Create

Word of the Year Check-In: Am I Creating?

July 7, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 6 Comments

Is it really the second week of July already? Yowsers.

It’s cliché to say that, I know. And serious writers are supposed to avoid clichés like the plague (see what I did there?). But all clichés had to start somewhere, and I imagine this one started when the first person in the world realized that the year was flying by faster than they intended it to – and by golly they felt the need to comment on it.

Clichés aside, it’s time for a mid-year check-in on whether or not I am living out my Word of the Year.

Am I Creating?

Yes. And No.

I’ve not made much progress on my novel since my critique class ended. Life has been full, which is part reason and part excuse. Between weekend duties for the day job and travel to visit family and a much-needed week of vacation where I tried not to touch a computer, there hasn’t been a lot of free time on the weekends to really submerge myself in the text. And I need to give it some large blocks of undivided attention. My critique class reinforced that I have some things to fix, and they are going to take time and steep reflection.

Based on this point alone, I would feel like I had failed my Word of the Year in the first half. But luckily, I know me and gave myself a little wiggle room in my definition. I chose “create” instead of “write” because I knew I would need some.

And I have created.

I have been diligently posting twice per week here on this blog all year long. Every Tuesday and Thursday, without fail (although sometimes in a very down-to-the-wire fashion), I have a sent a blog and little piece of writing or photography out into the world. It’s felt good to be consistent, to treat this blog like a job and to keep my promise to myself for once.

I’ve spent time in community with other writers and readers, mostly on the internet – but it still counts, right? I’ve created dialogues and met new people and have created a space where I can share – and where I can listen to others.

I’ve taken more photos – and better photos – than ever this year. In fact, I’m wrapping up my first ever corporate photoshoot this week – at my day job! Our company wanted new head shots for all 40 employees, and it just so happened that I have a camera and some growing photography chops. In addition to all those portraits, I also took some for Claire, did a family shoot with a friend, and in general grew less shy about pulling out my camera and snapping shots whenever I felt like it – even in public!

I’ve read a lot of books, written about some of them, and learned when to a quit a project that just isn’t working. I’ve written a few freelance articles, put together a Madison, WI city guide for Feast + West, and continued working on The Collaboreat.

It’s been a full year, and it might not seem like I’m making progress. But I have been creating.

Now if I could just take Ashley Brooks’s advice and focus on one thing at a time…

Here’s to creating in the second half of 2015. Will you CREATE with me?

I Didn’t Come Here To Do Something Hard

February 10, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 8 Comments

Ouch.

How often do we give up on our dreams just because they are hard?

I know I often give up when there is any sort of delayed gratification involved. I like my comforts: my chocolate, mind-numbing T.V., and the words “good enough.” I’d rather feel that instant “win” than have to wait. So I post to social media for likes and retweets, when I should really be writing slow words for the novel. I hit pause on ideas, saying they can wait until tomorrow. I declare a “brain holiday” on a Tuesday evening just because I can, when really it’s because I’m being lazy. I don’t want to do the hard work now.

Big dreams are hard because they should be.

Your dream shouldn’t be as easy as microwaving ramen. If it weren’t hard, it wouldn’t be worth it. It wouldn’t be a dream.

But what if I word hard and it still sucks?

The first round of work usually does. I love how Ira Glass says it:

“…there’s a gap, that for the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good, OK? It’s not that great. It’s really not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste — the thing that got you into the game — your taste is still killer, and your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you, you know what I mean?”

I’m finding that the more I show up, the better I get. I’d bet money that it’s the same for you and your dream.

So I guess I’m going to quit making excuses like Calvin and go do some hard work. Join me?

My Word of the Year for 2015

January 20, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 7 Comments

I never chose a word of the year for 2014. If I had to choose one retroactively, it would be “survive.” We survived downsizing from house to apartment. I survived over-committing myself and two separate job changes. It was a tough year, in which I constantly felt like I was making no progress, but in retrospect, I was. I made a lot of tough choices and set myself up for a better 2015. At least I hope so.

With that in mind, for 2015, I’m going back to the word I failed at in 2012: “Create.”

In 2012, I had just started my first full-time job after college. I was in the middle of serving on a pastoral search committee, a task that took a year and a half of meetings and a lot of emotions. I was in my third year of trying to sell a house that just wouldn’t sell. It was probably not the best time in my life to choose a word for the year so ambitious as “create.” But I did because what can I say: I was clueless. I really had no idea how much creating takes out of you.

The answer: a lot.

But this year, I think I’m ready for it.

Over the last four years, I have soaked up as much publishing advice as I can. I have read books on writing (and continue to do so). I have attended a conference, webinars, twitter chats. I have built a website and started blogging regularly. I have even met with and gotten advice from one of my favorite people on the internet, publishing consultant Jane Friedman (if you are a writer, go follow her blog and immediately get lost in the archives).

But I haven’t consistently sat down to write my book. It’s much easier to absorb than it is to create.

So this year, I’m throwing research to the side and sitting down to create.

Why Not Just Choose “Write” as Your Word?

I chose “create” and not “write” intentionally. I want to allow myself a little freedom to take a day off now and then and pull out my camera. I need to be able to blog and participate in social media alongside writing a novel. I also want the freedom to create community as I write: responding to emails from other writers, reading other blogs and participating in the comments sections.

If I had chosen “write,” I would probably feel guilty whenever I spent time on any of those other activities. And I’m trying to be kinder to myself, so not creating guilt is a good thing.

And let’s face it: there are going to be evenings when I come home from work and need to curl up on the couch with a book. Or a half-dozen episodes of 30 Rock. And some chocolate.

I really believe that all of these are important to cultivating creativity, so long as you create as much as you consume. That is the tough part: finding the balance between the two.

So if I spend the morning writing a blog and scheduling out social media, I’m letting myself off the hook if I need to come home and just go “bleh” on the couch at the end of a long day.

I’m going to try to keep most of my Saturday mornings free for longer creating sessions. Large chunks of time are going to be important as I sort out plot points and learn the rhythm of my novel.

And if things get out of balance, I am going to hit the restart button and try again.

So I’m going to go create. There’s only 345 days left in the year.

GO CREATE.

What’s your word of the year for 2015?