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Creativity

Poem-a-Day // My Secret Project & What I Learned

May 11, 2016August 31, 2016 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 16 comments
Poem-a-Day // My Secret Project & What I Learned

In April I talked about a secret project that I had given myself for the month and I told you that if I was successful I’d talk about it more later. I wasn’t successful, but I decided I’m going to talk about it anyway!

My secret project for April was to write a poem a day. When I started on April 1st I realized it was the perfect time for this project because April is National Poetry Month. This was totally unintentional. I don’t keep track of all the special “national holidays” that we’re supposed to celebrate each month or day. But it was also unintentional because April wasn’t the month I originally chose to do this: February was. And then March. And I don’t think I even wrote one poem either of those months. But I wrote almost two weeks of poems in April and I learned a lot about why I wasn’t doing so well with the poem-a-day thing, so I wanted to share those thoughts with you.

What I learned from attempting and failing to write a poem a day for a month. // dreams-etc.com

1 // I know what tools I need to be successful. So I should use them.

An important tool for me are sticky notes. I like them. And when I have one on my desk, I tend to write my thoughts down. And let’s be real: I’m a writer. My mind is always going so I should always have a place to jot down my thoughts, even if I’m not trying to write a poem a day.

I should pull out a sticky note, was a constant thought that I had throughout April and I never did. I don’t need this to write a poem a day, I’ll wait until I’m home and write a poem properly, I kept telling myself.

Write a poem properly? What does that even mean? I don’t need a quill, parchment and a candle on an old wooden desk to write a poem. A sticky note with whatever pen is lying around on my dusty desk at work will be even better because I’ll actually write the poem.

2 // Set a time to be reminded of the task. And use an alarm.

I’ve found that when I think of a time to do a task, I’m more likely to remember to do it. Schedule it, in a way, without actually scheduling it. That time, for me, was 6pm. That’s when I feed Little One and that’s when I get the notification on my phone to see if my sister has posted some cute photos of my nephew on Tiny Beans, so that’s always the time that I set for myself to do things.

But that’s also not a good time to actually sit down and write, so while I was able to start thinking about what to write (which is essential, I need that time to think), I didn’t always sit down and put it on paper. What I need to do is set an alarm for later in the evening to remind myself to sit down and write.

3 // Daily tasks are hard. So I need to give myself grace. 

I like the idea of doing something every day, but in reality life gets busy, it can be hard to fit a task into my every day life.  And that’s okay. As much as I strive to be creative everyday, there will be days that I’m on the go and crash as soon as I get home. On those days, reading a page (or paragraph) before bed to unwind and “refuel” creatively will have to do. And I need to be okay with that.

4 // I’m rusty. So I need to write more.

Before this project, I can’t remember the last time I wrote a poem and it definitely shows! I’m a bit rusty! The first few days I was so frustrated as I wrote crappy poems that asked myself why I ever thought I could write one. And then I remembered that 1) these are essentially first drafts (always bad) and 2) it’s been awhile. So I need to write more poems.

And read more poems. I always think of Stephen King, who says, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time–or the tools–to write.” I’ve found that to be true.

5 // Write about the little moments of each day.

I’ve found that it’s helpful to get inspiration for a daily project like this from your day instead of trying to come up with something. And then you have daily moments documented that you can look back on, which is so cool. My favorite poem from April was based on a random comment that I overheard. I’d love to share the poem with you, but I like it enough that I might try to do something with it in the future and shouldn’t put it on my blog.

So with those lessons learned I’m going to try this out again. Not this month… so far May has been a little stressful and a lot busy. But I’m going to attempt a poem-a-day project again soon.

HAVE YOU TAKEN ON A DAILY CREATIVE PROJECT? WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN?

[Tweet “What I learned from writing a poem a day–or trying to! #amwriting #createeveryday”]

ps – tips for completing Project 365.

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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16 comments

  1. Katie says:
    May 12, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Love it! I’ve been working on writing more (I’m not at a daily practice yet) but where I’m allowing myself to write OUTSIDE of blogging which is so freeing!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:19 pm

      I still need to develop the habit of a daily writing practice. It can be hard with all that’s going on. It’s so cool that you’re working on writing outside of blogging too. We’ll have to keep in touch and encourage each other in our writing endeavors. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Julia @ Drops of Jules says:
    May 12, 2016 at 10:02 am

    This is the first time on your blog, but I’m so excited to pop on over because I did this too! I’m in a creative writing course at university, and my professor offered us to do it as extra credit. I loved the process and found it challenging yet liberating. You could write anything!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      That’s awesome! I love that your professor gave you the opportunity to do this for a class and that you loved the experience. šŸ™‚ Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  3. Christine says:
    May 12, 2016 at 10:38 am

    I love that you challenged yourself! Proud of you!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      Thank you Christine!

      Reply
  4. janella says:
    May 12, 2016 at 11:30 am

    this is a great habit to get into to make sure you make time to do the things you love. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:16 pm

      I think that’s why I like daily challenges so much. It’s nice to have something that you do daily just to get in the habit of making your passions a regular part of life.

      Reply
  5. Mayra Murillo says:
    May 12, 2016 at 1:26 pm

    I love that you included giving yourself grace! It is such an import aspect and often one that we forget. The important thing is that you challenged yourself and you learned from it. Take from it what you will and grow.

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:16 pm

      I’m learning more and more that it’s important to give yourself grace. šŸ™‚ Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  6. Greta says:
    May 12, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    What a fun project! It’s great to challenge yourself to do something new!

    Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:15 pm

      It was a lot of fun! I think it’ll be cool to one day complete a month and be able to look back at it and see a month’s worth of poems. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. Shann Eva says:
    May 12, 2016 at 8:20 pm

    That sounds like a really cool challenge. I think even if we don’t complete what we set out to, we still learn a lot. At least I hope so, since I definitely don’t complete every challenge I start.

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:14 pm

      Exactly! I definitely think there’s something to be learned from any challenge we set for ourselves, even if we don’t complete it. šŸ™‚

      Reply
  8. Cynthia @craftoflaughter says:
    May 12, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    What a wonderful challenge to spark or renew the creative juices! I love this

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      May 15, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      It is! I feel like just doing a little bit of something every day keeps the creativity flowing. šŸ™‚

      Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. šŸ’™
Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. ā€œThe water looks cold,ā€ I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. šŸ˜‚)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle tour with a stop at Thingvellir National Park. My fingers froze as I took these photos but it was worth it to capture this view. šŸ˜ PS - the last photo is from a lake we stopped at on our way from Geysir to Thingvellir.
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