Tending the Neglected Creative Side Yard

The neglected side yard…

Sometimes you catch it in your peripheral vision. You might be scurrying between appointments or checking off your to-do list when you glimpse a scraggly bush.

You don’t look too long or hard. You race ahead, pretending that you really didn’t see it.

It’s easy to do.

There are a hundred other things to distract you. Facebook. Your kids. Making money. But ultimately, you know it’s there.

The neglected side yard. That place where you have tossed your creative urges. The fleeting thought that maybe you’ll write a book?  The desire to pick up a paint brush and just see what happens?

It’s not like you really do it on purpose. After all, you are busy! There are priorities!

And yet, those neglected creative urgings can’t be dismissed no matter how hard we try, or how much we look the other way.

We feel them as a jealousy when we read a blog of someone who has tended to their side yard and stepped out. Or a clench in the gut when we walk through a gallery and see someone singing their soul out on the canvas.

So what is one to do?

Go sit in the side yard.

You heard me. Go open the gate, walk in, and sit. Just notice what’s there. The first step is simply seeing what has been left behind. It takes a touch of courage. We make the gate stick if we try opening it with self-judgment. Try self-compassion instead, which lubricates the hinges.

Go in and simply acknowledge what’s there. And make a promise that if nothing else, you will SEE the side yard. When you have energy, you may pour a little water on the wilting rose. Or sprinkle a few seeds on the dirt. Breathe. Keep visiting. And one day it won’t be the guilty glance from your peripheral vision, but a place of beauty you come to relax and renew…

*** If you are ready to at least sit in your side yard, and writing is the creative urge that is hiding there, consider some companionship as you explore. On Feb. 11, we begin a 5-week telecourse journey to help you gently begin planting and tending your writing seeds.  Let’s see what grows. Early bird pricing ends February 4. Details below and here: http://www.carolynscarborough.com/winterspark/

To ponder, journal or share on blog comments … What is in YOUR neglected creative side yard? What helps you to open the gate? Please comment here on the website.

Upcoming Events

Winter Spark: Fan your Writer’s Flame – (brand new program!)
Telecourse – Available wherever you live
Begins February 11, 2016

What is my deepest wish for you? That you hear and heed the call of your ripened wisdom yearning to be expressed. That you bring forward the creative project or writing that matters to the front of your life rather than the dusty shadows. That you release it into the world. Join us in a community where you will get clear, get going and keep going! Details here. (note, early bird pricing ends Feb. 4)

Creating Powerful Writing Agreements
Story Circle Women’s Writing Conference
Austin, Texas
April 17, 2016

Do you ever find yourself vowing to… write more, be less perfectionistic, finally finish that novel, find a writing routine? In this workshop, part of the Story Circle Women’s Writing Conference, I’ll help you to create a list of powerful intentions to motivate our writing and our lives. These guidelines act as roadmap, coach, muse. To find the ones that deeply resonate for us, we will use writing prompts, guided visualizations and practical exercises. You will leave with a personal set of writing and creativity practices that energize you daily. For details, go here: http://www.storycircle.org/Conference/program.shtml

Aging: A Journey of Hope
Saturday, June 25, 2016

As we age, new fears arise. Explore with us through writing and other creative exercises what it means to “Free yourself to thrive and come fully alive in the second half of life.” Details here: http://eremos.org/workshops/