10/ 07/ 2015
I’ve written a couple times about this awesome book I received from a friend called 642 Things to Write About. It’s one of my favorite things. Whenever I get a little bored, it’s the perfect distraction. Or if I need a little creative push, it’s a real game changer. I stumbled upon this prompt today and wanted to share my response with you:
Things you should throw away but can’t
“My skinny jeans from college. I don’t know why I keep them, they will not fit me again, but there they sit, buried in a box under my bed. I’m generally quite good at getting rid of things I don’t use, but those jeans aren’t just sticking around as a motivation for weight loss. I lived and loved in those jeans. They were with me at my first party, many a football games and nights out with my close friends. They’re a time capsule, something to hold when I want to go back.”
What can’t you throw away?
Happy weekend, Jaime, and congrats on your recent promotion. I also work in an office, and honestly, I find it totally mind- and soul-numbing—just useless meetings, tons of paperwork, incompetent coworkers, and an endless commute. Not at all how I envisioned spending my life. Like you, I have always wanted to write professionally. When I took this job a year ago, I promised myself I’d devote weekends to my literary pursuits, but I’m always so exhausted all I want to do is sleep & binge-watch Netflix. I’m wondering if you are experiencing any of the same issues, and if so, how do you manage to cope with them? Any advice as to how I can get back on track creatively? I tried a similar prompt book after you mentioned it a whlle back, but it didn’t seem to help me get motivated. I have tons of ideas, just can’t seem to get them organized on paper.
Hi Emily–thank you for sharing! For me, it took finding an office that did creatively energize me. I freelanced for a while when I first moved to NYC and I got to test out different work environments and positions. I found this investigation helpful. I’m with an arts nonprofit now and love that I get to work on behalf of artists all day. It’s incredibly motivating for my creative life. I also block out times for writing and relaxing (I too love my Netflix!). Yes, it’s hard to stay disciplined and sometimes I don’t want to write. But I find that once I pick up the pen and paper, even if it ends up being just a few sentences, I’m still exercising that creative part of me. Finally, exercising consistently has helped me too. I can work off the office stress and have more time to focus on my creative life.