26. Creating more meaning, more often

This month on the pod, I’m going to be giving you a little creative pep talk about two things:

Why your consistent creativity matters even if you’re not publicly prolific
A practical way to reach the level of consistency that feels right for your practice

After February’s episode on managing the overwhelm of productivity culture, I wanted to dig deeper into something specific that surfaced – the creative ideal of being prolific.

How can you escape the productivity ethos but still commit to creating more meaningful work (both in the sense of making stuff that captures deep meaning, and also in the sense of making that kind of stuff more often)?

I guess if last month was me talking shit about productivity, then this month is my follow-up on how to rehabilitate an aspect of it.

Tune in for three steps to nurture a more consistent creative practice – without getting sucked into the productivity trap.

Writing praxis tips

As promised in the episode, here are some specific tips to help you apply the three steps to a more prolific practice.

Step 1: Recognize the kinds of creative loops you’re already closing regularly in your practice.

Some of these loops might be obvious, but unacknowledged. (As a personal example, I’m pretty aware that I make an episode of this pod once a month – but I rarely acknowledge and celebrate each episode as a closed loop rather than as a task in an ongoing project.)

Other regular loops might be things you do all the time without even considering them part of your creative life. Here are some examples...

cooking or baking without following a recipe
putting together an outfit that makes you feel sparkly ✨
inventing a game with a kiddo in your life
playing an rpg
interactive contemplative practices like tarot or daily prayer
noodling on an instrument you don’t play very well

Step 2: Add more small, currently doable loops into your practice.

Remember that I’m not suggesting adding projects that will expand your long-term to-do list and give you something else to feel bad about! Here’s the kind of thing I mean...

Create a running document of snippets – phrases, lines, and quick ideas that you can dip into later for inspiration. Each time you add to the document (or pull something from it), consider that a tiny closed loop.
Pick a form of creativity that’s not one of your main mediums and practice it for 15-20 minutes a week. Each session is a closed loop. (The short time limit helps keep you from focusing too much on getting good at it. Swap to a new medium if you find yourself wanting to study the current one more seriously.)
Choose a theme for the month and explore it through a small project. Whatever you have at the end of the month is a closed loop, even if it’s not a “finished” piece.

Step 3: Honor the completion of your unpublished and unposted creative loops.

I shared a few ideas for this in the episode; I’ve recapped them here, along with some new ones.

Recruit a friend to be your go-to creative witness; whenever you close an unshared loop, tell them (even if you don’t want to reveal anything about the loop).
Keep one of those sticker achievement charts; decide on something you will do after a certain number of stickers (the number can be as low as one if you want!).
Treat your unshared loops like an art collection you’re curating for yourself – by storing them in a special way, creating an ongoing catalogue of your private work, or displaying pieces in the space where you usually practice your craft. (All of these could be done digitally or analog.)
Read your work outside alone in a favorite place.
Dedicate your work to a loved one who’s not around in the physical anymore.
Offer your closed loop as a prayer or gift to a spiritual ally (or just to the animating spirit that moves you to create in the first place).

Episode references

Rachael Stephen, How to NOT f ** k up your creativity for a decade (YouTube)

Kening Zhu, botanical studies of internet magic podcast

Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew