Keep Writing #153--Make Rules, Break Rules

We know social media is a distortion of our actual lives—our day to day is much messier, more nuanced and more complicated than we can post about.

I post about daily practices as part of a belief that creative practice takes practice, that it in in the small things we do everyday, in and out of the “studio” (especially when the “studio” is our kitchen table or lap.)

I post about daily practices because it is what I strive for. I try to clean my studio when I arrive. I try to read a poem every morning while my tea brews. I have a list of exercises to help my brain recover—I try to implement them as part of my daily routine. The idea of a routine is that we aren’t struggling to find time and feeling guilty but instead making space for the things that help us feel grounded daily. My routine changes as needed. I adjust, adding new exercises, removing things that cause unnecessary stress.

Keep Writing number 153 sent January 2022. inside and out

When I designed Keep Writing number 153, I was thinking about creative practice—what things do I want to bring to my studio when I work. I thought about the way people can get so bogged down in rules and perfection that they forget to have fun creating, they forget that their work is for them, first. I thought of Sister Cortita Kent’s Rules for the art school at Immaculate Heart. I thought about the desire to break the rules, and how a change in routine is refreshing.

So I asked what is your rule number one—for now. And don’t forget the last rule—to re-write the rules tomorrow.

broadside by FItzgerald Letterpress

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