Aren’t I pretty, Daddy?”

“Yes, Kayla.”  Phallon realized his mistake as soon as Kayla’s expression brightened and she began admiring the jewelry, raising and twisting each arm so emerald and diamond and ruby facets caught the light.  Bloody hell.

Out of the corner of his eye Phallon saw Connor rise from the bench where he had been reading and walk out of sight.  Abandoned in his hour of need – apparently they’d see how Connor liked sleeping alone tonight.  A fly buzzing around his head diminished the dignity of his parental disapproval somewhat, but Phallon batted it away and planted his feet, crossed his arms, and darkened his expression even more.  “Kayla, I’m not going to ask you again.”

Lashes lowered over cornflower blue eyes and Kayla’s lower lip began to tremble, but she held her ground.  Oh, hell.  Not the pout.  A growl started in Phallon’s chest, worked its way up his throat, and just when it was about to explode out of him, a smooth voice came from behind him, distracting him completely.

“Princess Kayla, may I make a suggestion?”

Phallon turned to see Connor stepping towards Kayla, stopping just a few feet from her.  Taken aback by Connor’s sudden appearance but pleased by the title he had bestowed on her, Kayla let vanity overcome her instinctive suspicion and nodded.  “Yes, milord, you may speak.”

By the Saints, the girl was asking to get her backside paddled.  Connor, however, bowed slightly as though Kayla truly was the princess she claimed to be and crossed the distance between them.  Inches away from her now, Connor brought his right hand from behind his back and produced a small ring of flowers.  Simple daisies strung together in a chain, but he held them as carefully as if they were the crown jewels.

Suddenly Phallon could see exactly what Connor intended.  Surely he didn’t think Kayla was going to fall for such a simple trick.  Torn between the desire to reclaim the valuable jewelry and the perverse desire to see Kayla best his lover, Phallon stood back and let the scene play out.

“Being a princess is all very well,” Connor explained, “but if you had a crown, you could be a queen.”

Kayla’s pleasure at the idea of being a queen brought a slow smile to her face, and she reached for the daisy coronet.

“Oh, but your highness has so many other jewels. . .”  Connor met Kayla’s eyes gravely.  “A queen must never be gaudy.  Indeed, for a true queen, a crown is all she really needs.”

Phallon wondered if Connor had pushed the game too far.  When Kayla arched a brow in so perfect an imitation of one of his own favorite expressions that Phallon almost laughed aloud, he was sure Connor’s gambit had failed.  One by one the bracelets came off, though, and the floral circlet was laid on Kayla’s head.

“Queen Kayla.”  Connor bowed with full Court solemnity, and Kayla allowed him to kiss her hand.

“Thank you milord.”  A small frown wrinkled Kayla’s brow, and then she asked, “Shall I make you a Knight, Connor?  I’m a queen now.”

The soft, tender smile on Connor’s face stole Phallon’s breath.  His lover was so in love with his daughter, it was like a hammer to the heart each time he saw it.

“No, thank you, dearheart.  Knighthood is for brave men like your father, not for healers like me.”

A hint of hesitation clouded Kayla’s expression as her attention swung back to Phallon.  He neither smiled nor frowned, just waited to see how she would respond.  Finally she smashed all the bracelets between her two hands and walked over to him.  “Here, Daddy.  I don’t need them anymore.  I’m a queen now.”

“I’ll take them inside for you, but then you’re going to take the bracelets back to your aunt and your grandmother and apologize for taking them without permission.”

“And say sorry to Mama.”

Phallon curled one finger through a strand of Kayla’s hair, exactly the shade of Kaitlin’s.  “And when you say your prayers you can apologize to your mother, too.”

It should have been embarrassing, that Connor melted him as easily as he melted Kayla, but when a strong hand clasped his shoulder Phallon just accepted the comfort it offered.

‘You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?” Phallon asked Connor later, pouring two glasses of wine while Connor filled the bathing tub.

“Lucky for you, I am,” Connor grinned, “And all yours.”

E Is For… Eight Essential Strategies for Optimum Creative Productivity in a World of Pandemonium

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Image of author Becca Howell with words "Stay Home #flattenthecurve"Contributed by Writer Zen Garden Member, Becca Howell.

Most start the new year out with ideas for where they want their lives to go in the coming year.  Creatives are no different.  “This year, I am going to write that book, record that album, open up a successful photography, jewelry making, or insert your business of choice here.”  Just like with some more common goals of the year, I am going to lose weight, get in shape or eat healthier, creatives can lose their steam after a short time.  Life gets in the way, there are other priorities, or several generations were brought up to view creativity as non-essential and therefore, allow other things to take precedence.  According to US and News Report, about 80% of people will quit their New Year’s resolutions about six weeks into the year.  Even more alarming is that January 17, is designated as the National Ditch Your New Year’s Resolution Day. These statistics also apply to creative individuals wanting to achieve their goals.

Fast-forward to the year 2020 about 2 1/2 months in: the world is rocked by Covid-19, an infectious disease that has forced many into different levels of quarantine.  Many creatives may have thought, this is an amazing time for me to achieve the goal that I set forth earlier this year and were excited for the extra time they were given to stay home and be creative since lay-offs were at a record high with businesses closing temporarily to avoid the spread of the virus.  As they began to adapt to this new way of life, a few weeks in, some realized, wow, this is easier said that done as people are dealing with new stressors that they never thought they would have to face in life.  Some creatives are struggling to get a stronghold on their zone and get in the flow of starting and finishing the projects that they have dreamed of completing all year long.  Here are eight strategies to help:

Struggle #1: It is almost impossible to focus on my creativity amidst all that is happening in the world.

Image of blank canvas.

Strategy to overcome: Own your mindset.  It’s true that people are dying out there and others are struggling financially as they wait for unemployment to start.  Yes, hospitals are overflowing, and medical professionals are overwrought.  It’s true there are people who ignore the stay at home orders and continue to spread the disease.  Yes, it’s a crazy time.  It is true that you have control over your emotions and how to feel them.  You can choose to wake up each morning and check to see the data: how many new cases, how many fatalities and how close the virus is to you and then remain stuck all day wrought with worry, fear, anxiety, and depression.  Instead, take a moment and close your eyes, breath in your dream and remember the passion you have for what you want to create.  Feel that passion in your heart and whenever you feel the sense of dread, anxiety, fear, depression or panic that you struggle with, repeat that exercise and center yourself knowing you can make a difference with your creation.

Struggle #2:  With everything going on in the world or in life, my creative juices are blocked.

Image of art piece with rainbow colored hearts

Strategy to overcome:  This is my personal favorite.  The daily brain-dump.  I do this in the morning and carry a small notebook throughout the day to add to it.  I take 10 minutes and just jot down anything that comes to mind.  Not everything I add is creative.  I could add something like – where to get toilet paper?  I might make a sketch.  I might write, it makes me very sad that the world is getting to me at this time and I need to pray for so and so’s mom who tested positive yesterday.  At the end of my brain- dump, I go through and highlight anything that may be of any use to a creative project and try to work that in somehow.  This is an exercise that can be done at any time of day, I just find that I am fresh after a night of sleep and brain processing time.

Struggle #3: I don’t even know what day it is during this crazy time, let alone have any routine to be creative.

Image of gold metal necklace

Strategy to overcome:  Only you know what the optimum time of day always has been for your creativity.  It might be early morning; it might be late at night or anywhere in between.  That time needs to become your protected time.  You might be more creative after you’ve had a nap, or with a glass of wine, or tea, or after listening to some music or pumping some weights.  You know yourself best.  Decide what time of day is the best for you personally and design a ritual around that time to get yourself to the creative flow.  For the days, you just aren’t there, insist anyway.  This is a date with yourself and you can’t stand yourself up.  For me, I am most creative early in the morning after a solid exercise regiment and meditation and my brain-dump.  Atmosphere is also important to me and I tend to light candles as well as use white pixie lights in my area to keep my mind flowing.  Equally crucial, make it fun.  This is a new adventure you are on and it won’t be something you want to do day after day if it is something you dread.

Struggle #4: With all this extra time on my hands, I should have 100 pages written but I have zilch.

Image of gold metal necklace with three elephant pendants from baby to adult

Strategy to overcome:  Give yourself grace.  This most likely is the first time you are experiencing something of this magnitude.  The fact that you have read this far into this article shows that you have intention.  Forgive yourself and scale down your expectations.  Maybe even cross genres.  If you don’t feel like writing that day, instead maybe you feel like painting, coloring, or taking pictures of your surroundings., do it.  No matter what, keep your creative date with yourself and just do something that uses your creative skills in some manner.

Struggle #5: I don’t know where to start.

Image of collaged young woman with black hair

Strategy to overcome: Decide what your main goal is creatively.  Maybe you want to write a successful blog or open a business where you sell your crafts and art. Brainstorm all the different parts of that goal.  What do you need to do?  What do you need to learn?  What creative content do you need to produce?  What is the biggest thing holding you back?  Break it down into bite sized pieces and put deadlines to those pieces.  During your daily creative dates, take a chunk of one of those pieces and chew it carefully with intent and once its swallowed, you can move on to the next piece of your goal.  Sometimes deadlines won’t be met because you realize that your second step has about 3 more steps to it and those take time.  Give yourself grace and just rescale your vision.

Struggle # 6: I want it to be perfect.

Image of painting of young blond woman laughing

Strategy to overcome: Throw perfectionism to the wind!  This is one of the biggest things that hold creatives back.  Yes, we all want our final product to be the best we have to offer, but don’t let that hinder you from even starting.  Keep a challenge log each day of how you deliberately weren’t perfect in your creativity.  Be intentional about it.

Struggle #7:  I just don’t feel like it because of everything that is going on in the world.

Image of young man with angel halo and young woman with devil tail and horns

Strategy to overcome:  Review Struggle #1, breathe in your passion, but dig in deeper here.  Why don’t you feel like it?  Is it because you’ve been stress eating since you’ve been quarantined?  Is it because your gym is closed, and you don’t know where to get your wiggles out and your body isn’t used to being as sedentary as it is?  Is it because you are sleeping a different schedule?  Aren’t getting enough rest or broken rest?  Is it because those who live in your home are driving you mad?  You are cooking 3 full meals a day and cleaning for an hour after each one?  Figure out what is eating at you and how you can creatively overcome it with the constraints of whatever your life looks like with the pandemonium the world has tossed you.  It could be as simple as learning to meditate or going out for a daily walk or getting yourself on a more realistic sleep pattern.

Struggle #8 I don’t have the knowledge to do what my creative dream is right now.

Image of black and white painting of two women, one older and one younger

Strategy to overcome:  With the world of social distancing, there are more and more individuals starting social media groups dedicated to knowledge sharing and helping one another.  More and more businesses are offering reduced class rates and even a plethora of freebies.  Takelessons.com is offering a free trial of their live classes for all sorts of things.  Udemy often offers classes for as low at $10 if you watch for flash sales, and blueprint is offering free classes through April 9, 2020.  See what’s out there, you may be surprised.

The honest bottom line is that this outbreak is changing the way we have lived for so long and there is a lot of value in that for creatives.  Remember, while many of us come from the generation that creativity is a hobby which holds little value, right now it is those that have creative talents that are entertaining the masses stuck at home.  The world needs beauty, it needs the light, humor, creative distraction, music, television and books. While creativity has been viewed as non-essential for so long, it is swiftly becoming essential at this very moment.  Can you imagine the books, paintings, movies, and digital art that will be quarantine based in the years to come?

Creative, this is your time to shine.

D Is For… Decluttering!

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by

by Rachel Wilder

I don’t know about you, but since I’ve sheltered from home my house is cleaner than it’s ever been. It’s been therapeutic for me and a great source of grounding. But now I’m moving on to the next step- decluttering.

I just have too much stuff.

So, I’ve watched some videos and gotten inspired. There are many good ones out there and fun to watch. But now is the perfect time to actually get off my butt and do it. I’ve done it before- as I’m sure many others have- but now that I’ve been cooped up in my home I want things neater and place made so everything is put away and has a home that isn’t the corner hidden by my bed or the closet floor.

I know a few of my other friends are doing it now for various different reasons and I cheer them on. I’m not sure if donation places are open but luckily, I have a storage shed I can put them in until the world is back to normal-whatever that will end up being.

Image of household items bagged and boxed ready to be given away

This is a great beginning. Also, this is a good time of year since many of us are putting away our winter clothes.

I’m getting a lot of satisfaction on doing this. I think, deep down, it’s because this is one aspect of my life I have total control over. And to be honest- I really do have too much stuff. So, I urge to join me. If nothing else, it’ll make room for all of our new stuff when we finally can go out and shop!

Stay Safe!