Creativity, but not as we know it

Still reading, writing, growing - and also redefining creative practice

I’ve had a flurry of new followers, which is lovely to see. Hello! Welcome! And hello to the longstanding followers who haven’t heard from me in a while.

Read Write Grow was always meant to be a honest newsletter about creative practice, writing, and how creativity connects with personal development. These have been my obsessions for several years now, and back in 2022 I got the chance to put more energy this way when I was awarded some funding by Arts Council England.

For the past year however, I haven’t had a lot of time for my creative practice. It’s 12 months exactly since my two main jobs both got busy at the same time, and things haven’t really let up since then. It’s hard to write a Substack straightforwardly about writing when your creative energy is flowing elsewhere.

Finding the time to write

I’ve written about time as a limitation on creative practice before, and following my own kind-of-harsh logic, yes, it’s true that time isn’t really the issue. The real issue I’m having is that my paid work is taking up my time and energy and attention so much because I’m actually really enjoying it. In lots of ways it’s ticking my creative boxes so that I don’t feel such an urge to write.

It’s a nice problem to have, for sure. I’m lucky that both my current roles include working with artists across different disciplines and developing strategies to support their flourishing. I love this work and I don’t feel bad about it occupying my thoughts outside of working hours. I want everyone to have great access to great art and I want artists to be supported to work bravely and sustainably. Everything I do creatively, as a writer, a coach and facilitator, someone who does their own projects, is closely linked to this mission.

The creative life i.e. juggling multiple things! Photo by Tim Chow on Unsplash

Not every job is like this, of course. Last time I worked at an organisation whose mission I didn’t really care about on a personal level, it was much easier to write. In fact I had the most productive years of my writing life. Joining the long line of writers before me, from TS Eliot to Octavia Butler, and who did unrelated jobs to pay the bills and not take up too much brain space, affirmed for me that not only is it ok for writers and artists to have day jobs, but it’s actually extremely helpful. There is nothing like boredom to put your imagination into overdrive. But that’s not where I’m at right now.

At the moment, my creativity has a different outlet, beyond the page — more relational, more about being a part of an ecosystem, more about making the conditions to be creative with other people. I have a second draft of my novel half done, half of a poetry collection, half a collection of essays, and diving back into any of them will take more time than I can give them at the moment. I’m supporting my wellbeing with cooking, gardening, listening to music. And I’m regathering my strength after completing a ten-year project — my latest book, peel me Watcher.

The story of peel me Watcher

What this means is that Read Write Grow might have to change a bit. I can’t write about being a writer very much at the moment, because that’s not the forefront of my real life. That will change at some point, but this is the season I’m in. I’m going to have to have a broader definition of reading, writing, growing. I suspect there’ll still be books, prompts, reflections, and notes from the writing life — but also thoughts on cultural policy, sustainability, creative ecosystems, strategy, and how art shapes the ways we live.

In other words: still reading, still writing, still growing. Just in a slightly wider sense than before.