time and energy
i'm away for a few days in the van, staying on a farm on the outskirts of oxford. it's been a good opportunity to explore the locality and spend some time reflecting, listening and thinking about what comes next (plenty). the pace has been leisurely and that has suited me and, i think, been necessary.
i've alluded in previous blogs to work (my day job) being quite consuming. speaking honestly, i think this has been driven by me as much if not more than by them. on a good day, i do really enjoy what i do and the fact there's always something to do has meant i’ve tended not to step away from it as much as i could have. i’m working to re-balance that and it definitely feels like i'm making strides in that direction. it's difficult to tell though, as my push to re-draw the work / life boundaries has come at a time of year when it's quieter anyway. i do feel though that when things ramp up again, i'll have the resilience to maintain a hard line protecting my time and headspace to do creative work.
this robust approach is backed by my recent experiences of feeling so much better when i engage in creative activity. having such a significant recent improvement in how i feel to look to makes it much easier to push back against work. even at it's most basic level, i am a happier employee when i allow time for creativity, so it's in their best interests anyway.
i've become aware recently of my need for balance between action and recharging but interestingly recharging is not doing nothing or crashing out in front of the sofa in front of the tv, it's more like, i have to do something different to put my brain in a different mode. thinking about it, watching tv is (the vast majority of the time anyway) more like going into low power mode. you don't expend much energy, but stimulation is minimal. whereas, spending the equivalent amount of time walking among the trees near where i live seems to renew me and put more energy in - particularly if i make it conscious, i go and actively think 'right, I'm going to stop, breath, relax and take few minutes to take all this in, in silence'. and it can be any number of activities that give this energy. i had a walk by a reservoir the other day - barely a soul around, watching the birds of prey and it felt so refreshing. i never seem refreshed after watching tv!
this has given me the energy to slot in creative work where, previously, i would have said i hadn't the time. there's more work to be done and i have some strategies lined up to protect my creativity when work starts to kick up through the gears for this year, but i am hopeful and confident that i will keep finding the time to create.