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Hey there, Reader!
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Welcome to this week's party. I almost didn't make it, but I'm glad I did because you're here!

Have you ever been invited to a party (or worse yet, invite people to a party) that you thought you wanted to attend, but the day of, you hope it's canceled because you just want to change into your sweats, order takeout, and settle in to binge Angie Tribeca?

But you go (or host) anyway. And you're surrounded by your friends, and you realize that community is just what you need to feel refreshed.

Just me? Probably not.

Creativity works the same way.

The past couple of weeks have been draining: client upheaval, sick kids, prepping to fly to Missouri to see family, and school activities. It's been tough to fit in creative time.

But on an incredibly frustrating day, my sweet 14-year-old surprised me with new watercolor paints and invited me to paint with her. Folks, we sat at the dining room table painting and chatting the whole evening.

In that time, our painting party grew from two to five. The whole family joined.

There was no tech (except Taylor Swift and Mitski playing from the kiddo's speaker), no refreshing of email, and no sneaking onto LinkedIn to check for that message I was waiting on. Just the mindful mixing of colors, brushing shingles onto a roof, and catching up with my favorite people.
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It was everything I needed.

Maybe it's what you need, too.

So, here's my favorite suggestion of the week. Put some art supplies out where you can see them, and call up your favorite people to join you. It's an invitation to a few minutes of creative community.

Imagine with me. You're watching a webinar. And one of the experts is broadcasting from a park bench in New York City. One minute, she's talking; the next, there's a kerfuffle. The camera is pointing every which way. Then, it goes black.

What happened to the speaker? Dumbfounded attendees are on the case. Was she kidnapped? Did she pass out? Murdered? What do we do?

Later, the expert signs back in with a different phone to report her phone was snatched by a bike messenger — in the middle of a webinar. Who does that even happen to?
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It happens to our guest, Ashley R. Cummings, a freelancer who rolls with the punches.

Ashley R. Cummings vs Creative Block

Why/how are you busy?

I'm a mom of two kids and one dog. We're currently on a slow travel/world school journey. We just got back from Greece and are now in Mexico. Professionally, I run a freelance content marketing business, the Content Connect newsletter, and dabble in travel content.

What’s a favorite quick tip/activity for a creative burst?

My favorite way to boost creativity is to take some time off, get some rest, take a walk, and delve into anything that makes me happy (books, nature, art, etc.). Creativity is a muscle. And like a muscle, you have to exercise it, but also let it recover.

Would you please tell the folks about a time you were creatively stuck and how you pushed through to get your creativity pumping again?

I was massively burnt out at the height of the pandemic. So, I did what any normal person would do: uprooted my life and moved to Puerto Rico. :) I wrote about it here. While moving to shake things up was part of my strategy for getting back into a creative space, the real solution was in organizing my business and processes and setting better boundaries.

Want to hear more from Ashley? You can follow her on Twitter or sign up for her newsletter.

A few bits from me:

Creative quick tip: Yesterday was Haikusday. It's a little something I started when I was teaching. I wanted to stretch students' creative thinking by adding constraints, but I couldn't give up much class time for it. A haiku is a type of Japanese poem that always uses the same number of syllables in a three-line format: Line 1: 5 syllables Line 2: 7 syllables Line 3: 5 syllables They're often about nature, but I like to make mine about funny mundane things. Two coughing kiddos. Send help, or at least coffee. Mucous is so gross. ​ Want to try? Here's the challenge: Write a haiku every Tuesday. Don't take yourself too seriously. Use it as a quick journal entry. ​

Fun find: This week's fun find is brought to you by Vitamin D. That's right. It's none other than the sun: a bright burning ball of gas that I hadn't seen in ages. New England has been so cloudy that I hadn't realized how much I missed it. When the sun appeared, I knew I had to take advantage while it was still there, so I went for a quick hike. ​

My creative work: I am still working my way through The Artist's Way, and I am still not able to make enough time to journal a full three pages each day or go on artist's dates. ​ Can't 1.5 pages count if you have small handwriting? ​ My daughter gifted me some watercolor supplies, which motivated me to finally finish my family's holiday gifts (paintings of their homes' exteriors). 😬 ​

P.S. Want to support creative research and this newsletter? ​ I've crafted blog posts, case studies, and email sequences for LEGO Education, GaggleAMP, Veeqo, Omniscient Digital, Hopin, OpenPhone, and Sprout Social. ​ How can I lighten the load for you and your team? Hit reply or contact me here.

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