Castles in the sky

This week I want to start by saying thank you to those kind souls who reached out to offer me support or encouragement following my last blog post. It touched my heart. I’m pleased to report that I am recovering and taking the time to rest and get my body and mind back in a healthy and happy state. My creativity is flowing again too.

I am lucky enough to be supported by some incredible women whom I think of as my wise council of ladies. Although I am not very sure what they would make of that title! One of these is my friend Kelly who talks about the creative process as building castles in the sky. Of dreaming something into being. I love this analogy because it conjures up such a magical image. Having a series of questions to figure out what I want has been very helpful during these last few weeks in helping me find clarity. The first step is the big idea or vision that you piece together - the castle. Not worrying about how or when at this stage just letting the ideas flow. My castle has many turrets, a library and (of course) at least one dragon. I’m sure you expected nothing less. The question here is:

“If you knew you’d be supported what would you choose?”

I would choose a slower pace of life, a softer life with more time to be creative. One day I want to be a full-time writer and make my living that way. I’d love a little place by the sea as a writer’s retreat with a real fire and a moody view. Where other creatives can come and enjoy the space, cocooned and looked after, supplied with endless tea and fountain pen ink. I love writing and I love stories. I want to support and encourage other writers to do what they love.

Okay, so how do I bring that castle down and ground it in reality? Well, a lottery win would help, but, as we know dear reader we make our own luck. Now the question is:

“If you trusted your path, what would you do?”

I would finish my novel and get it out into the world. Then I would write another one. Interestingly that doesn’t feel nearly as scary as it did at the start of this year. I’m not going to resign from my job and run off to a cottage in the woods to become an author. We are a long way away from that being an option. I’m going to finish my book, get it edited, publish it and see what happens next. I know I can do that. I have a plan that takes me through the process from right now to publishing.

Now, I am recovering from burnout and the very last thing I want is to end up back here again so I need to take it slowly and ensure I am getting the balance right. That said, writing brings me joy and that creative outlet is so important to me feeling like all of myself. Having started this process I have realised my real love for writing and that it is where I see my future. This means there needs to be time for rest and fun so that I can stay in my flow state. There won’t ever be a perfect time to do this unless of course, those lottery numbers come up. So the key word here needs to be balance. I need to get out of my own way! Breaking it down into smaller steps with consistent action. Harnessing the power of now. So the last question is:

“What is the next step or aligned action for today?”

I would love to know what your castle in the sky looks like. How would you answer those questions?

Image credit: @sapegin