Develop a taste for problems - On never reaching the trouble-free phase (day fourteen)

Please feel free to share any thoughts/reflections on the first two weeks.
I have enjoyed the many online and offline conversations that have resulted from these posts.
Feel free to drop me a note at lauralentzflute@gmail.com if you prefer a less public interaction (the introvert in me shies away from making public comments, so I get it!)

Photo: Climbing Cascade Mountain (one of the 46 peaks in the Adirondacks) a few weeks ago.

Three hours - On finding focus in the chaos (day thirteen)

Do you do creative work on a daily or dailyish basis? What amount of time works for you, usually? Is there a certain time of day or are there other required things you need in order to do your work? What are they?

Rules that serve life - On doing things dailyish (day twelve)

What do you think about doing a habit “dailyish?”

Just go to the shed - On befriending what you fear (day eleven)

What’s your shed or gnawing rat?
What can you do to make progress on it?

Look for the life task - On what reality wants (day ten)

What’s your current life task?

Photo: one of my modal flute duets I’ve written this summer

Finish things - On the magic of completion (day nine)

When do you feel replenished by completion, and when do you feel depleted?
What’s a small “done” action you can take on one unfinished idea today?

Decision-hunting - On choosing a path through the woods (week two, day eight)

What could you take imperfect action on today?

Let the future be the future - On crossing bridges when you come to them (day seven)

How can you be more in the moment today — to help yourself with future bridges that may come?

You can’t care about everything - On staying sane when the world’s a mess (day six)

What are the battles you’ve chosen to fight?

Too much information - On the art of reading and not reading (day five)

What do you think about the three suggestions from Burkeman?
Is there any way you relate to information that you want to alter?
Are you a fan of The Police? :)

Against productivity debt - On the power of a ‘done list’ (day four)

Are you an insecure overachiever? How do you manage it?
Do you keep a to-do list or a ‘done list?’
What makes you feel like you don’t belong?
What can you do to accept yourself fully right now?

You need only face the consequences - On paying the price (day three)

Are there decisions that you’re unsure about?
What are the trade-offs?
By examining the trade-offs, do you feel more ease in your decision-making process?

Kayaks and superyachts - On actually doing things (day two)

What’s one thing you can do right here, right now?

It’s worse than you think - On the liberation of defeat (day one)

Have you ever wrestled with perfectionism or the hesitation to begin?
What helps you get to the starting line?

The book, Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman has been an incredible inspiration and resource for me recently. While the book already has short, digestible chapters, I want to summarize his wonderful ideas really as a personal project to help me remember them - I won’t discuss the state of my slipping memory!! - as well as share some reflections. I would love any discussion from any readers, too!

Upon listening, what do you notice?
How often do you notice silence, or make space for silence?
How does experiencing silence change how you feel, or change your work as an artist?

What ways do you feel authentic/vulnerable in your work?
What ways can you welcome further authenticity/vulnerability into your practice?

What moments have sparked your belief in potential?                      
What possibilities are waiting for you to uncover?                           
How can you begin tapping into them?

Are there ways you can trust your creative process more?
What is your obvious, your “gut knowing?”
What has inspired you and led you to create something new?

How might you choose curiosity over fear today?
How could you let curiosity guide you (rather than passion)?