No doubt that what we do daily adds up. When I first read “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, it not only shed light on new breakthroughs for me, but also doubled down and underlined truths I knew on a deeper level, but had ignored.
Let me explain.
You may have heard the phrases, “you are what you eat” and “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. As someone who aspires to live her life in a daily mindful state of being, these ideas were nothing new to me. But somewhere around my mid-twenties, I noticed a subtle denial in my heart… a resistance to acknowledging and living out these truths.
Don't get me wrong, I prioritized healthy habits (minus the steady flow of white rice!) and am grateful to have always been surrounded by supportive and loving family and friends.
No, the quiet denial I felt went deeper than my daily habits for my health or my social circles. It was about my identity as a musician, singer-songwriter, and creative at large. At the end of a long day, the most important tasks to do for my creative, musical self, were always pushed to the back burner and left untouched.
Looking back on this period of my life, I realize fear played a bigger role than I knew. Here I was, living the dream – a picturesque Brooklyn apartment, fresh out of college, a young musician with endless possibilities swirling in the muggy New York City air.
It wasn’t long before this excitement quickly collided with harsh realities: NYC rent, student loans. Survival mode kicked in. My days revolved around making ends meet - suddenly a blur of music lessons, gigs, and accompanist jobs on repeat.
My creative well ran dry almost immediately.
In terms of “you are what you eat”, metaphorically my creative self during this time ate nothing. Like a starving artist, my focus on finances choked my creativity. Years flew by in this autopilot state. It took a pandemic and a fresh start in a new city to finally wake me up.
The reality is that there will always be something else to do, somewhere else to be, another bill to pay. No matter what city or stage of life I’m in. So if I am to truly prioritize my creative identity amidst all of the hustle & bustle throughout the different seasons of life, I must sacredly honor my daily creative rituals.
Recently my creative habits have been writing these blog posts, blocking 2 hours of dedicated songwriting time 3x a week, and journaling for 10 minutes every day.
While there is still so much more nurturing and healing that needs to happen for my creativity, these daily habits have revitalized my artistic pulse.
Is there a quiet resistance living in your heart? Are parts of yourself feeling neglected?
Don’t waste precious time like I did, ignoring your creative truth.
Instead, focus on the daily habits you can take to be 1% better everyday. As James Clear writes in “Atomic Habits”, "If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you'll end up 37 times better by the time you're done."
Don’t underestimate the transformative potential of small, consistent improvements.
I haven’t felt more invigorated as I have once I started focusing on being 1% better for my musical, creative self.
Your creative self deserves that too.
M
What can you do daily to be 1% more creative? Let me know in the comments!