Here’s a little secret. When I sat down to write this, I lit candle and said two short prayers before I got started.
You know what else?
I do this every time I sit down to write. (Depending on where I am I may sans the candle.)
While doing this ritual, I choose to believe that I’m calling in my muse, my writing guides. And that if I call to them for guidance and support, they’ll answer.
I believe they’ll help me through the parts I struggle with and get to the heart of what I want to say.
It defies logic. I’m aware of that.
But we all need support and direction with any creative practice. And attempting to write something that’s interesting to read takes imagination.
I’m imagining I have help, so I’m not doing it alone.
And what will they contribute to this process?
El duende. The evocative spirit. A physical/emotional response to art. It’s what gives you chills, makes you cry or smile. The mystery that moves you.
(It makes me think of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music, art and creativity floating gently above my head. Strumming her veena to the rhythm of my writing.)
That may be a little flowery and high falutin’ – but you get the idea.
And it’s not always about asking for help to make great art every time I get started. Instead, it’s about getting at the truth of what I want to say – and what I’m feeling.
It’s about believing there’s some unseen guidance supporting me. Something nudging me to write with playfulness and to put my best effort at the heart of it.
No matter what it is.
Even if it’s client work that I loathe.
And I’ve had to write a few things that I was in tears over because they were soooo “not my thing.” (Lessons learned.)
I remember a case study for an SEO website agency who worked with small claims attorney’s to help their websites rank with Uncle Google. By draft four I was doing tapping exercises – and in tears that I was never gonna to fully understand how they did what they did for their clients.
I was miserable – and I really wanted to work with the agency that did these case studies. They had lots of different clients.
In the end, I got great feedback from the editors, but they also said they could tell it wasn’t really my thing. Literally. And my whole body relaxed when I read that.
Because that was the truth. I realized that was the best outcome for that assignment.
So it’s not always about knocking it out of the park, or making great art.
It’s also about learning to trust myself that when I feel things are off, that’s an equally important sign.
And it doesn’t mean that I’m not good enough or that it’s an excuse to beat myself up. It’s a signal to get curious about what’s off in the situation.
Most of all it’s about the belief - that against all logic – no matter how well or how poorly something turns out, I’m supported in doing my work.
Right now. Each day.
And the task at hand is all part of the process.
It’s all material to practice my craft. Life is always providing new experiences for me to write about…whether it’s for cash or micro-dosed kombucha.
And I’m supported in doing all of it – even when I’m not feeling the music.
I’m curious. What's one of your superstitions? It doesn’t have to be about writing, it can be about anything.
Send me a note because I’d love to hear.