How building a sanctuary around your creative practice can help you overcome resistance and honor your deepest work in the world.
Sometimes it can be challenging to set aside and honor the time you need to do your work in the world.
To be clear, I’m not necessarily talking about your job here. Rather I’m talking about what you’re doing in the world and sharing with others. How you’re expressing your own unique gifts and how you are making the world a better place. That could be part of your paid work, or not.
That could be part of your paid work, or not.
Maybe, for example, you want to write. You have some stories of your childhood you want to explore. Or perhaps you have an idea for a novel or a short story that’s you’ve been carrying around in your heart for some time now. It’s been tricky to find the time to do the work. The writing gets scrunched between kids activities or left till late at night when you’re already tired.
Or it could be you have a small business idea you want to develop. You know you could work on creating blogs or videos. Maybe you have a website, or don’t yet, but you can’t seem to sit down and really log some time on your messaging.
Or perhaps you’ve been dreaming about starting a mending circle. You know you just need to reach out to that one connection your friend gave you or spend a bit of time online looking for inspiration.
Every time you think about it though, you sense a cloud of uncertainty. And so, you end up avoiding it all together.
The usual advice
So, so, SO many people say, “just block the time off on your calendar!” And truly, some people are good at honoring the time they set aside on their calendar. “Business Development” on Tuesdays from 9-11, and there they are, every Tuesday, working for two hours on their business.
Or “Writing time” on Mondays and Wednesdays 8:00 a.m. and you’ll find them there with their pen and paper.
If that’s you, that’s amazing!
And, if it’s not you, I get it. I do. It’s something I’ve struggled with. I can’t tell you how many versions of a beautifully blocked calendar I’ve made, only to realize again that this approach doesn’t work for me.
What is true
Taking on the kind of work that you want to be doing in this world, work that is deeply aligned with your soul, is big work.
Two things are true here - that desire to embark on this type of inspired journey comes from a deep internal well that may or may not respond well to arbitrarily assigned calendar slots. Second, if you long to bring this creation into the world, it does require your love and attention and time.
What can you do if you’re struggling to make the time for it?
Building a sanctuary
One thing that’s helped me in both my creativity and working on my business is to design a sanctuary - a special time and figurative area dedicated to just this project.
To build that metaphorical space, I’ve created a lovely, personal ritual - a list of small steps that signal to my mind and my soul self that I am entering the setting where I do my work.
When I lived in Milan, I often visited Il Duomo, the cathedral in the center of town. When I drew open the heavy, ornate door, a rush of silence would envelop me. As I stepped forward, I dipped my fingertips into the bath of holy water; and the scent of incense ribboned around me.
It was dark and soft, candlelight flickering from the sacristy. And the air was silent, save for the occasional receding footstep or the groan of a wooden pew.
It was a sacred, peaceful space where I found nourishment.
Bringing a sense of sacredness to projects is one way to help honor the time needed to bring them to life.
Writing a ritual
When I write now, I keep a small typewritten note next to my notebook. On it is a list of simple steps I take as a way to enter my creative sanctuary.
Some are symbolic (light a candle), and some are for comfort (having a cup of tea.) Some are practical (turn on my productivity app,) while others are more spiritual (cultivate gratitude; drop into Remembrance.) Some are intuitive (call on my guides) and others preparatory (do a writing warm-up.)
All serve to ease my transition and prepare the setting where I do my important work.
Many times, when I’m feeling restless and resistant to a creative project I’ve committed to (which happens far more often than I wish,) just starting down the list and taking the first of this series of curated steps helps.
It’s a signal somehow, one that says I’m entering the cathedral of my work. And it’s enough to guide me forward. It’s enough to open the door to my heart and enough to help me begin my work for the day.
It helps me honor the commitment that I’ve made to spending time with and working on the thing I love.
What about you? What do you think of this? I wonder if there is some way you can use ritual to make a beautiful, unique space for yourself and your work in the world?