life – Page 9 – Ginger Simpson White

creativity every day…

Years ago, I made the decision to deliberately and intentionally stay connected to my creativity – no matter what was happening in my life. I made it my dream, my goal, to keep this relationship going on a consistent basis.

It’s true there are ebbs and flows with creative projects and the creative process in general. But even so, I believe it’s possible to stay connected with creativity. And I’ve been determined to do it… because creativity is vital to my mental and emotional well-being.

Writing, especially writing fiction, is the creative outlet with the longest pull on me. I started writing little stories with thick markers as soon as I could write sentences and put them together.

I don’t write every day, though.

For me to write fiction, I need a certain amount of feeling settled inside, and there are days the anxiety I experience (not anxiety about writing, but the daily anxiety I deal with) doesn’t calm down enough. That’s especially been the case over the past several years. And although I’m now writing more often and more consistently again, it’s not an each-and-every-day occurrence.

But there is a certain creative outlet I do on a daily basis. Whether I write or do any other creative activity on any given day, what I do each day, without fail, is paint.

Every single day.

It doesn’t have to be for a lengthy amount of time. It doesn’t need to turn into anything. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about what I paint or how I do it.

All it requires is for me to pick up a paintbrush and move paint on canvas or paper.

That’s all.

But that’s so much.

There are days when I paint for less than five minutes. And that’s okay. There are times I paint a few hearts or circles or squares in the morning, and then paint a few more in the afternoon. That’s fine too. Sometimes I fill an entire page with paint, at other times one page represents a week’s worth of painting a small bit every day, and at other times I’ll spend weeks or more painting on a single canvas. All of that is also satisfying and good, as far as I’m concerned.

For me, it’s about the doing of it – what I call paint play – every day. Because it calms me, it helps ground me, and it brings me joy.

What creative activity does that for you? (And don’t say you’re not creative, because you are!)

Is it painting, sketching, drawing, writing, sewing, quilting, photography, pottery, cooking, calligraphy, knitting, playing an instrument? The list of possibilities is huge. Find the one (or ones) that bring you joy.

Even if you rotate through a variety of creative activities instead of sticking to just one, and even if it’s only for a few minutes when you do it, make time to connect with your creativity every day.

It really does make a difference.

this summer…

It’s the last day of August. Labor Day weekend in the US is almost here. And, no matter what the temperature and the calendar say about it, I always think of this time as the end of summer…probably (in no small part) because from kindergarten through being a high school senior, the first day of school was the day after Labor Day.

Time isn’t so delineated for me now, at least not in the same way, but that feeling must have soaked well and deep into my bones because it’s lasted all these decades since then. Most years, Labor Day weekend feels like a marker, a before-and-after line for the year, a time to look back at the past few months and take stock of the season of summer. And although summer heat impacts me more than it used to, and most summers now don’t hold the same sort of magical feel of earlier ones in my life, summer is still a season I enjoy.

This summer held lots of time with our girl. Even with her continuing health challenges and the uncertainty of how much time she has left, she enjoyed happy and energetic days these past months, and we continue to treasure each good moment she has. We went through a decluttering and reorganizing spree in July, and she helped (in her own way)!

I continued to spend time on genealogy and historical research (exploring the histories of the places my ancestors are from). I read novels. I went for walks.

There has been ongoing work on my current novel, as well as new guided journals I put together and have available on Amazon.

And, as usual, daily paint play has helped to ground me, calm me, and connect me with joy.

Continuing the trend of the past several years, the summer also held lots of anxiety and stress and challenges.

But I continue to pray and take things day by day, step by step, moment by moment.

I continue to do the things that help me. I hope you find what helps you too.

❤

time seems strange…

For a few years now, I often say to friends (and have blogged about before) that time seems strange. It’s fast and it’s slow, both at once. And that’s the way it has continued to seem during these many months when I’ve been silent here.

I’ve still had quite the struggle with anxiety. I’ve still needed to find ways to try to go through the days as best as I can. I’m still spending my time doing what I’ve talked about here before.

Like… time with my husband and our cute Chloe.

Like… time in fresh air.

Like… painting every single day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Like… writing. I’m working on a sequel to my novel, New Life in New Melody – and now, in addition to the paperback and kindle, the hardback is available!

Like… talking with friends, and genealogy and historical research, and prayer, and Bible study, and participating again in this year’s #the100dayproject (I’m doing #100daysofcirclesandhearts for my focus this go-round).