Embrace Creativity: Jumping into Daily Blogging

I had a lovely coffee date with a dear friend yesterday.

When we get together, there’s never enough time to cover all the topics going on in our lives. We are such chatterboxes! I think we are making up for lost time, because she's one of those people that I wish I would have met when I was in elementary school.

We need a lifetime!

I’ve known her for a few years now, and her friendship is on my personal “don’t leave Roanoke” list.

She’s entering a season where she can finally pursue what makes her heart sing. She’s chosen gardening as her medium. What a great way to connect with others and communicate the importance of cultivation. Not just in the soil of our backyards, but in ourselves as human beings.

I tease her about building an empire, but honestly, I believe she could do it.

We got to talking about my new direction of blogging daily, and I learned that she also sees the value of documenting life with intention. As we walked back to my studio, she mentioned she might start journaling daily, either privately or through blogging.

I immediately jumped in with encouragement, sharing how powerful a daily creative practice can be.

No need to wait for the perfect journal or the perfect website; just start and see where it takes you.

I shared with her how I have no idea what my blog post is going to be until I sit down in the morning to write it.

Content reveals itself because it's tied to my life.

She's also starting to move in a different direction, too.

She’s starting a YouTube channel so she can have more control over her videos (she’s been sharing mostly on Instagram). Right now, she’s immersed in learning how to pull together her content and get her video production set up.

She’s choosing growth, and I couldn’t be happier for her.

One of the secrets to creativity is simply diving in.

Many people think they need clarity before starting something new--clarity about the process, and even the outcome.

I know people close to me who have big dreams, but they hold back, waiting for the “right” environment: the perfect website, a peaceful studio, a better office setup…or losing weight before they join a gym or biking group!

I disagree with that mindset.

Start with what you have. Trust that the process will unfold and the outcome will reveal itself as you go.

Plans are great if you’ve been down the road before since you’ve got a map. But if you're in new territory, you need to think like an explorer.

You don’t know what you’ll encounter. You can’t predict the obstacles, (or the gifts!) along the way. But if your desire is genuine, it will guide you. You’ll figure it out.

And sometimes, what shows up is far better than anything you could’ve planned for.

Serendipity loves movement. If you have the desire, jump in and see what happens!

This blog is me jumping in!

This blog of mine is about as simple as it gets. I’m using WordPress.com and paying $48 a year for the Personal plan. I wanted to see if I could maintain a daily writing practice before investing in a self-hosted site with all the bells and whistles.

I just needed a place to begin.

The one thing I know for sure is that the URL will remain the same. Where it lives and how it evolves, I have no idea.

I'm just waiting to see where the road takes me.

No big expectations about outcome...just a desire to excavate my daily experiences, write about them creatively, and pull out any universal insight I find along the way.

That’s it, really. And to share them with you.

If you’re interested in my friend’s gardening adventure, go check out her website: www.michellesgardengrows.com.

Random fact about me: I collect rocks. They are like permanent flowers to me.