opening up to creative abundance

plus, free workshop on friday and subscriber workshop on sunday

Two quick updates before I get into today’s post:

• We have our monthly Writing the Layers workshop tomorrow, September 6 at 7 pm et on Zoom. This free for all subscribers. We will be using the September prompt list to inspire our writing for this workshop. Sharing is optional, and new faces are always welcome. You can register here.

• This Sunday, we have our next quarterly-ish workshop, Intro to Memory Journaling, September 8 from 2 - 4 pm et. Participants who want to write about their life experiences will learn my tried and true techniques for recalling significant memories, finding themes, and exploring meaning. This one is free registration for paid subscribers or drop in for $40.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou

I almost gave up on writing a few times.

At one point, I couldn’t find hope in it anymore. I knew I could write well for school and business purposes, and I knew that I could write deep into my personal pain, but I didn’t know how to write from a place of joy. I thought my creativity had to come from a sad place, and writing became a habit that only made me feel worse. My brain and my body associated grabbing my journal with going to a dark place.

I started turning this around by studying books like Louise Desalvos’ Writing as a Way of Healing and Janet Conners’ Writing Down Your Soul. I studied Dr. James Pennebaker’s research on expressive writing. His work highlights how we can find different points of view through writing, and discover ways to reframe our experiences. (Subscribers can find a workshop on that here.)

The scary part of this reframing for me was letting go of the victim version of me. The one who was used to comforting herself with limiting beliefs and assumptions.

I knew I wanted to use writing to empower myself and others, and I couldn’t do that if I kept associating writing only with pain and lack and bleeding on the page. I was cool with bleeding on the page, but I wanted to heal and grow and inspire there, too! I love the Maya Angelou quote above because it has been a reference point for shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset — from a victim mindset to a creative mindset.

Scarcity thinking hinders creativity. One of the first things I learned when I committed to unlearning scarcity is that when you feel stuck or lacking in one area of your life, you can tap into the abundance that you have in another area of your life to find the feeling of overflow and supply. Scarcity is the dominant narrative in our culture (you’re too old! you’re too young! you’ve missed your chance! stay in your lane! it’s all been said before!), so this unlearning can be awkward, confusing, and isolating at first.

To tap into what else I had to offer other than my pain, I turned to my love of reading and learning. I began to absorb more books, articles, interviews, videos—everything I could find that quenched my thirst for knowledge and ideas about creativity and writing to heal. The new knowledge and my lived experiences commingled and expanded my creative material and what I had to say. I realized that as long as I lived this life experience in a deeply curious, resourceful, and observant way, I could never run out of questions and answers to explore.

When I believed that my pain was all I had to offer, my well ran dry. But when I listened to the voice inside that told me there was more to discover, the floodgates opened.

When you’re a creative thinker with an abundance mindset, you know there is an invisible supply of resources that’s beyond your immediate sight. Gratitude opens our eyes and makes us more open and receptive to all forms of abundance.

We narrow our vision when we only look for abundance in the form that we expect: a fully formed idea, a post that goes viral and turns into a book deal, the immediate erasure of a problem. Whatever your short-term idea of abundance is.

The truth is that abundance might show up as a juicy, but not fully formed idea. It might show up as a stepping stone that leads to an opportunity. It might show up in the form of an unexpected teacher/lesson that we need in order to unlock some next level.

Think about how you can apply this to your life. What limitations or feelings of scarcity do you face when it comes to your writing? How can your writing open your heart and mind to new forms of abundance?

I’m sharing this to encourage you to have faith as your voice and creative perspective evolve through the different seasons of your life. 

In my writing group, the Inner Story Writing Circle, we approach our writing goals from the inside out, doing the inner work that cultivates a healthy creative mindset, so the writers can get unstuck and get free to explore the possibilities that their writing journey has to offer.  

If this resonates, I encourage you to get a feel for the community by subscribing or exploring ways to work with me below.

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” — Wayne Dyer

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If you are seeking community and inspiration in your creative life, and you value writing as a tool for self-care, personal growth, and creative expression, consider subscribing and dropping in to join us for some of our monthly workshops. Our next one is Intro to Memoir Journaling on September 8 from 2 - 4 pm et. free for paid subscribers | $40 for drop-ins

If you want consistent accountability and mentorship for your writing practice, considering joining the Inner Story Writing Circle, a month-to-month membership to support your healing, personal story work, and creative development.

coming soon:

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September 18. Author Chat w/ Chianti Lomax // 6 - 7 pm et (details on the giveaway for her book, Evolving While Black, coming soon!)

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