You Don't Have to Earn Living Life
Creativity, productivity, and writing your own story this summer.
I’ve been deep in the weeds of a big writing project. One that grabs me and makes me want to well… finish it. Especially considering the further I get into it, the more I notice just how much I need to rewrite it.
But the ideas are all there. They’re buzzing. They’re piecing things together. It’s exciting especially after a long time not spending time at the computer writing new words or thinking I would ever again. But, I’ll be honest…
It’s also exhausting.
Lately, I’ve been trying to get back into my writing groove, slowly but steadily. But in the process, I’ve realized something that I tend to forget when I’m in this mode — the kind where all I want is to finish the thing and make it good (okay, maybe great).
When I’m chasing that feeling, I sit too long, I overthink everything, and I start to confuse productivity and getting words down with actual progress.
What I’ve been reminded of is that sometimes the best thing you can do for the work is to walk away from it.
Not forever. Just for a bit.
Leave the desk. Close the laptop. Go out into the world and live a little.
Because the truth is, the stories we’re trying to tell, whether they’re fiction, essays, poetry, or even business plans, are built on what we are living or what we want to live.
They’re born from moments that happen off the page. That conversation you overheard in a café. The weird painting in a museum that made you both look away and also want to look closer? The feeling of hot pavement under your feet in a town you’ve never been to.
That’s the good stuff. At least, I think so.
That’s where story lives.
Maybe the most important one. YOUR story. The one you will remember when you think about summer of years past or even how you feel confident in your own life.
It goes beyond just the work, because you deserve to have a summer you remember. One where you don’t just grind, but also explore. One where you make memories worth writing about later maybe.
So I’m reminding myself (and maybe you too) to step away when you can. Not in defeat, but in excited of the bigger picture, to your creative self and to your life.
You can even call them writing dates, or artist dates, if you’d like to still feel productive.
Let the work breathe, and let yourself breathe with it.
Things To Do for YOUR Story
Visit a town you’ve never been to even if it’s only 30 minutes away.
Walk through a local art gallery or museum.
Go see live music even if you don’t know the band. Especially then when there are so many opportunities for outside listening this summer.
Write in a notebook at the beach, in a park, or under a tree.
Find a summer fair or outdoor market.
Make a memory with someone you care about that has nothing to do with work.
Go analog for a weekend. No screens, no emails, just books, paper, and sunshine.
Let yourself be a beginner at something. A dance class. A language. Pottery.
Remember that “done” is better than “perfect.”
You don’t have to earn life by finishing the work always, even though I do love a good treat at the end of a great writing session.
You can live now. You should live now.
appreciate this much-needed reminder!