Tending the Fire- 3 Ways to keep your creative fires burning during the holidays.
The sun peeked over the horizon only seconds before Chirup the monkey woke from his tree top slumber. Yawning widely and stretching his overly long primate arms, he sat for a brief moment watching the golden rays of morning bounce from cloud to cloud. It was going to be a glorious day. Chirup liked to sleep at the near tippy top of the Ceiba tree, so the climb down would have taxed him terribly were it not for the fresh fruit growing on a banana tree nearby (the Ceiba and the banana tree had been at war for ages, both attempting to push the other out of this particular part of fertile territory). Both feet now firmly planted on the ground, Chirup assessed his humble hovel and decided the first order of business would be to start a fire and prepare for the day’s fish roasting. Chirup loved fresh roasted fish, especially the way it’s smoky flesh melted in his mouth and the skin cracked between his teeth. Chirup started drooling, and decided fire could not be made fast enough. Thankfully, Chirup had an uncle, who had a friend, who’s sister knew the right-hand beast of a certain orangutan king who learned how to make fire from a not so wise man camping in the jungle (learning to make fire took longer than it should have because the orangutan failed at coaxing a certain man, cub, thingy into teaching him the ways of fire).
Chirup lept to making fire rather quickly, gathering sticks, twigs, and any fallen logs he could hall, which you can imagine is rather difficult for a small monkey doing the work alone. Nevertheless, Chirup had his fire all ablaze and soon dashed off to the river, eager to harvest as many tasty fish as he could manage. It did not take long for the cool morning hours to pass, and for Chirup to grow impatient; he loved the taste of roasted fish, but did not care at all for the means by which he attained the fish. It just so happened that now seemed like a good time to go and check his fire. Along the way, Chirup bumped in to his friends Clack and Bangbang, who were on their way to play “monkeys is a big log” (not to be confused at all with monkeys in a barrel, completely different game, except the rules are the same, the points are the same, and how you play is the same). Chirup gladly joined in, and before you can say “two birds with one mellon,” the afternoon hours had nearly flown by, and Chirup was again feeling the need to check his fire. Quickly deciding it would be best to take to the tree top vines, Chirup hurriedly swung his way home hand over hand. Frustratingly, Chirup was forced to abruptly halt his progress home due to a swarm of monkeys chasing some man child in a black jacket who, as it seemed to Chirup, was able to swing through the trees faster than the big vehicles noisily crashing through the jungle below them. Rather frustrated at this point, Chirup continued on home right as the sun began its lazy descent toward the mountains and the horizon they sat upon. Just as Chirup suspected, his fire had gone out, and making a new one would have to wait until tomorrow, no monkey in his right mind sets out in the forest at night. Wiping the small tear from his eye, Chirup climbed the Ceiba tree and with a melancholy slump in his shoulders, munched on a rather bland banana.
Like Chirup, it’s critical that we creative types take care of our “fire” over the holiday break. If we don’t, the unbridled freedom during a break could open the door for a plethora of creativity stifling consequences. This week we’re going to look at ways we can keep the embers of our creative fire lit during the holidays. Beforehand, I do feel a disclaimer is necessary. Most of this week’s writing comes from what I’ve done poorly over the last few years, and the tips therefore are things I am attempting over the break knowing that what I’ve done in the past doesn’t work. I have some theories about how to do this, and I’m testing them out here, with you, in real time. That said, let’s dive in!
Three Ways to Keep Your Creative Fires Burning During the Holidays:
1. Be Kind to Yourself. The idea seems so simple, you’re with yourself all the time, you should know yourself better than anyone, you would think being kind to yourself would be easy. Yet somehow, it’s a Herculean task. I’m sure there’s a psychological reason for this, but right now what matters is that we do it. But how? Some might suggest throwing off all constraint and diving head first into the eggnog, while others may suggest a mountain get away free from all human contact (truthfully, as an educator, this sounds like a boss-sauce idea). Either of these might be fine, but both could be the worst idea since voting for…nope, never mind. The key is knowing what kindness means to you, and that takes self-discovery (plus a healthy dose of failure). For example, staying up till eleven p.m. binge watching t.v. and waking up at 5 am is not being kind to myself. I feel like Bantha feces the next day and don’t usually exude “Christmas spirit” to those interacting with me. On the other hand, I love reading during the holidays, and sitting on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book is mightily refreshing (right now I’m reading “12 Rules for Life” by Jordan Peterson). Take some time to discover what helps you feel refreshed (not numb, that’s a different thing) and do those things daily over the holidays.
2. Set Boundaries beforehand. I have a friend who grew up in a very large family, and year after year this family would engage in a robust round of croquet playing when they were together for the holidays. She has described the atmosphere to me before and how she feels about it, needless to say, it’s not her favorite part of the holidays. A few years back she decided to set some healthy boundaries on what participation in this yearly ritual looks like, and instead of continuing to play in a triggered state, she simply steps away to practice self-care and returns if and when she chooses. Now, this takes self-discovery and a willingness to stand up for yourself. If you don’t set limits and stand up for yourself, no one else will. This has to be done before you join in the festivities though, no one learns how to throw a stone with a sling when the “giant” runs at you, it must be done long beforehand. Take time to sit and establish boundaries before you’re neck deep in the flurry of family and friends.
3. Give your daily routine a twist. Will Smith said that self-discipline is the greatest act of self-love. I think he’s pretty dead on; I’ve done the no discipline do whatever feels right in the moment approach, and not once have I come away feeling good about it. When I make it to a holiday, I have a proclivity for throwing my discipline three sheets to the wind. This happens most of the time because I’m tired of being disciplined so I down whatever sugary Christmas concoction is available, deprive myself of sleep, and binge watch a multitude of movies. This year I’m doing it differently. Routine is important, living with a healthy dose of discipline matters for creative people who want to turn their creativity into a profitable career. But, discipline can also stifle and eventually suffocate creativity too. I think that’s why I tend to go overboard during the holidays. A better approach is to keep the discipline, but give it a twist. One way to do this, which I’ll be trying, is to wake in the morning as per my usual routine, but instead of engaging in normal morning self-care, I’ll be sitting down with a cup of coffee and a good book. The goal is to stay disciplined while also trying something new.
Chirup’s fire died because he didn’t have a plan for how to take care of it, he simply wandered through the day reacting to whatever happened in the moment. So it will be for creatives (and probably all the other humans) during the holiday season if we don’t plan to take care of ourselves. Pick one or all of the ideas above and put them into practice this holiday season. I’d love to hear how you did this and how it worked for you. Comment and share your experience with the creative community.
Grace, peace, and Merry Christmas to you this holiday season!