Happy New Year legend! We made it – well, it might not feel like that, but at least the calendar has ticked over into a brand new spanking year.
I’m so glad you’re here. Truly, writing this Substack has been the biggest joy of the last few years.
Traditionally, January 1st is when all of our resolutions begin and new goals start – but not this time.
Rather than jump straight into creativity’s pretentious sibling, Productivity, I thought I’d share the word I’ve chose to guide my 2024.
Today’s Creative Urge is all about moving through the world in a consistent, continuous and steady way. That’s right team, we’re learning how to live in FLOW.
What is FLOW?
Old mate Hungarian-American positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined this term, describing it like this:
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” – (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
There are 8 characteristics of flow:
Complete concentration on the task;
Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback;
Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down);
The experience is intrinsically rewarding;
Effortlessness and ease;
There is a balance between challenge and skills;
Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination;
There is a feeling of control over the task.
Interestingly, autotelic personalities tend to experience flow the most because they tend to do activities for their own sake, rather than for some kind of external goal.
So, in essence, flow is about the process, the experience of doing something, rather than the destination.
Why is FLOW my word for 2024?
Easy: I’m exhausted. In 2023, I forced myself at times to live a life that wasn’t meant for me. I ran around trying to solve problems and ‘figure it out’ quickly, instead of allowing myself to be pulled forward into the next chapter.
But it wasn’t as if I just plucked the word out of thin air, either.
It was in an Astrostrategy session with my high-vibe Astrologer, Kristy Gray, that the word found it’s way to me.
KG always has a guiding word for her year – a practice I’ve joined her on for the past 3 years – and FLOW encapsulates the feeling of what was missing for me in 2023.
It doesn’t mean I’m going to passively roll with the punches, but rather I’m going to look for different streams to join and ride the current, rather than build a dam around myself to hold it all in.
Why is FLOW the new goal for creativity?
The biggest mistake I see many Creatives make is putting the cart before the horse… aka, announcing “I’m going to write a book” before the idea has been fully expressed.
When you force an idea into a form before it’s ready you rob yourself of the greatest benefits and gifts of the creative process. You don’t have to dominate your creative projects – remember it’s a collaboration. A dance.
Let your idea SHOW you what form it wants to take by simply showing up as often as you can to create.
So for 2024, I’d like to invite you to reframe your creative goals this year around FLOW. Rather than setting a goal to complete something, could you instead design your time around doing the action that will create the thing.
E.g. Instead of trying to write a book, could you show up everyday and write for 30 minutes.
This will put you in a place of abundance, rather than scarcity.
After a month or two of creating, you’ll be up to your eyeballs in creative work and in the enviable position of deciding what to do with it all.
You don’t find FLOW, it finds you… in stillness
The best thing about using flow as a north star is how much pressure it removes from the day-to-day.
Knowing that all I need to do for flow to arrive is remove distractions, find a quiet place and open myself up to ideas… what a sigh of relief!
Wishing you a calm, flowy and serene beginning to 2024!
Creatively yours,
Dr Maz xoxox
PS: Looking for creative support this year? We can work together in a few different ways, from copywriting to creativity coaching to workshops and beyond. In true flow fashion, it all starts with a conversation, so feel free to book a virtual coffee to see what’s possible!
HNY ☆