Small Steps Toward a Creative New Year

Something about the New Year encourages us to take stock of our lives, and we think of resolutions that will take us closer to the lives we wish we were living. Sometimes it is the practical (I will organize my kitchen cabinets or else!) or the physical (Yoga every evening, no more snacks!). But no matter what the motivation seems to be, underneath it all, each promise we make to ourselves, each goal we set, is designed to bring us closer to whom we really are.

We are inherently creative beings, and for that reason, many of us hold a vision for our lives that includes a more creative version of ourselves. We want to be that someone who paints in their free time, has a novel going on the side, or spends hours crafting handmade gifts on the weekends. But creative resolutions can be tinged with a sort of desperation as the years go by, because let’s face it, rarely are they accomplished in their entirety. Rather we begin with great intentions, can’t keep up, and in the end are right back in the same spot the following January.

This year, I am trying a different approach. American essayist John Burroughs once said, “The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention.” Knowing I will not be able to become creative in all the areas I personally would like to improve (cooking, painting, knitting, sewing, gardening, etc.), I’ve decided to begin by building small habits, which I hope will lead to small (and eventually greater) victories.

I know myself better by now, too. Will I realistically go from take-out and thrown together after work pseudo-meals like apple slices and popcorn to a menu from the pages of a Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook? No. But can I do one thing better? Can I try to do the food prep for the week on a Sunday afternoon so I have more time to cook creatively during the week? Or just make a game of trying one new recipe a week? Instead of trying to craft handmade everything for everyone, can I choose one or two things I’d like to make or learn to do for fun, and then gift the results if I choose to?

You see how this will go. Redo the whole garden? How about building the habit of watering regularly? Or maybe planting one new bed? Write a novel? How about a letter? Or a blog post? (You are reading the result of one of the new habits I am trying to cultivate!)

Happily, creativity begets creativity, and each small step we take in the direction (the creation) of our vision, the easier the next steps will be and the more creative our daily lives will become.