Solitude Can Be Fulfilling, Even Under Strange Circumstances
I don't want to focus on COVID-19,
but I do want to help you channel your creativity.
I won't dwell on the coronavirus and the obvious but differing effects it's having on us all. To be honest, I've had to step away from focusing on it as much as possible because my own anxieties were starting to take over a bit, so I'll just say a few things that I think might resonate with many of you, and if you want to skip the discussion, make sure you scroll to the end to take advantage of the programs I'm offering to help everyone navigate this time in a creatively fulfilling way.
You can't predict how you'll react to an unprecedented situation, and as a pretty naturally calm person, I have been surprised by own reactions. Here are a couple of the realizations I've had over the past several days:
I'm scared of getting sick - a lot of people are - and that's okay to admit. I'm scared for my family even more. I know that we are distancing ourselves from one another to protect the most vulnerable, but as an asthmatic and as a person with an anxiety disorder, my fear took hold quickly. I attribute a lot of it to the panic pasted all over the media, the misinformation that quickly spread, and the frightening experience it was to go to a grocery store, but I also recognize now that I quickly reverted to a more childlike reaction to all of this - and that's because I didn't have any experience to draw upon for context. None of us have that. But I felt a lot of shame in admitting that I was scared to get sick. I'm not sure why. Maybe as a young person I don't feel like I have a right to feel scared about it when there are so many others who are justifiably terrified. But we need to be able to honestly talk about our feelings around this, especially since it's a new situation we've never faced. When I finally let it out, let myself feel vulnerable enough to cry it out, that fear majorly dissipated, and I could see clearly that my fear was actually rooted partly in heartbreak for the world (I tend to emotionally take on more than anyone should), partly in a psychological response to the chaos all this was making me feel, and mostly rooted in a fear for several of my family members who are very high risk members of vulnerable populations. The point is, I needed to write it out and then talk about it. I hope you're doing the same.
As a small business owner, this is hard. That's obvious, right? Others are certainly getting hit even harder than me, so I deeply feel for them. But while everyone is learning how to function at home full-time by stepping away from their jobs, I've been on the grind double-time, pivoting plans for my clients, re-thinking book launches, moving everything onto digital communication platforms. While I can see the other side now, it's been really stressful, and not just from a financial standpoint. So many of us are terrified of losing what we've spent so many years building. I love what I do, and the threat of losing it in this devolving economic climate has come to define so much of my work in just the past week.
I'm an introvert who works from home and struggles with social anxiety - so why does any of this feel differently to me? I couldn't put my finger on it. Once everyone was working from home, I saw so many of my friends in the entrepreneurial community offering tips and schedules, I watched as people tried to navigate this new normal they're creating, and SO many people have commented to me, "This is just normal for you, though, right?" But all of a sudden, the energy of having everyone in the world living the same lifestyle as me started to make me feel crowded. Weird, I know, but a part of me - a subconscious part of me, even - started to feel like somehow my own mental and emotional space had become smaller from this. Once I acknowledged it, it eased and went away, and I've since been able to more freely help others with their own transition. But I sense I'm not alone in this feeling - that there are other isolative and creative people out there who felt an irrational burden by this change in the world.
The use-this-time-to-create-what-you-never-have-time-for versus the you-don't-need-to-do-anything-at-all debate. Two camps have clearly emerged. I see a lot of people encouraging everyone to use this newfound time to dive into all the creative projects they think about but never have the time to dedicate themselves to: write that book (I obviously hear about this one a lot recently), start that podcast, build that business - do that "thing" you're always thinking about. And then I see a lot of people arguing the opposite, assuring us that there's no pressure to do anything at all; that it's okay to just exist through this because EVERYTHING that is happening is uncharted territory. Who's right? No one.
There's no right way to get through social distancing (which, btw, I prefer "physical distancing" - because I'm trying to be more social in this weird time) and quarantine. For me, this is the part that is my status quo. Because I work from home and in a creative field, I consistently schedule time every week that is dedicated solely to my own creative projects, so for those of you are itching to get creative and work on that "thing," I want to lend a hand to help you. This is the best way I know how to contribute and help in this is uneasy and confusing time. So, I've put together a couple of things:
On Fridays, We Write
Although I've been working alone from home for many years, the timing of the COVID-19 outbreak couldn't be worse. It came just when I was starting to have open discussions about needing more community, more connection, deeper bonds. It came just when I was feeling stir crazy in my house. It came just when I was about ready to share a lot of new projects with the world, build community exhibits, and break ground on some new events. Instead, here we are, social distancing for safety, holed up in our homes in self-quarantine.
I've been seeing so many people feeling the same way; people worried about feelings of isolation, fear, and panic, so On Fridays, We Write - an online community for writers and creatives - was quickly born. Co-founder Libbie and I both thrive on creative relationships and in spaces where we can share our work as well as help others, so we built this online community quickly in the hopes of creating space for writers and creatives to keep connecting, growing, and building relationships in this eerie time in history. Because storytelling is what keeps us connected. Storytelling will help us navigate this crisis. Storytelling will help us make meaning.
It only costs $5 to join! We get started this Monday. Click below to find more information and to join us!
Creative Mentorship
As a book coach, advisor, and author manager, I make my living out of helping others execute and launch their creative vision. Now that you probably have a lot more downtime and are thinking about your next project, I want to offer my knowledge and tips at as low-cost as I possibly can, because everyone deserves a chance to thrive right now.
As you begin to embark on whatever your next project might be, I want to help give you guidance, professional advice, direction, and whatever else you might need for this journey. Some people might need a writing coach, some might need help with their schedule, some might need help plotting out their plan and creating tangible action steps that actually get them closer to launching and executing their project.
You don't have to be a writer to reach out. I'm well versed in many of the creative arts and am happy to help you out so that you can relax into your creative passion instead of stressing over what you don't know. Art is healing, so if you want a mentor for your journey, click below to email me a synopsis of your project.
Take care of yourselves and each other out there. I can't wait to see what we all create.
Happy writing!