I’ve racked up quite a list lately of evidence that my brain may be on strike. Occurrences like these made the list recently…

I couldn’t figure out that I had to adjust the magnification on a web page when the font was way too small to read. I know about magnification, yet I was bamboozled.

I went for groceries with a list and left without my coffee creamer which is pretty much why I went in the first place.

I didn’t buy taco seasoning for the tacos I bought all the other ingredients for.

Oops!

I was doing some planning for my workshop and thought I would film some “in progress” footage. Footage I got. But it is of me figuring out I messed up my first three cuts on my Cricut machine. The iron-on vinyl went in the trash.

Added yet another shirt to the “will this stain come out?” laundry pile.

Here I am trying to put together an information-packed workshop about getting creativity going and I’m struggling to function apparently. Seriously, who wants advice from a distracted chipmunk?

So here’s what I did.

I gave myself grace.

Simply put, I was nice to me. Being more creative has helped me with that. No great revelations here, but this is how that looked:

I asked my son for help with the web page. He fixed it. We both laughed at that.

I made a latte instead of using creamer. I remain caffeinated.

We had fajita seasoned “tacos” instead. Edible and filling.

My mishap reel was relatable and honest. I completed the projects on the second try.

There are incredible stain removers on the market for my soiled shirts.

And today, I’m sitting listening to the birds in the backyard. Because my brain does need a break.

I know that there was a time when I would have been extremely hard on myself for those brain blips. Would have thought I was losing it. They would have led my brain into a darker spiral.

Warning. These next words are not nice!! The voice of my inner critic would throw thoughts like these at me…

“You will never figure out technology”

“Honestly PAMELA - what happened to your memory?!”

“You’re a terrible cook”

“You’re wasting this expensive material. You’re a terrible business person.”

“You are so messy”.

“Why should you bother?”

Thankfully, I have learned how to shut that inner critic up. Most of the time. Which is not always easy, because wowzers, she’s loud!

Somehow, living a more creative life has eased the daily stress of forgetfulness, distracted oops moments, and feeling “less than” for being human. Understanding that there’s an ebb and flow of the creative process has helped me in more areas than only my business world.

Allowing space for my energy to cycle has calmed me.

I’m more focused. Less buzzing in my brain. Knowing that mistakes are inevitable and are not to be judged harshly has given me such inner freedom.

That might have you thinking, there must be more to it than that. Of the two of us, I’m probably the most surprised by these results.

Living a more creative life has had some shocking results for me.
Including, and I can’t stress this one enough, allowing me to be much, much kinder to myself. And that feels nice.

It’s taken me a bit to figure out how powerful the benefits are of having a creative practice in my life. People have been enjoying creative outlets, since, well, forever. This is not a new strategy. I’m late to the party yet here I am having a great time. If you haven’t come to the party yet, let me invite you. Take time for a creative practice and let me know what changes you see in yourself.

Hey, be nice to her…

A Mid-Year Check In