Creative Wholeness
All that I share here at The JourneyPen Project can be used to pursue creative wholeness, and though I’ve been referencing that term a lot, I completely forgot that people may not have any idea what I mean.
That makes it a prime candidate for the Shelbish Glossary.
Keep in mind that in this same glossary, I define creativity as “the practice of making meaning.”
“Creative Wholeness” is the practice of tending to the individual maker as well as making meaning. In other words, you don’t leave any part of yourself behind as you create.
What does “creative wholeness” mean for me?
Each person must answer that question for themselves, and unless you have spent some thinking about this, you may feel a little creatively fractured—and possibly more than a little confused.
So, keep in mind that I’m going to share a little of what “creative wholeness” means for me, but it’s a vast topic—and unique to each individual, including you.
You can pursue any practice in a way that takes from your life or in a way that enhances your life.
You can find a way to create in a way that helps you be whole, and you can choose to follow it every day.
If you’ve been here for a while, you’ve seen me discuss this in at least a hundred ways. But here are some ways I purposely pursue creative wholeness.
Most people think about their creative process when they’re making something, but not many stop to consider what the hidden roots of their creative projects are. Even fewer make an effort to nourish these creative roots in the midst of their making. I fall into the category of someone trying to retrain herself to tend her creative roots alongside her process.
Instead of pushing aside my messy emotions in my creative process, I consider the emotional investment of my project. In the process, I often discover an emotional entry point into what I’m making so that the process of making it also helps me integrate one of my own recent experiences.
I invest time in order to understand and shape the story I’m living as well as the story I’m writing.
Rather than pursuing only my goals relentlessly, which I have definitely done in the past, I also take time to renew my capacity.
I remind myself (and my readers) that I come from a long line of creative humans, some in my family and some in my literary lineage, and I take comfort in my relationship with these creative elders.
Part of creative wholeness is making in all the ways that you feel called. This includes alternating between:
Joy and Grief: For example, when I’m going through something sad (whether it’s a fictional scene or something in my life), I also make an effort to make something silly.
Words and Hands: As much as I make with my words, I also often need to make with my hands. So, I knit, cook, make jewelry, etc.
Slow and Fast: I get antsy if I don’t finish anything for a while, and writing a novel can often take years. However, taking a picture can take just a moment. I enjoy both in my life.
Making for others and making for me: I share quite a bit of my writing, whether here or through my novels, but I have also always needed to have somewhere to write that’s just for me - like my journal.
Text and speech: When I first started The JourneyPen Project, I was using a good portion of my writing capacity to write essays on writing and creativity. I wanted to re-invest some of that writing capacity in my fiction, but I still had a lot to say about writing and creativity. So, I decided to say it on video. Even though I’m definitely not as polished and practiced as a speaker as I am a writer, I communicate the same information, and talking about writing balances me out.
Inside and Outside: While writing the Ever Afters, I joked a lot about my writing cave, which was my first official home office in a windowless basement. After realizing how much time I spent outside during that period, I’ve started making an effort to write outside much more: taking a notebook out onto the hiking trails, drafting on my phone while at a beach, reading outloud a close-to-final draft in a park, etc. Eventually, I need to return to my computer inside, but I don’t spend all my time at my desk anymore.
Explore Further.
You can learn more about Hidden Roots (a.k.a. Creative Roots), i.e. what a creation might need beyond just your creative process.
If you’re feeling disconnected from your fiction or another creative project, you can take a moment to consider your Emotional Entry Point.
If you’re feeling overloaded, you may want to take an inventory of everything in your life that requires an Emotional Investment.
Like the characters we write about, people too are stories that haven’t finished yet, and by re-examining our lives, we can make foundation of unshakeable meaning to walk through the world with. To learn to investigate and shape the story you’re living alongside the story you’re writing, I’ve created a craft offering on character development called People Are Stories-in-Progress.
If you’re feeling frayed at the edges, you may need to integrate.
If you’re just feeling burnt out in general, I’ve written a lot about Renewing Capacity.
If you want to read about some of the ways I explore creativity outside of my usual projects, you can take a look at: