"Creative habit does not have to be a struggle to be valid and meaningful." Love that. I always thought there had to be struggle to give the creative habit/process meaning, importance. I used it as an excuse to not even get started. I'm glad I've lost that judgment. I jump in with a thought to play, even when writing something weighty, serious. Play, curiosity, gaining knowledge. Those three ideas inspire me to be less afraid to fail. It's been a great shift of mind for me.
Thanks for commenting, Nan. I think the struggle is often romanticized. I'm glad you are working beyond that and with a playful approach. That's a good way to get work done and keep perspective.
Graphite! I feel you! I have been using the same mechanical pencil (it was one of my kid's before it became mine) for at least 5 years! I am attached to this pencil - it is my comfort pencil 😍
Galaxy, graphite, squash, and butternut. I have a favorite (kind of) pen and pencil, cup, silverware, bowl, paint brand, sketchbook, fork, spoon, pants, sweater, nightgown ... the list goes on. And no one had better borrow my pen! It drives me crazy, lol!
graphite, although not one specific pencil, but a type, with a recent favorite being a thin-barreled, cheap BIC brand mechanical pencil. i love them for an initial sketch, before usually finishing with an aquarelle. neither gets much use these days though. i did sketch a portrait in may and one a few days ago. the postcard was shared on creativity matters.
and squash as i think not a day goes by that i don’t lose my phone or my glasses or the coffee cup i just had in my hand. three weeks ago i was readying for an event, running behind , and my 94 year old mom called. we spoke, then i put the phone in my back pocket - which i never, ever, do - and voila! it was lost for hours.
i used ‘find my phone’ five times - before and after the event and everywhere i looked it rang as if it was the place it was lost to; the pile of clean clothes on the sofa, the depths of the recliner… always so close, but never ‘there’ when i looked.
Oh, Kathi. That is a funny story about the lost phone! I was happy to see the postcard you shared. I know your recipient will be thrilled to receive it.
This arrives at a time when I am interested in establishing a new habit, a new "practice," as it were, so I've been thinking about why that's often so hard to do. One would think that a good routine would be attractive, would be interpreted by the stubborn mind as a way toward ease. Instead, resistance! I particularly appreciated your thoughts on creative friction and how we don't have to martyr ourselves to make something meaningful. There is, I notice, an uncanny interest in underdog stories. Or maybe not so uncanny, since what we all want to believe is that we, too, can rise above whatever it is holding us back.
I want to believe your pencil has just taken a little sabbatical, that it's not lost, just laying low for a little while. I want to believe you won't run out of butter, because that would be terrible. Butter is essential in my world. I want to know more about the person who put that mask in their car. Butternut, yes. So much butternut!
Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate your comment. It's interesting that the underdog element stood out. I totally agree. I removed a whole section, in fact, about how stories of creative struggle (a la the tortured artist) are so often romanticized. I wish you luck with the new habit. There are certainly lots of ways to really help yourself with building and reinforcing a habit. Tracking, accountability, and stacking (a la Atomic Habits) are really good things to consider. -- And I agree about that mask in that Uber. It certainly startled me when I looked up!
Some years ago, I spent a whole week with a course designed to help instill a new habit. It was a combination of the tapping and stacking methods and, to be honest, it irritated the @#$! out of me. For me, the behavior I'm hoping to habitualize has to reveal its gifts. I can often build some kind of accountability for a month. After that, if the practice isn't bringing me what I hoped it would, all bets are off. 😂 Fortunately, I've not needed to untether myself from any particularly strong addictions. And in these instances, I'm looking to add what I think are beneficial habits, not necessarily to replace something bad.
Curious what you are adding. Maybe it will reveal itself in some essay or another. I tend to be self-directed.... so I pick up habits easily -- as long as they are things I want or find fulfilling. (It doesn't mean there aren't things I should be doing that I'm not, of course.) Wishing you good luck with the new habit. Have you found the right "time" for it? That tends to be important - but then most of my days follow a pretty standard pattern. That's not true for everyone.
My daughter gave my husband a dozen Japanese Blackwing Palomino pencils. I cannot believe how wonderful they are.. They are just soft enough. They never smudge. Even the erasers work really well. I write mainly with fountain pens, but I really love these pencils, too.
Frictionless creativity, yes!! I love that. Easily slipping into a creative activity, that is a wonderful thing. Something for me to think about… what makes it easy and what creates resistance. Habit, a routine, an ongoing project, inspiring prompts to start with… those are part of frictionless creativity. Thank you for those things you have always shared and encouraged in your various online creative spaces.
And graphite, still loving my Blackwing 602. Half the pressure, twice the speed! 😁(I think I saw one in a recent picture you shared?) But I do love to mix it up, as long as I have my old standby nib and pencils there too.
Thanks, Erin. It amazes me that some of you have stuck around for years, truly. I am very grateful for that. I appreciate you reading and commenting. You did see a Blackwing 602 in some of those photos. I was gifted a trio (I think that's a sampler pack) a while back. They are very nice. I haven't been intentional enough to really sort out my preferences even. I tend to draw with a mechanical pencil -- but with my favorite one missing, I'm using whatever's handy. Lol.
I wish I had discovered you and your work years earlier! And also, continuing to stick around for wherever you go from here!
Speaking of mechanical pencils, I have been using the “disposable” BIC mechanical pencils in .7 mm for drawing some. I ordered them for my husband for work, and use them for lists and stuff, but I find they have a nice consistent, soft line that I also enjoy for drawing. Hope you find your favorite one soon though!
Lots to ruminate on here. Tribolgy is a great word. Does flossing count as tribology? Graphite and galaxy. I love my Blackwing (suggested by Lyza). I had a very favorite mechanical pencil for years, dropped it and it broke. Couldn’t find the same one, bought a Staedtler as it was available and it is now my new favorite.
Thinking of the necessity of both friction and the lessening of friction and ease. The line between routine and rut. Thank you for a very thought provoking set of headings, clues and signposts. And the picture of the mask in the Uber is definitely arresting.
Thanks, Catherine, and yes to the flossing! I found the science fascinating here -- and the ways in which it connects and informs and provides metaphor. A number of Blackwing users in the comments. I tend to go for a mechanical, but I have enjoyed trying Blackwing.
Thank you for reading and seeing the line between the friction and the frictionless.
I once read somewhere that the poet William Carlos Williams, who was a practicing pediatrician, had a typewriter that he'd pull out from a drawer in his desk, and that he'd write in between seeing patients. I don't know if it's true, but I always found it inspiring. My life happens. I go food shopping, work at my job, run errands, see doctors, make dinner, socialize (or not). Sometimes the writing comes easily amidst it all, frictionless. Sometimes it feels like an existential struggle. Same set of circumstances. For me, friction is mostly internally generated. The wonderful thing about that is that's where I can look to make changes, too.
Williams is so interesting. One in a series of books for children is the story of his life, and it was such a wonderful read. You are right, of course, there are times where things may be harder than others, which is different from making things simply ready and waiting. But I do think as a culture, we value the idea of the struggle... so much so that talking about the struggle is often the story. I removed my whole section on this, which is funny since it is what the writers here noticed. Agreeing with your example - and acknowledging that, as with most things, it is less straightforward than it might seem, as is the case with friction being both a plus and a minus.
Totally agree. Maybe it’s an American thing? You know, like the value of pulling oneself by the bootstraps kind of thing. Or the romantic idea of a starving artist. No pain, no gain. Etcetera…
"Creative habit does not have to be a struggle to be valid and meaningful." Love that. I always thought there had to be struggle to give the creative habit/process meaning, importance. I used it as an excuse to not even get started. I'm glad I've lost that judgment. I jump in with a thought to play, even when writing something weighty, serious. Play, curiosity, gaining knowledge. Those three ideas inspire me to be less afraid to fail. It's been a great shift of mind for me.
Thanks for commenting, Nan. I think the struggle is often romanticized. I'm glad you are working beyond that and with a playful approach. That's a good way to get work done and keep perspective.
Graphite! I feel you! I have been using the same mechanical pencil (it was one of my kid's before it became mine) for at least 5 years! I am attached to this pencil - it is my comfort pencil 😍
Yay for the comfort pencil! Thanks for reading, Melissa.
Galaxy, graphite, squash, and butternut. I have a favorite (kind of) pen and pencil, cup, silverware, bowl, paint brand, sketchbook, fork, spoon, pants, sweater, nightgown ... the list goes on. And no one had better borrow my pen! It drives me crazy, lol!
It is good to have favorites! Thank you for reading and commenting.
graphite, although not one specific pencil, but a type, with a recent favorite being a thin-barreled, cheap BIC brand mechanical pencil. i love them for an initial sketch, before usually finishing with an aquarelle. neither gets much use these days though. i did sketch a portrait in may and one a few days ago. the postcard was shared on creativity matters.
and squash as i think not a day goes by that i don’t lose my phone or my glasses or the coffee cup i just had in my hand. three weeks ago i was readying for an event, running behind , and my 94 year old mom called. we spoke, then i put the phone in my back pocket - which i never, ever, do - and voila! it was lost for hours.
i used ‘find my phone’ five times - before and after the event and everywhere i looked it rang as if it was the place it was lost to; the pile of clean clothes on the sofa, the depths of the recliner… always so close, but never ‘there’ when i looked.
finally, i sat down.
Oh, Kathi. That is a funny story about the lost phone! I was happy to see the postcard you shared. I know your recipient will be thrilled to receive it.
This arrives at a time when I am interested in establishing a new habit, a new "practice," as it were, so I've been thinking about why that's often so hard to do. One would think that a good routine would be attractive, would be interpreted by the stubborn mind as a way toward ease. Instead, resistance! I particularly appreciated your thoughts on creative friction and how we don't have to martyr ourselves to make something meaningful. There is, I notice, an uncanny interest in underdog stories. Or maybe not so uncanny, since what we all want to believe is that we, too, can rise above whatever it is holding us back.
I want to believe your pencil has just taken a little sabbatical, that it's not lost, just laying low for a little while. I want to believe you won't run out of butter, because that would be terrible. Butter is essential in my world. I want to know more about the person who put that mask in their car. Butternut, yes. So much butternut!
Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate your comment. It's interesting that the underdog element stood out. I totally agree. I removed a whole section, in fact, about how stories of creative struggle (a la the tortured artist) are so often romanticized. I wish you luck with the new habit. There are certainly lots of ways to really help yourself with building and reinforcing a habit. Tracking, accountability, and stacking (a la Atomic Habits) are really good things to consider. -- And I agree about that mask in that Uber. It certainly startled me when I looked up!
Some years ago, I spent a whole week with a course designed to help instill a new habit. It was a combination of the tapping and stacking methods and, to be honest, it irritated the @#$! out of me. For me, the behavior I'm hoping to habitualize has to reveal its gifts. I can often build some kind of accountability for a month. After that, if the practice isn't bringing me what I hoped it would, all bets are off. 😂 Fortunately, I've not needed to untether myself from any particularly strong addictions. And in these instances, I'm looking to add what I think are beneficial habits, not necessarily to replace something bad.
Curious what you are adding. Maybe it will reveal itself in some essay or another. I tend to be self-directed.... so I pick up habits easily -- as long as they are things I want or find fulfilling. (It doesn't mean there aren't things I should be doing that I'm not, of course.) Wishing you good luck with the new habit. Have you found the right "time" for it? That tends to be important - but then most of my days follow a pretty standard pattern. That's not true for everyone.
My daughter gave my husband a dozen Japanese Blackwing Palomino pencils. I cannot believe how wonderful they are.. They are just soft enough. They never smudge. Even the erasers work really well. I write mainly with fountain pens, but I really love these pencils, too.
Thanks for reading, Fran. Blackwing pencils are special indeed!
Frictionless creativity, yes!! I love that. Easily slipping into a creative activity, that is a wonderful thing. Something for me to think about… what makes it easy and what creates resistance. Habit, a routine, an ongoing project, inspiring prompts to start with… those are part of frictionless creativity. Thank you for those things you have always shared and encouraged in your various online creative spaces.
And graphite, still loving my Blackwing 602. Half the pressure, twice the speed! 😁(I think I saw one in a recent picture you shared?) But I do love to mix it up, as long as I have my old standby nib and pencils there too.
Thanks, Erin. It amazes me that some of you have stuck around for years, truly. I am very grateful for that. I appreciate you reading and commenting. You did see a Blackwing 602 in some of those photos. I was gifted a trio (I think that's a sampler pack) a while back. They are very nice. I haven't been intentional enough to really sort out my preferences even. I tend to draw with a mechanical pencil -- but with my favorite one missing, I'm using whatever's handy. Lol.
I wish I had discovered you and your work years earlier! And also, continuing to stick around for wherever you go from here!
Speaking of mechanical pencils, I have been using the “disposable” BIC mechanical pencils in .7 mm for drawing some. I ordered them for my husband for work, and use them for lists and stuff, but I find they have a nice consistent, soft line that I also enjoy for drawing. Hope you find your favorite one soon though!
Lots to ruminate on here. Tribolgy is a great word. Does flossing count as tribology? Graphite and galaxy. I love my Blackwing (suggested by Lyza). I had a very favorite mechanical pencil for years, dropped it and it broke. Couldn’t find the same one, bought a Staedtler as it was available and it is now my new favorite.
Thinking of the necessity of both friction and the lessening of friction and ease. The line between routine and rut. Thank you for a very thought provoking set of headings, clues and signposts. And the picture of the mask in the Uber is definitely arresting.
Thanks, Catherine, and yes to the flossing! I found the science fascinating here -- and the ways in which it connects and informs and provides metaphor. A number of Blackwing users in the comments. I tend to go for a mechanical, but I have enjoyed trying Blackwing.
Thank you for reading and seeing the line between the friction and the frictionless.
I once read somewhere that the poet William Carlos Williams, who was a practicing pediatrician, had a typewriter that he'd pull out from a drawer in his desk, and that he'd write in between seeing patients. I don't know if it's true, but I always found it inspiring. My life happens. I go food shopping, work at my job, run errands, see doctors, make dinner, socialize (or not). Sometimes the writing comes easily amidst it all, frictionless. Sometimes it feels like an existential struggle. Same set of circumstances. For me, friction is mostly internally generated. The wonderful thing about that is that's where I can look to make changes, too.
Williams is so interesting. One in a series of books for children is the story of his life, and it was such a wonderful read. You are right, of course, there are times where things may be harder than others, which is different from making things simply ready and waiting. But I do think as a culture, we value the idea of the struggle... so much so that talking about the struggle is often the story. I removed my whole section on this, which is funny since it is what the writers here noticed. Agreeing with your example - and acknowledging that, as with most things, it is less straightforward than it might seem, as is the case with friction being both a plus and a minus.
Totally agree. Maybe it’s an American thing? You know, like the value of pulling oneself by the bootstraps kind of thing. Or the romantic idea of a starving artist. No pain, no gain. Etcetera…