I am "with book"
For the last few months I’ve been part of Dr Eric Maisel’s “Get Your Book Written” group, which has been wonderful!
Despite the fact I’ve only written maybe 350 words the whole time, I’ve been loving being surrounded by others who are also going after their book writing dreams.
Today’s Creative Urge is dedicated to that feeling you get when you’re in the middle of create work, your back hurts and you feel nauseous all the time… being pregnant with a brilliant idea (and starting to show).
Creative work develops within you, first
One of the other participants in Eric’s group casually tagged this idea onto one of Eric’s lessons a few weeks ago: what if you talked about your book as if it were your baby, soon to be born?
The idea being that whenever anyone asks you what you’re up to, you can say, “I am with book”, much like some 19th century pregnant woman of the house who is ‘with child’.
This struck me as GENIUS – imagine how you’d move through the world if you reframed your creative work as a new being, one that relied on you to be brought to life?
Because essentially, it is.
Start by talking about your work with the fervour of a soon-to-be mother
New mums are so passionate, curious, scared, excited, organised, terrified and constantly all over the place – sound familiar? Ha.
So often I see Creatives that I coach hiding their work away, almost as if they’re ashamed of what they’re created. Like it’s some kind of dirty secret.
It honestly breaks my heart.
Any dots that you connect carry a piece of you with it, which is the creative moment (and what’s so unique about this whole damn experience).
Your creative DNA hums through your work, whether you realise it or not
It might not look ‘new’ or ‘unique’ to you, but that’s only because you’re too close to it. But, with time, you’ll see yourself reflected back in the work.
We all each have a specific style that we infuse into everything we make – and while there are similarities between us (just like you can have a celebrity doppelgänger), no one else is YOU.
And just like every experience of pregnancy is different, the same goes for the creative process.
Instead of fighting this and trying to control every fucking thing, is there a way you can lean into trusting the process (aka the ‘trimesters’ of your work)?
Other ways you can embrace your creative pregnancy*
Eat well: Adopt a diet that has a variety of different foods, which means consuming lots of different influences and sources of inspiration. If you’re a designers, don’t just consume the work of other designers – branch out. Watch old films, go and see contemporary dance or even listen to music in another language.
Take folic acid and vitamin D: In creative terms, this means adding in some activities to help you hone your craft, like Skillshare classes or workshops.
Stay active: This is a general rule of thumb for health, but even MORE important for creative work. To go the distance, work on your endurance. Lift heavy things, start to run or go on longer walks and stretch more than you think.
Monitor your “baby’s” movements: Listen to your intuition. Pay attention to when you get that swirling or fluttering feeling in your gut. It means you’re on the right track.
Take care of your mental health: Creating anything is an emotional experience. It’s going to ask things of you that no one will likely see or understand, which can be an isolating experience. Get support, rally your team and journal like you mean it.
Avoid certain foods and drinks: Just like having an actual baby, there are certain foods and drinks that are best avoided when you’re in the middle of creating. Personally, alcohol, drugs, excess sugar, too much bread or coffee totally kill my vibe.
*Yes, I did translate rules for pregnancy here for you. You’re welcome.
Lastly, enjoy the GLOW!
When you’re in pure FLOW, people can tell – heck, they may even compliment you on it.
Enjoy it. Enjoy the feeling of being tapped into that beautiful divine creative energy.
Soon enough you’ll go into ‘creative labour’ and be beginning for the days when all you had to do was make.
Creatively yours,
Dr Maz xox
PS: Next week I’m back in Bali and I can’t wait. It’s actually where this newsletter was born, on the beach in Sanur. Sunshine, Gado Gado (remember THIS post?!), papaya and pool time. If you’re on the island in early September, hit me up!
Absolutely love this frame. Also want to add two things:
1. Yes to speaking about your work "with the fervour of a soon-to-be mother" ... but also it's okay to recognize if you're still in the vulnerable early stages where you don't know if the pregnancy is going to flourish and you don't want to tell too many people because you're just protecting it and yourself around it. Sometimes creative work needs that protection before it's ready to be shared with the world.
2. And also, sometimes we lose our babies. Sometimes no matter how much we really want a creative piece to come into the world, it doesn't ... at least not in that time and not in that way. And when that happens, it is not just okay but important to grieve that and recognize that it's not something to feel shame about. You are here to mother in many, many ways.