morning word: creative

The other morning while mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, I came across a quote by poet Nayyirah Waheed that really shifted something in me.

Morning Word: Creative

Here is that quote:

This simple line blew my mind. Of course we think about taking care of our physical health—we're told to sleep eight hours a night, eat well, exercise, and take vitamins, all while trying to untangle our own health care system. More recently, taking care of our mental bodies has become just as important—we're taking mental health days, we're meditating, we're de-stigmatizing therapy, journaling, drinking a ton of tension tamer tea...

But what about our creative health? This has been something in my life I really neglected in 2017. And I felt the "sickness." 

The other week, I went with my friend/artist Ella to check out an art studio at a creative collective here in Boulder. I was struck by the vibrant space full of easels, glitter, charcoal, hammers, and wood shavings. I'm an artist in a different sense—I just need need pen and paper, maybe a laptop—but I still felt a pull to be surrounded by that creativity. (I was wildly excited for her, and more motivated myself, when she signed a lease at the studio.)

While I'm not signing an additional lease anytime soon, I have put more effort into taking care of my creative health. That's why I have been writing here more often, and reading and/or journaling in the morning. I'm also in the midst of choosing one bigger creative project to dive into for (at least) this next year. I'm still doing some research and laying down the foundation, but I hope to get it off the ground soon. :)