Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Coping idea: Start a Creative Practice While Sheltered in Place

"So now you should find yourself at a table free from electronics right after you've woken up with a few pieces of paper. Set a timer for thirty minutes or glance at the clock and make note of when you're starting.

At this point, put pen to paper. Write what comes to mind first. Write about how you feel. Write about your worries. Write about what you're thankful for.

If you can't write words, doodle. If you can't doodle, write words.

Keep doing this for thirty minutes.

When your time's up, you don't have to do anything else. You don't have to look over the pages you've created. You can throw them away or save them to review another time."

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Tortuga <hello@tortugabackpacks.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 21, 2020 at 6:45 AM

A creative practice like journaling or doodling can help to ease anxiety during stressful times.
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Today's newsletter is from Jeremy, the other co-founder of Tortuga.

You don't often hear from Jeremy because he has another career aside from Tortuga working behind the camera in movies and commercials. When we started Tortuga, he was a student at film school. You'll see why this is relevant in today's email.

Take it away Jeremy…

During times like right now, our brains think too much. Our internal monologues never stop. We watch too much news, read too much Twitter. Worry never ends. But progress never arrives.

A creative practice can put an end to our looping thoughts.

A practice — whether it's a writing, drawing, yoga, or golf practice — is the habit of showing up and repeatedly putting into action an activity or skill. It's about the application and procedure.

Practice isn't about theory or ideas or discussion.

Practice is about doing.

Practice isn't about perfection. Heck, it's not even about results.

A violinist playing an hour a day is a practice. A golfer hitting at a range half an hour a day is a practice. Writing three pages in a journal first thing in the morning is a practice.

The real reward for a practice is the good feeling you get from doing the practice. You'll get a rush, feel pride, and get the day off to a good start.

I find that it's almost impossible to have a bad day when you've done your creative practice. You'll feel as if you've achieved something important regardless of the rest of the day's events.

What to Practice

I want to talk about and encourage creative practices (as opposed to athletic practices) because they're available to just about anyone, for just about free. A creative practice has almost no barrier to entry. You can carry one out perfectly during a quarantine.

Notice how I didn't say you should begin writing or drawing. The stakes seem too high. But there's no wrong way to journal or doodle, especially when you'll never share the pages with anyone.

Notebook on table

How to Get Started

Pick a time, place, and duration for your practice.

My recommendation is first thing in the morning before you've had any real conversations (immediately after a cup of coffee, if you're anything like me), at a kitchen or dining table with no electronics, and for a length of half an hour.

Don't use your computer or any other electronic device. You already have habits associated with them, and you'll be too tempted to scroll through apps or surf the web.

If you have children or early morning obligations, I recommend waking up a little earlier. I know this is a tough hurdle to get past, but it's the only way you'll get into the groove of doing the thing.

I don't recommend trying to perform your creative practice late at night, right before bed. You're likely to be too tired or too distracted by something passive like watching the TV or scrolling Instagram to get started. Additionally, you'll often get a bit of a rush from doing your creative practice. The energy might keep you awake, or you'll find yourself writing for hours on end instead of sleeping.

So now you should find yourself at a table free from electronics right after you've woken up with a few pieces of paper. Set a timer for thirty minutes or glance at the clock and make note of when you're starting.

At this point, put pen to paper. Write what comes to mind first. Write about how you feel. Write about your worries. Write about what you're thankful for.

If you can't write words, doodle. If you can't doodle, write words.

Keep doing this for thirty minutes.

When your time's up, you don't have to do anything else. You don't have to look over the pages you've created. You can throw them away or save them to review another time.

I promise you'll feel proud for putting in those thirty minutes of activity. You'll have done something worthwhile for the day. It'll be easier to start other tasks you need to get done because you've already accomplished something. 

Welcome Side Effects

The focus of your creative practice is not on outcomes like becoming a better writer or illustrator or finishing a novel. The focus is on feeling better every day.

But you'll inevitably become more skilled. It's a welcome paradox. By focusing on doing instead of a lack of skills, you'll improve.

You'll also have discovered a technique to get started with anything else you might want to practice in your life. 

Further Reading

Let me offer two recommendations on further reading. They're both widely loved, and you'll take something useful from both.

First and best is Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. It's funny and practical, but most importantly it will remind you that writing is hard even for the best writers. Buy this book because you'll find yourself reading it repeatedly over different seasons of your life.

Second is Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. Her book opens with what she calls "morning pages", a practice almost identical to what I've described above. The chapter about morning pages is invaluable.

What's Next?

Do you have a regular creative practice? Might you start one after reading today's email? 

Reply and let us know. We'd love to help you get started.


Tortuga 340 S. Lemon Ave. #7616 Walnut, CA 91789

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