Quiet Time

When things get out of control in our lives it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The emotions feed our negativity, we start telling ourselves lies about our talents. The thing is a creative person truly needs to have leather skin and not take things so personally. Unfortunately we are probably the most sensitive people on the earth.

We will hear the word, "NO" more often than we hear anything positive about our art. We have to understand you will receive a thousand no's, but it only take the one "YES" to make our dreams come true. Hang in there for that yes, because it makes all the hard work worth it and more.

In the mean time you have to allow yourself quiet time to refuel and rejuvenate. You need time for prayer or meditation whatever method you use to get to your happy place. On any given day we can be pulled in a million different directions and forced to put our energy into things that do not necessarily feed our creative self. It can cause turmoil and battles within our spirit. Sometimes succumbing to the fight can feed us to the

Photo taken by Christina Griffin

point we're able to find solace in a new song or a painting, whatever your medium may be. It is cathartic to say the least. Make your anxiety work for you, tap into those emotions to express your deepest sentiments.

It is the nature of the business and you have to work feverishly and relentlessly in order to reach the level of success you have set for yourself. I'll be the first to tell you the harder you work the luckier one becomes. But do not lose sight of the prize. Have you ever been so tired you get writer's block or you go days sometimes months with no motivation for anything? This is a common result to endless work and no play. It affects our ability to soar to the levels it takes to create our art.

Check yourself by the production of your craft. When I'm rested and energized I can write a song a day and sometimes more than one. But the more exhausted I become the more time passes between my creative productivity. My creativity is how I function it is everything I am, it is how I breathe. When the flow stops, so do I.  I fall into a depression and it offsets my entire being and balance.

I love to travel to get perspective and rejuvenation, or go for walks, sometimes a simple drive to the library for a change of scenery is enough to put me right again. You'd be surprise how busy one can be and then at the end of the day you have not one thing to show for your efforts. Whatever works for you do it, and do it often we all need to learn how to stop and smell the roses. We all need unapologetic space from the outside world. If you are surrounded by others that do not approve of your solace, then those people are toxic and must be removed from your life. Every one needs down time and you would be amazed at the difference it will make.

So, having said that, Happy Friday everyone, no better time than the present to put it to practice. Enjoy your weekend. Curl up with a good book, spend some alone time or enjoy the family, no matter what you decide to do, make sure it is relaxing and give yourself that time to recoup.