photo of fogFor the past three days I’ve felt sluggish. It felt like I was moving through a fog. I had a hard time getting anything done. I had no motivation to do anything.

It wasn’t that I had nothing to do. I always have lots to do. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I never lack for things to do.

I gave myself a little slack the first two days because it was the weekend. (I’m trying hard not to work on weekends.) I even found it incredibly difficult to do something fun. I did get out to a movie. “Trainwreck,” a great movie for Amy Schumer fans.

By the time Monday rolled around I was ready. Or so I thought. It was a new day. The beginning of a new week. Etc, etc, etc…

I woke up early, did my morning rituals: grounding, meditation, and exercising. I was prepped and ready to go! Except it was the same thing again. Sluggishness and fog.

I had plans to work in a new book. A creative endeavor for myself and my business. I had started this book a few weeks ago, but I wanted to begin again since I didn’t get too far the first time. By the second chapter I was sleepy and ready for a nap. It was only 11:30am!

That is how my day went. Trying to do something, not being able to do much, and beating myself up about how little I was getting done. Finally around 8:30pm I was outside with my dogs and the thought came to me, “This is not my normal way of being. It’s not going to be like this for ever.” Somehow that allowed me to stop chastising myself and relax. I gave myself permission to get to bed at a decent hour.

And then it happened.

Hours later, my dogs needed to go outside. I went out with them and noticed how beautiful the stars were without a bright moon. It was cool and lovely. The edge of the Milky Way was visible. Once back in bed, my mind started racing. I began thinking about all these amazing ideas, about what I want to create, and things I want to write about.

There have been times when my mind is full in the middle of the night and I lie there and hope I’ll remember everything in the morning, but not this time. It was way too powerful of a download. I turned on the light, grabbed my phone and wrote down everything I was thinking. It was awesome. I also wrote a couple of emails to some friends who have been witness to what I’m working on. Thank goodness emails at 3:00 a.m. don’t wake people up!

While I was writing I received a major ah-ha. What I recognized about myself is this is normal for me. This is my process. I have been in a gestational period for the past few days (maybe even longer…) Whenever I am designing a new project I always go through a period of thinking and writing. I rarely start a project directly without giving myself the space to think. And that’s the key. Giving ourselves Space. Time. Pausing enough to focus. To get clear. To receive. It’s a beautiful process.

How to allow space for YOUR creative process!

Know the signs

Are you getting ready to work on a big project? Have you just finished a big project? These are the key times when you may need to give yourself the space needed to gather and focus on what’s next.

Check for hidden pitfalls

Make sure there’s nothing else getting in the way of your process. Procrastination can sneak into this space! If you’re getting ready to work on a client project, make sure the energy between you and your client is clear. If it’s your own work in question, do a quick gut-check. Are you pushing forward on a new offering that’s not right for you? Or maybe planning a new website when you really need to be working on your signature speech?

Make room for it to happen

If the signs are there and you’ve done your internal check to make sure you aren’t putting off a project for good reason, then get out of your own way and be the midwife to your creative process. Go for a hike, spend time outside, play with your dog, visit your grandbaby, start a new coloring book. Create space in your life for your creative process to actualize. It’ll come, it always does!

Love and beauty,

Stephanie