The Creative’s Need for Order
As a mother of two boys, the wife of a messy husband (shh…don’t tell him I told you), and being a writer and entrepreneur in my soul who walks around with myriad thoughts and ideas jumping off the walls of my membrane, I work hard to keep order in my world. I can’t say I’m always successful.
As creatives, the meaning of “order” is different for each of us. Do you know what it means for you?
Way back when, I may have wondered about, or dare I say, judged someone for keeping a crazy space, but I’ve learned there’s more lurking beneath the surface than just laziness. It plays a part, but many times its more than that.
I’m reminded of when my brother was temporily living at my parent’s home as an adult. Back then, he was quite distant from family and didn’t want to mingle or talk much. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I do.
He knew he was talented, smart, and had lived vicariously through his many previous rebellions, yet as he embarked on a new phase of life, he felt lost, without identity.
He was getting a second chance to start anew and was in process of recreating himself, though he didn’t completely realize how to do it.
His bedroom door was slightly open and I was able to glimpse inside his room as I passed in the hallway. It was extremely messy. Nothing was in order, and I recall thinking, Wow. How does he function like that?
I didn’t realize at the time that his room’s condition was an exterior sign of his internal condition. After going through my own phase of blurry vision and not seeing the days when my kitchen floors needed a good mopping, I can sympathize with anyone struggling in their space, or their own skin, especially if they’re in process of changing the direction of their life.
Creativity requires you to keep things simple.
You’ve got to keep your plate as clean and clear for the important stuff. In that space of presence and clarity is where the creativity lives and breathes within you.
On days when you can’t keep up, that’s the time to clean house- physically, digitally and mentally. Sometimes it even means socially and emotionally where your relationships and time commitments are concerned.
Create an inventory of all the things you concern yourself with, worry about, want to do, need to do…then narrow it down to the top 10 most important things you must do.
Forget the shoulds in your life. You could leave the country tomorrow, or this world entirely, and so many of those “shoulds” won’t matter. Determine what those are.
When you make a conscious effort to clear the way, each new day, for a blank canvas, you have the ability, mental capacity, and energy to truly create what wants to come out of you.
The world is waiting…lovingly and patiently. It’s up to you not to miss the opportunity.
In the comments below, let me know how you keep order (read: internal peace) for sake of maximizing your creative self? I’m always looking for new ways to renew and rejuvenate my space and am sure I am not alone, so be sure to share your thoughts and methods with the rest of us creative folk!
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This is so true! Recently I was going through a funky fun, transitional, messy period and my house certainly reflected it! I notice that my inner and outer world gets chaotic when I don’t make time for morning pages. Just brain dumping every single morning… every thought, worry, random to do and feeling. When I write regularly, I feel clear headed and on top of things.
There are also times when I have to stop everything I’m doing and clean like a crazy lady until my place is SPOTLESS. Sometimes you just can’t think and be productive when your space is a mess!
Love you! xo
2 Jul 12
See, for me, having a spotless house was never on the top of my list of important things. However, I’m beginning to realize that I FEEL so much better, happier, and relaxed when my house doesn’t look like a disaster area.
While I don’t think I’m moving cleaning to the top of my list, I do believe it’s time to carve out a little time for it in our normal routine. I’m beginning to realize that, while having a spotless home isn’t as important to me as taking care of our kids, having it look like a disaster area makes me feel more “blah.” So I’m in search of a nice balance right now.
The other things I’ve greatly underestimated in the past (and this has nothing to do with physical clutter), is talking to my husband. While brain dumping on paper is great, simply talking to him about nagging issues, small worries, anxiety, etc really, REALLY helps!
I used to think there was no point since sometimes all he can do is listen. There’s really nothing that can be DONE about the situation and I used to think there was no point in “complaining” to him about something he can’t change or can’t do anything about. BUT I was wrong. Not only does he WANT to know what I’m feeling, thinking, or worrying about, it makes us feel closer when I share those things.
I’ve been amazed at how much just telling him about something that bothered me often helps me release it completely even if all he does is listen. It’s worked wonders on my stress/anxiety levels as a mom of 7 and has also drawn us closer than ever.
Not only that, often times things I thought he couldn’t really help with, he helps me find solutions for. Turns out the guy has some really great ideas! lol
17 Jul 12
Thanks for sharing your experience, Stacie! I was raised to put cleanliness at the top of my list, because it “says something about you”, and to some extent I believe it, BUT…I am not going to let it control me. I can always clean, I can’t always create or write. It took me some time as a writer/entrepreneur to get past my aunt’s voice in my head saying, “Never leave your home looking like a beauty queen while your house is a disaster.” Words she shared when I was 12. Thankfully, as an adult, I happened upon the book “A Perfectly Kept House is the sign of a Misspent Life” by Mary Randolph Carter-talk about a godsend for my coffee table! Check it out and forget trying to balance. You can only pick and choose. Hire someone to clean or live minimalistic, so you can focus on what’s important to you.
18 Jul 12