Dear Creative Adventurer,
It’s nearly 1AM and I’m twisted like some strange homemade pretzel on the couch, pinned by one dog curled up against the small of my back and the other draped across my legs. My laptop balances precariously on my hip, meaning I have to sink a little into my double chins to see the screen clearly through my glasses, but I don’t mind. After waiting weeks for inspiration to strike, I’m finally (finally!) in tune with my creative cadence for writing.
WHAT IS CREATIVE CADENCE?
The word “cadence” speaks to the idea of rhythm – not to be conflated with routine. If I may, we’re a little too obsessed with “routines for success” these days – the likes of which infer the promise that if we follow so-and-so’s way of doing things that we’ll be granted access to the same kind of wins they enjoy. “Eat this breakfast and you’ll be more productive. Listen to this music and you’ll be more inspired. Work this way and it’ll all fall into place...”
Of course, I still devour any article in which somebody notable talks about their habits; it’s hard not to and I’m only human. I enjoy nosily mining the subtext for clues about how they really made it to where they are. It’s nice to believe that someone has it all figured out (and even nicer to believe that a lot of it hinges on what kind of coffee they drink or journal practice they keep).
But, if we’re not careful, this curiousity can cloud how we connect to how we create – aka our creative cadence, the rhythm that works best for and sustains our unique creativity like a metaphorical heartbeat.
TUNING OUT ASSUMPTIONS
Lately, I’ve been trying to squeeze personal writing projects, like The Gooseberry Review, into my studio schedule, but no matter how hard I try during daylight hours, the words refuse to work their way out of my brain... (keep reading....)
