Sustainable Ambition Forum - 07.12.22

“Busyness” today has a negative connotation and often rightly so. Too much is asked of us across life and work. We get sucked into busyness as a status symbol. The VUCA world is overwhelming.

And yet we can often be made to feel wrong if we’re busy. And yet, I know my life is often full because of what I choose to do, as a friend positively reflected to me this morning. He didn’t make me feel bad about it, but society often does.

So, I appreciated this perspective and reframe from actress Juliet Binoche in a NY Times interview last year:

I asked her if she always liked to be this busy.
“I wouldn’t call myself busy,” [Juliet Binoche] objected. “More creative than busy.”
“What’s the difference for you?” I asked.
Busyness, she explained, is like “trying to fill up empty space,” whereas being creative “pushes you up into a space where you feel alive and present and discovering and revealing yourself.”

Net, busyness doesn’t have to = bad. But more so, busyness is likely not the right word for the experience Binoche described. I prefer using the term “full”—a full life and schedule. And as Binoche suggests, perhaps when we’re leading a full life, we’re in creative flow and stepping into our becoming (“discovering and revealing yourself”). So:

What if “busyness” for you is living a full, creative, wholehearted life?
What if creativity and fullness in life is about feeling alive, exploring one’s curiosities, and learning more about and becoming oneself?

Now you may say, “Well, I’m not creative, Kathy. This doesn’t apply to me.” Yet I’d encourage you to try this on. Many speak of the belief that we can all be creative. I for too much of my life believed I wasn’t creative, but I now think I’m a creative creating art through left-brain thinking. And I realize that where I want to put more of my attention now is into my creative work. Exploring my creativity is part of my journey of being alive and discovering more about myself. And when I worry too much about the direct purpose of my creative work it can zap the joy out of it.

Thinking about creativity broadly can also help us step outside of constant doing, as discussed in one of the podcasts featured below. Creativity can provide a way of thinking about projects in different stages. There is value in thinking (creativity) just as much as there is value in doing. And, as you’ll note in one of the articles below, thinking and doing require different parts of our brain. It is beneficial to allow space for moments of thinking and creativity.

What’s next?

If you are feeling busy for busy sake, consider exploring what’s driving the busyness. What if you were to start from a clean slate and refill the empty space with what would energize you rather than drain you? What would make you feel alive? What would a creative, wholehearted life look like? What would support your growth in becoming and discovering and revealing yourself?
If you are leading a full life and are in creative flow, give yourself permission for that to be okay if that’s what you want and you’re enjoying it.
And perhaps take it up a notch—think about carving out a little space for some creative work purely to satisfy a curiosity or consider taking a Creative Work Sabbatical. See below to learn how!

I hope your summer has started well, and you are able to find some space for sustaining and building your resilience. Perhaps a little creative exploration can help. : )

Be well,
Kathy
Founder of Sustainable Ambition

P.S. I know I cover a lot in my curation of the newsletter below. I hope you find at least one thing that piques your interest or offers an insight that speaks to you.

The Round-Up

Spark your creativity. Find out how here.

Don’t wait. Do the creative things that light you up. Get inspired.

How to dip in and out of creativity. These tips are great for getting into creative flow and how to adjust when coming out. I think some of these ideas could be applied to other types of deep work. Check it out!

Thinking vs. Doing times. I love this insight. Did you know we have a thinking system and a doing system? It’s best to discern when you want to tap into which. You can even play with these to optimize which you need to tap in the moment. Are you in a thinking moment or a doing moment? Learn more!

Daydream? Be inspired to daydream and see what your daydreams are telling you.

Get inspired by these creatives. Dig in here.

Who knew? Creativity is everywhere. The White House has a record collection.

Podcast Player

“I’ve earned a new beginning.” This is a great conversation about defining your own success with Marshall Goldsmith discussing his latest book, The Earned Life. He also quotes Twyla Tharp around this idea of earning a new beginning and discusses the concept of embracing stepping into a new beginning vs. expecting more from where you stand today. Worth a listen.

“Plan your day around delight.” What if we were to reframe how we come at our work; not through a productivity lens but through a window of delight and play. Hear Madeleine Dore, an author and podcast host, give tips to make the shift and encourage us to create space for moments of creativity.

On the Screen with TED: You, Too, Are Creative

Tap into your creative genius. Elizabeth Gilbert believes we all have one.

Inspiration calls. It’s okay to jump from thing to thing as your inspiration calls.

Find your flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on finding joy in flow.

Join me for conversations with experts, authors, and friends on what it means to live with Sustainable Ambition.

Episode #64: A More Sustainable+Ambitious Year: Q2 Assess & Adapt

It’s time to revisit how we’re doing so far in living a sustainable+ambitious year. Tune in to check your Q2 progress. How have things gone? What’s worked? What’s not worked? What do you want to practice next? It’s time to Assess and Adapt to help you both stretch and sustain yourself in your life+work in the months ahead.

Listen on your favorite player here or on our website here

Episode #58: SA Quick Tip! On Sustaining through Energizing

This is my first Sustainable Ambition (SA) Quick Tip on sustaining ourselves through energizing. Oftentimes we think that recovering and building resilience come from rest. But what if that’s not the case? What if instead we actually need to get our metabolism going? We need a shot of adrenaline?

Listen on your favorite player here or on our website here

You can also find the podcast, subscribe, and listen on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast.

Carve out space to indulge your creativity.

Here’s how:

Set an intention and make a commitment.
Decide the time length (3 hours, 1 day, 2 days+, 1 week+).
Carve out and block time on your calendar.
Set the structures to protect your space (e.g., get the time off, negotiate with your partner, go with friends, find a retreat).
Plan the time away. Where will you go (e.g., a library, a coffee shop, a hotel room for a day, an Airbnb, a friend’s home while they are away)? How do you want to use the time (e.g., explore a curiosity, write, play with your daydreams, create something)?
Pack what you need to support your creative pursuit and to keep you happy while away (e.g., a favorite coffee or tea).
Be present and experience it. Create!
Document what you did and where you’ll pick up next.
Reflect. What are your takeaways from the experience? What did you learn?
Repeat!

The Monthly Progress Practice: July

At the beginning of each year, we share our Monthly Progress Practice. Progress is made through small, consistent action. Practice makes progress. We offer a monthly guidance on small actions or inquiries to inspire positive change this year.

Our guidance for July: Reset your mood. Get into the spirit! Play a song. Smile. Move your body. Literally, shake it off. Get your endorphins flowing.

Find Your Guide:

Find the perfect guide to match your journey.

“The creative adult is the child who survived.”

— Ursula Leguin

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”
— Kurt Vonnegut

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