Ida Clare, I Could Use Your Support

When I moved to Big Thicket a lot of things had to go and I’m not just talking about a no-good lying ex-husband. Even though I had little more to my name than my tarnished reputation and the black garbage bag full of clothes I couldn’t sell at the She/She Resale Shop, I brought a lot of baggage with me when I came here and it’s not necessarily the kind that rolls behind you on little bitty wheels.

What I wish I could have packed instead of my cranky disposition and resentful attitude are the members of my writing group. This writing group had participants who have been showing up for meetings for twelve years. It originally began from an Artist Way Group that morphed into a group that needed an outlet to read our work in a safe place.

Until then, the only opportunity I had ever had to read something that I had thoughtfully and laboriously written to an audience were those pesky wedding vows that never were reciprocated no matter how many times I did the rewrite.

Having supportive members of your tribe are the best gifts the universe of creativity can bestow upon you, but they don’t just appear out of the ether. You have to look for them where they hang out, test-drive them to see if they’re a fit, and build trust.

Note to self: Ida, you won’t find them while playing Cityville or watching The Amazing Race.

Creativity needs support. Even if you enjoy creating alone, someone somewhere will eventually be in the position to give you truthful feedback and you want that person to be one who has walked the rocky path just like you. Like the annoying old-maid aunt who always told your mother how to raise her children, you don’t want that person to tell you how to corral a bunch of youthfully exuberant creative ideas when she has never done more than chase down a pencil to write out a grocery list.

I miss my writing peeps. There was a flurry of emails among some of us the other day and the writing was so tasty that it fed me the way no buffet of mindless television or fried cheese and marinara sauce can.

If you don’t already have a tribe, won’t you be a member of mine?

If you like to create in whatever capacity, let’s agree to support each other by:

Checking in
Showing up to do our work
Being honest about what our challenges are
Supporting each other to have fun
Being open to possibilities
Expecting creative miracles
Tolerating mistakes
Being a beginner
Cheering each other on

I'll be your Creativity Cheerleader.

Hugs,

P.S. Hey ya’ll this post gave me a BIG Idea. Tune in Wednesday and I’ll share.