Sometimes it's not the time to create
On rest and creativity
I’ve struggled in a very literal sense to write — as in, the physical act of writing — while I figured out how to manage carpal tunnel syndrome, which is apparently a common side effect during pregnancy. I started waking up with a numb hand. Then, it would start to go to sleep after a longer drive. Writing in my journal became painful; my hand would be in tingling pain almost immediately and my handwriting (already pretty bad) would become illegible to anyone else. Typing was almost as uncomfortable, whether it was at my computer or tapping notes for my next story into my Bear app on my phone.
I talked to my doctor and did some troubleshooting. I was lucky enough to have time to rest and take care of myself, and I figured out that keeping the angsty wrist wrapped with an adjustable cloth brace seems to make everything stay aligned and lets me (mostly) go about my day as normal.
I’m trying to ease back into writing. You can see that this newsletter, which I try to send out at the beginning of the month, is a couple of weeks late. Sometimes my “writing time” is taking a walk and thinking about the characters that are occupying my brain lately, asking questions about where they come from and what they want. Sometimes it’s going down a YouTube rabbit hole to find research inspiration. I’m not at my normal “wake up at 5 a.m. and write for 2-ish hours” level of creating, and I may not be there for some time, and that’s OK.
Creativity is always there, but the output will ebb and flow as part of a larger life. While I wanted to share a concrete example with you, please know that you don’t have to be navigating a physical ailment to allow yourself time to rest. There’s nothing wrong with letting your creativity lie fallow for a time, expressed in exploring and daydreaming instead of producing. Trust that the work will be there when you can come back to it.
What’s been inspiring me lately:
Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal — This is the accessible, joy-centric guide to discovering and nurturing your creativity at work that I would have liked to have written1. I’m always happy to see pushback against hustle culture, and I can’t help feeling that having joy and fun on our side will eventually win the day.
Feel-Good Productivity guides you through finding energy for what you want to do, navigating what’s blocking you , and then sustaining healthy, happy productivity for the long-term. I enjoyed the idea of leaving space in your day for a “side quest” when you’re making that to-do list, and I also appreciated the “wheel of life” exercise that encourages a holistic approach including work and health and relationships, all as important parts of a life that are worthy of goals and milestone celebrations.
No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons — I’ve been exploring the world of picture books, and it is enchanting. This one features cats + books + a perfect ending, and while I’ve not yet been able to get Baby C’s feedback on it, I loved the expressive illustrations and the re-readable story.
in another life, perhaps, where I am not so intent on the novel as an art form.