You open the package. You slip off the protective seal. You run your hands across it, itching to make something. It’s your new creative tool, and you CAN’T WAIT to get started.
As I opened up the tin of Derwent colored pencils, this was me. Each cozy, muted color made me feel something. Even the names of the colors inspired curiosity! Pale Cedar. Solway Blue. Ruby Earth.
I had oodles of time over Christmas break, so surely I would dive into these new pencils with relish…
But I didn’t.
There was a resistance that I just couldn’t seem to shake. What should I draw? Should I film it? Maybe I should be spending more time with my family instead?
With each passing day, I looked at the pencils with longing. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to create, but the resistance was Just. So. Strong. And as the days went on, I noticed a growing fatigue and a growing urgency. This urgency to MAKE SOMETHING. The fatigue that only sets in when you’ve been idle for too long. I needed to fill my creative cup by POURING OUT.
So, I sat down for about 15 minutes, and sketched a cozy little potted plant. That’s all it took to relieve so much of that fatigue, that urgency. Just me, the pencils, and a bit of instrumental music. I felt lighter. I felt nourished. I felt calmer.
I’m always telling you that creative energy needs to be poured out, but I’m so quick to ignore my own advice when the resistance puts up a wall. But this little sketching session was a reminder that fighting against resistance doesn’t always mean tackling the biggest project. Sometimes it’s a quiet rebellion. The 15 minutes of sketching or sewing or baking or writing that fills your creative cup and reminds you that resistance only wins when you let it.
So, my creative friend, I want to encourage you to FIGHT BACK. Your rebellion my be small, but small is not insignificant. Sometimes the magnificent waterfall starts with a small, quiet drop of water.
But before we say adieu, I want to ask you, is your creative space INSPIRING you? Do the pictures around you spark your imagination? If not, I want to help! My mystery grab bags are guaranteed to jumpstart your curiosity and help you build a space that INSPIRES. The mini mystery bag contains two 4x6 in. prints to level up your creative space and three die-cut stickers to decorate your laptop, journal, or sketchbook. But if you’re looking for something with a little more oomph, the JUMBO mystery bag is for you. This item of inspiration contains an 8x10 in. print, a 5×7in. sticker sheet, and five die-cut stickers! Whatever your creative practice looks like, I’d love to help spark your imagination along the way.
