Creativity Archives - Dreams, etc. // Minneapolis Lifestyle Blog

3 Things to Consider When Setting Weekly Goals

September 5, 2018

In the past I’ve always been a goal setter, but for a variety of reasons I haven’t been as good about setting them this year. I realized how much this was actually dragging me down. There’s so much I’d like to do, but without these goals to map my way I wasn’t coming close to accomplishing them. So I reached out to a friend and asked if she’d like to set weekly goals. She had also been talking about all the things she wants to accomplish, but nothing was happening. We decided to start setting weekly goals, and also to meet and discuss weekly. We’re tracking our goals in a goals journal–both of us have a notebook that we write them down in. I also like to track a few other things in mine, which I’ll talk about more below.

I just looked through my goals journal and it’s crazy to realize that we’ve only been doing this for a month. It feels like we’ve been doing it longer because of how much it has improved my mindset and how much I’ve accomplished because of it so far. (Things like getting back into the routine of updating the blog.)

If you feel like you’re stuck or not making as much progress as you could in achieving your goals, I highly recommend creating a time and a place (like a goals journal) to start tracking and analyzing the things you’d like to do. Being so intentional about it has been helpful for me. I also recommend doing this with a friend, if you’re able to. The accountability is so helpful! Here are some things to consider as you set your weekly goals.

Creativity

Share Your Voice + Be Heard // 5 Lessons from VoxCon

April 18, 2018

In February I went to New York to attend VoxCon, a conference about becoming a communicator who can’t be ignored. It was an amazing experience! I walked away with a notebook filled with takeaways and a huge booklist. My mind was swimming as I processed all the information that I took in. There was one session in particular that was actually kind of healing for me on a personal level–and I don’t think I’m the only one who felt that way, because by the end there were a lot of tears in that room. It helped me solidify my vision and why for this blog and I left inspired and filled with purpose. And as a bonus, I finally convinced the friend who told me about the conference to sign up for Instagram. 😂 I’ve been working on that one for a few years and in a restaurant in Midtown, she finally created her account!

Back to the conference, I finally narrowed down my notes to five lessons that I think can apply to a wide variety of creatives and I’m excited to finally share them with you today! Let’s just dive right in.

Note – Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through the link, I’ll make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Books Creativity Life

6 Ways to Beat Distractions + Focus on What You Love

March 26, 2018

Happy Monday! Last week, you guys… last week was a rough one. I came down with a stomach bug and spent most of the week in bed and asleep. I pulled out my computer a few times to send a few emails and get a little bit of work done, but every small task I completed was followed by a nap, so I realized I wasn’t in the best shape to write anything substantial. The thing I noticed is that once I realized I was sick I started making a to-do list of things to get done for work, when really what I needed was to get some rest. There was a time when getting sick meant sleeping and reading, but those are two things I don’t take a lot of time for, even though they’re what I need to truly feel rested. Reading in particular is something that I’ve been missing. Yes, I’ve been reading, but it’s often a few chapters here and a few chapters there, slipped into in-between moments so that I can make sure I get my reading in. I’ve been able to get lost in stories, but not the way I used to. And I miss them! I also know that there are periods in life where you’re more distanced from books. That’s what I’ve been reminding myself when I look longingly at a stack of books that I want to immerse myself in. But, it’s also what I’ve been reminding myself for a few years, so I finally realized that if I’m going to read a book the way I’d like to again, I need to be more intentional about it and make sure that it fits into my life. We have to be intentional about all the things that are important to us. So, while I was sick last week I did get some work done, but I also took time to get some reading in. And it felt so, so good!

We have to be intentional about doing the things that are important to us.

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A big thing I noticed was how distracted I was when I sat down to try and read. That’s probably another thing that has inhibited my reading the last few years. It really concerned me when I realized that it was taking so long to get through one chapter just because I was so distracted. I used to have a decent attention span, where did that go? (Hint: a little device we’re all so attached to.) So, I decided I needed to fix the distraction problem. If you’d like to take time to read–or accomplish any task that requires some focus–here’s how I beat distractions to finish a book!

Books Creativity

6 Books to Help You Become a Better Writer (+ a Few to Inspire)

March 12, 2018

Happy Monday! Who else is struggling a bit this morning after Daylight Savings Time? 🙋🏻 Springing ahead is always one of those days that makes me think we should just keep winter around permanently. I mean, it’s not so bad and we can do things to make it survivable, right? 😉 I don’t think I’m the only one who’s still adjusting to our lost hour, so I thought I’d start the week off slow and steady with one of my favorite topics: books. This time it’s writing books. Last month I attended VoxCon, a communications conference in New York, and got to hear some amazing communicators speak. I walked away with quite a few book recommendations, so I thought I’d share them with you. I’ve found that even when you study writing that’s outside of what you typically do, it will still enhance your writing. Studying poetry helped my fiction, and studying creative non-fiction helped my poetry. So even if you’re wondering whether or not a book on storytelling will provide any input for you and your writing, I encourage you to look into it. You never know what you might pick up from it. I shared my notes on writing stories for children from a picture book author with a pastor and realized there were so many gems that could be helpful for sermon writing.

Along with books on writing, there are a few books that should be more inspirational, as well as some books about the Christian faith. I separated this list between books that were recommended at he conference/are actually about writing, and books by people who spoke at the conference that I have an interest in.

If you’re interested, the people with books listed below who also spoke at the conference are: Donald Miller, Mary Karr, Sally Lloyd-Jones, Jonathan Merritt, and David Taylor.

Note – The links used in this post are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of them I will make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Creativity Life Wellness

Refresh Your Life for the New Year (or anytime you need a reset)

January 3, 2018

It’s a new year, which means it’s the perfect time for a fresh start! Truth be told, I don’t think you need to wait until January 1 to start working on new goals or to refresh your life. If you passionately want to start a new project in March or August or on December 31, go ahead! But I also think it’s worth it to take advantage of our yearly reminder to take a look at our lives and see what we’d like to change or work toward. If it’s the start of a new year—or if you’re reading this in the middle of the year and just feel a need to refresh your life—here are six ways to do so.

Note – Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through them I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Dreams, etc.!

Creativity

Top 3 Goals to Crush In 2017

September 15, 2017

2017… you’re going down. *cracks knuckles*

Okay, so using “crush” in the title makes my goals sound a little more badass than they actually are, but I kinda want them to sound a little badass. It makes me want to put on my battle song and kick butt with these goals, like my childhood (and adult) hero Jane Blue. (It might help to know a little about the movie, since I only know one person outside of my family who’s actually watched it.)

Goals for the end of 2017… you’re going down. [cracks knuckles]

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As I’ve given myself room to breathe this summer, I’ve also given myself room to reflect. In addition to leaving a workplace that wasn’t good for me anymore–but one I had also devoted a lot of time to–some other things have gone on behind-the-scenes this summer, and all of it left me wondering: what’s the point? When I ask myself that question, I always come back to one thing: writing.

So with these goals, I’m going back to my roots.

Creativity

What Provides Creative Inspiration For You & How Can You Tap Into That When Creativity Runs Dry?

August 18, 2017

Note – Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that I’ll receive a small percentage of any purchase you make using them at no extra cost to you. This helps me to keep this blog running. Thank you for supporting Dreams, etc.!

“But if you move into my old house I won’t visit you and I don’t want to see pictures or Snaps from inside your house.”

A late night chat with a friend turned into a discussion about the possibility of her family moving to my hometown. I lived in a beautiful college town in Wisconsin until I was nine. I still remember that fateful day in June when my dad sat down with me to tell me he had received a call to a church in Minnesota and would probably take it. I remember the panic at the thought I wouldn’t see my dad all the time while he worked in Minnesota, before I realized I would actually have to live in Minnesota, too. I experienced a momentary blip of excitement (adventure!), before I thought, “WTF, why would I ever in a million years want to move to Minnesota?!?” And believe me, I made sure everyone knew that was how I felt when we moved that August.

But I digress. I’m often asked why I still call it my hometown, why I feel like it’s such a part of me, even though I left when I was nine. I didn’t even spend a full decade there, and yet I feel this attachment to it. The answers I always share (and believe to be true) are: 1) Even though I wasn’t there for a “full decade,” I was still there for nine years. That’s half of my childhood and I have a lot of beautiful memories from my life there. 2) Once we left, I still had strong ties to my hometown. My childhood best friend and I visited each other every summer. She’d spend a week or two with me in Minnesota and I’d spend a week or two with her in Wisconsin. And for two years in high school, someone from my hometown lived with my family during the week and when she’d go home on the weekend I’d sometimes go with her. (I learned how to parallel park on her dad’s farm.) So it’s not like I left and never returned. I was there every summer. And this July, I was there quite a bit.

I believe that some of my creativity and creative inspiration comes from…

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There’s another reason I feel so attached to my hometown that I don’t often share: I believe that some of my creativity and creative inspiration stems from and is rooted in my hometown.

Creativity Life

3 Lessons for Creatives

July 12, 2017

I used to work with someone who has the same degree from the same university as me. In one of those small world moments, we realized that since we graduated just a few years apart we probably passed each other on campus, but we don’t remember having any classes together. Every once in awhile we’d talk about some of our favorite teachers in our department and one day we were both raving about a writing teacher and as soon as we started to say his name we realized we were raving about the same one.

As we raved about him, the things we talked about most (other than how nice he is, cause he’s the nicest guy and one of these lessons should be “be like him”) are the things he taught us that weren’t even related to the craft of writing, but are life lessons that are beneficial to all. Here are three lessons for creatives.

Creativity

100 Days of Mornings + Daily Photo Project Ideas

June 16, 2017

Hello, friends! I’m pretty far behind with sharing these updates, but since my last post was pretty photo-heavy I wanted to share my usual half months worth of photos. In my last 100 Days of Mornings photos I shared some tips for daily projects and #4 was to switch up the subject matter of your photos. Sometimes you don’t have the time–or energy–to take think about what to take photos of. Those are some of my least favorite, but probably the most true to life pictures that I take, because I don’t have time to wipe the dust or move an unsightly cord from the view of the camera. But if I’m on top of things with my daily project I can be a little more intentional and take a photo that still represents my life, but varies things up a little. Some things to consider:

1 // What’s the weather like? And how can you capture that in your photos? Throughout this project I’ve had the chance to capture the last of the winter snow, spring rains and now… pollen? #summerallergies #summeristheseasontohibernate

2 // Take a look around you. What’s in your surroundings that you see every day but doesn’t always stand out? How do those things change every day? Is there a place that has a fun play of shadows based on what the sun is like? Did you forget to clear a cobweb from a corner of your ceiling? What does your nightstand look like in the morning?

3 // Are you doing anything that’s different from your usual routine? Those are fun things to document!

4 // How can you take a look at your daily things (like, for instance, your cup of coffee) and make them new? Put it in a new environment that’s still part of your morning.

5 // Do you have pets or children? They’re fun to take pictures of each morning too. Just think about all the cute moments and shenanigans they get into… or maybe some of the frustrating ones… that we don’t stop to document? Those little moments are the memories that put a smile on your face later on, so document them.

Remember: the cute moments your pets/kiddos get into become the best memories. Document them!

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Do you have any tips for varying subject matter in a daily project like this?

I’d love to hear them! I already feel inspired to finish out this 100 Day Project and really take a look at what’s around to me to see how I can make the last thirty days of this project feel special.

Want to shake up your daily photography challenge? Here are five things to consider!

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But let’s jump back to Day 28, which is where I’m at with updates in this month/month and a half of not updating/only posting book reviews. 🙈 Life. That’s all I have to say about that.

Day 28: 5/1 @ 7:28 AM. Spring is here and the weather alternates between sunny & warmer and cold & rainy cold, but I’ve ditched my coat even when I should probably wear it.

Creativity Life

100 Days of Mornings + Tips for Daily Projects

May 4, 2017

It’s time for an update on 100 Days of Mornings! This will cover April 17th – April 30th, so days 14 – 27. Before we get into the pictures, I thought I’d start with five tips for a daily project. I’ve done daily projects before and have both successfully completed them/completely failed, so I have a few tips and words of advice if you’re interested in taking on a daily project… or if you’re in the midst of The 100 Day Project.

1 // Set a calendar reminder on your phone. I’ve found that my phone’s memory is better than mine and it has saved my butt a time or two … or most days. But make sure you schedule it within a reasonable amount of time before your deadline. Since I want to take all of my morning photos before noon, my calendar reminder is set for 11am. I’ll always be doing something at that time, so I can stop and take a photo of what that is. When I did Project 365, I had my calendar reminder set during the evening, so that I had a couple of hours to decide what to take a photo of.

2 // Take a picture when you first think of it. Even with a calendar reminder I can easily get swept up in the bustle of the day. The reminders can also get lost in a sea of text messages — or notifications from different apps, if you have those on. So if you think of it, find something to snap a picture of. Sometimes those quick ones turn out to the best, and even if it’s not, a mediocre one is better than none. And speaking of mediocre…

3 // Remember: each day doesn’t have to be spectacular. Sometimes you might have a crappy picture or two and that’s okay. Also, the simple, routine moments of your every day are just as beautiful as the special, unique moments. Capture those simple moments. They’re worth remembering.

4 // Switch up the subject matter. Posting my photos on Instagram has been so helpful this way, since I can take a look at my grid and see what subjects have been repeated throughout the week. A daily photo project is a great way to see what your world and life was like during that period of time, so take a look at the world around you. There’s more to each morning than your cup of coffee — as fun as those photos are and as many as I have taken.

5 // Don’t stress out about it. When I first heard of #The100DayProject last year I saw a quote image with the phrase: “But what if I fail? You will. And then what? You get to decide if you keep doing this.” Last year, I decided not to. This year, if I fail, I will keep going. Taking on a daily project is a challenge, but it should also be something you enjoy. Too much stress can take away some of your passion for your creative endeavors. Seriously, #beentheredonethat with Project 365. I don’t have the same passion for photography that I used to, because that project became so. stressful. for me. You might not enjoy it every day, but make sure you’re having fun. You don’t have to take on a daily project; it’s something you chose to do to stretch yourself creatively and grow. Let it be an enjoyable learning experience and see what comes of it, not something you dread each day.

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