I came across this quote from artist & author Julia Cameron and it struck a chord with me. She wrote . . .
“As writers, care and maintenance of our writing muscles are necessary for our writing stamina. This means that we must take the time and attention necessary to fill the well instead of drawing on it unrelentingly and without consciousness of our inner limits.”
“While this may sound difficult . . . ” she continued. “the payoff in terms of our writing lives is enormous. Even the smallest amount of self-nurturance will have an immediate and beneficial impact on our writing. A regular and gentle program of self-care will result in a level of ease and authority in our writing that is often astounding.”
Ms. Cameron’s musings were thought-provoking to me. What do I do to nurture myself and my writing muscles? Here are a few things that came to mind:
1. While living on Kauai, getting up from my computer and heading for a walk on the beach – or just sitting on the beach, breathing, watching & listening to the ocean.
2. Treating myself to a soothing massage.
3. Spending an evening socializing & laughing with friends.
4. When I had a dog (my beautiful golden, Ike), playing fetch or going for a swim with him always nurtured my soul.
5. Yoga . . . dancing . . . meditating . . . listening to uplifting music.
Any of these things take me outside my “writing self” for a while, clearing any cobwebs and, as Ms. Cameron wrote “filling the well” – opening up the possibility for new ideas to blossom.
Whether you’re blogging, writing your own marketing materials or hiring a copywriter to write them for you, self-nurturance is still important to us all.
What are you doing to nurture not only your writing muscles, but your self? Share your thoughts in the comment box below. I’d love to hear from you.
