100 posts and how to embrace a creative life

THIS IS MY 100TH BLOG POST!! 100!! Can you believe it? I don’t think I can, but I decided it was definitely something to celebrate with a special post. I’m also just shy of my two year anniversary of launching The Artful Everyday, which will be on July 6th. So I decided to plan a really cool giveaway to mark that (working with my friend Taylor, the artist behind BRUSHSTROKZ and someone who has supported me since the beginning). Look out for the details on Instagram in a couple weeks!

When I hit the two year mark next month, I’ll also talk more about why I started this blog, and what the future looks like. I’m already so grateful for what the past two years has brought me, aside from just a creative outlet to channel life through. It seemed fitting to write more on this post about how I embrace a creative life. It’s actually a post request from my friend Kailee who I met while in Rome and who also has a beautiful blog, so I’m happy to share my thoughts now! 

Before I do, I thought I’d list my top ten favorite blog posts so far, to mark the occasion:

VERONA: CITY OF LOVE AND SO MUCH MORE

ESCAPE THE ORDINARY

SECRET SIDE OF VENICE

LABELS

PARIS AT GOLDEN HOUR, FROM ABOVE

BEYOND POPULAR PRAGUE, A CITY OF CONTRADICTIONS

LEAVE YOURSELF BEHIND, PART I AND PART II

WHERE TO EAT IN FLORENCE

OVERSEAS DISCOVERIES: I LIVE HERE

A PERFECT DAY IN PISA

So…how to live a creative life? Being creative can take on a lot of different meanings, and I think people who consider themselves “creative” usually already incorporate it into their daily lives. If you’re intentional about it, creativity can be channeled into making the world better, and more beautiful. When you do what you’re best at, and what you’re meant to do in life, you will be successful and happy. I wrote more about this in my post, escaping expectations, where I quoted Bianca Sparacino:

It is quite simple. When it comes to anything in life–relationships, friendships, the work you do, the art you make–when it comes to anything, if it does not create an avalanche within your chest, if it does not move you, and inspire you, if it does not come from the deepest part of who you are, it is not for you. It is not for you.

I just finished week seven of The Artist’s Way and I can already tell a difference in the way I think and have ideas. If you aren’t familiar with it, The Artist’s Way is described as “a spiritual path to higher creativity” and I can already tell it’s going to be life changing for me, like so many others. Thank you to my friend Taylor for the gift!

It’s like I’m harnessing my creativity, my productivity, and my life in general and finding myself closer and closer to my core truth. Leaving behind lies and labels and preconceived notions and getting to know the real me, and the me I want to be in the future. Some weeks are better than others, of course, but as with any process (this one is twelve weeks) you just have to stick with it and trust that it’s working. The big changes I’ve noticed are that I’ve been writing a lot more. Poems or works of fiction that just flow out of me out of nowhere, usually around midnight (I’m a night owl). 

A lot of people who know me have commented on my creativity, or asked how I can be so creative. It’s not like I’m churning out all of this crazy abstract art, or walking around making obscure observations about life, but rather I view myself as an artist and I think others can see this quality in me. Creativity is natural and I am constantly feeling an urge to create, usually in writing or drawing or painting, but other forms emerge from time to time. When I’m at my lowest low, the thought of creating something is almost always the only thing that will light a spark in me. In 2019 I wrote this definition of an artist, for myself: 

an artist is someone who observes and deciphers the world around them and then creates their own interpretations of it. 

I think for me, I have always viewed writing and later making art as exactly this, a way to decipher, interpret, process the world around me. I’ve always been obsessed with history and keeping track of my own life and timelines. As an avid observer, recording details of life felt natural to understanding everything. 

But creativity is not only about how we channel thoughts through ourselves and into the world, it’s also how we live our lives. Friendships should inspire and not drain you, rituals such as having your morning coffee or winding down at night should allow your mind to think, being intentional about how you spend your time. Creativity is so much more than just drawing with fancy markers or being a painter, it’s the way in which you approach life that gives you the most freedom and satisfaction. Most opportunities in life allow a creative response, all you have to do is have the courage to be vulnerable and expressive with your ideas and your time. And like Julia Cameron wrote in The Artist’s Way, 

Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our divinity.

I hope this gave you an idea of how to embrace a creative life. Once I finish The Artist’s Way in a couple weeks, I plan on writing a post detailing how the experience went.