Ten Minutes In

It's been a real challenge to keep any momentum going over the past few weeks as I've been changing locations and schedules.

I've been snatching moments where I can to jot down some thoughts, but I've lacked any real consistency.

Is this a lack of discipline, or simply the reality that it's really hard to maintain a routine when everything around your creative practise is shifting?

I'm trying to intentionally design my environment so it's easier to achieve my goals. Today a 'portable' stage piano was delivered and I've set that up in the apartment I'm living in while on tour. The plan is that by having it right here and ready to go, I can sit down and play and compose any time I choose, rather than having to travel to the theatre outside of my regular work hours there in order to use the instruments there.

I ordered the piano a week ago and while waiting for it to be delivered I've been looking forward to the convenience of having it always at hand and how much easier and more enjoyable it would make composing.

Once I unboxed the stand, the stool, the keyboard and set it all up I finally sat down and switched it on to play. I rested my fingertips on the keys, ready to play. My manuscript notebook was open and I played a few of the ideas I'd written in there, and let my hands explore the keyboard for a while. Ten minutes in, I was loving the keyboard, but the dream of easy had faded and the truth that this was still going to take work took its rightful place.

Designing my space and my time to be creative-friendly is a good move. But there's not going to be a silver bullet in this process. It always comes back to doing the work.

The next step is to be stricter about protecting my creative time, by making it my priority and the first thing I do after pouring my morning coffee. Banking that time before any other surprises can hijack my plan.

Maybe all these posts are doing are documenting my excuse-making. But I surprise myself daily with how challenging it can be to just put my butt in the chair and do this work that I keep telling myself and others is important to me.

If you see your own experiences reflected here and it helps you feel less alone to know I'm experiencing it too - I like to believe that's valuable. So let's nod as we see each other through the Studio Window, but then I need to put my head down and get back to work.