This past weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico, writers from around the world gathered for a retreat called “A Writing Room”. Ann Lamott, Julia Cameron, SARK, Ryan Spear and Amie McNee were among the speakers slated to inspire those in attendance so it’s not surprising that hundreds of creatives attended either in-person or online via livestream. I attended the event using the Livestream link purchased in advance because I’m only seven weeks postpartum and not even close to ready for that kind of travel. Over the course of the weekend I learned and implemented many new practices and made numerous breakthroughs for my creative work.
Allow me to process some breakthroughs with you…
1. No One Else is Thinking About You
One of the most self-limiting beliefs that Creatives have is that others will judge us based on our work. We allow perceived criticisms to keep us from our full potential and we put our creativity in a box because we fear how the new or different may impact our reputations as individuals or as artists. In defense of our creativity we must recognize that we are a self-absorbed human race. We fret over how others receive us all the while those same people are thinking the same about themselves. There isn’t enough time for these imagined critics to judge us while also worrying about how they are perceived. We waste so many great ideas on these fears that simply are not true. Ann Lamott reminded all of us this weekend that no one else is thinking about you (at least as much as you think that they are) so stop letting them get in your way and create freely.
2. Know Your Roles, Rights, Responsibilities, and Desired Outcomes
Many sessions required us to name our goals and obstacles, but the practice I most enjoyed was led by Ryan Spear, a coach for mental resilience. In his session we listed out some of our roles, rights, responsibilities, and desired outcomes. Mine are below.
3. Give Your Muse an Identity and Make Plans With It
Any artist will tell you that there is bliss in getting into the creative flow and much of the creative lifestyle is spent chasing the high that the flow initiates. Many artists also name their creative inspiration their Muse. SARK would tell you to go a step further in naming this muse and making dates with them. I now have an outstanding morning coffee date with mine and we meet on my Morning Pages. My muse doesn’t have a name yet–I’m open to suggestions.
4. Essential Tools For Creatives
Julia Cameron is the most inspirational human to unlocking my identity as a writer. The Artist Way has impacted my life and changed me in ways I could never count. In her talk she gave a list and description of the Essential Tools: Morning Pages, Artist Dates, Walking, and Guidance. These are all outlined in The Artist Way, a book I recommend every chance that I get.
5. Stop Waiting on Permission From Others
Amie McNee led a profoundly authentic talk centered on the idea of giving ourselves permission to accomplish our dreams. One way this has impacted her life was that she got sick of rejections and waiting on business professionals to validate her work. Instead she decided to self-publish her books, and they have been successful and found their readers. This inspired me because my journey is similar. I got so tired of querying agents and then receiving half-ass rejection or radio silence. The process for traditional publishing is nearly impossible for new authors to get noticed and is dying a slow death to on-demand publication. I decided to self-publish my first book last year–and then found out weeks later about my pregnancy. This talk inspired me to return to that project and rekindled my confidence to take control of the process myself.
These are just some of the breakthroughs I made this weekend. I was inspired to grow, write confidently, and to expand my career as a writer. There will be more to come from me and future works will undoubtedly stem from breakthroughs this weekend. I am so grateful to my husband for giving me the space to attend this conference at my desk. This meant a lot of solo parenting and adventures on his own with our kids for a few days. It means so much that he values what I do as a writer.
There are many projects in the works for me and I want to make sure that you are along for this journey. Please consider joining the FREE subscription where you will receive updates, exclusive offers, and inspiration for your own journey. My first newsletter since my postpartum relaunch will be heading out this weekend to subscribers and I would hate for you to miss it.
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 