Despite the name of this channel literally being “Haley Jane’s Journal,” I feel like I don’t talk about writing a lot. However, I just graduated with an undergrad in journalism, and I’m now figuring out what to do with my life. So it feels like the appropriate time to start talking about how I’ve been spending the majority of my time recently.
A primary focus of the videos I make has to do with finding magic within the mundane, and I think this would be a bit more applicable if I explained my reasoning and daily habits behind this romanticization, if you will.
To me, writing feels like a practical art form. What I mean by that is that writing is creative like art, but my focus is in truth-telling and reporting, so I’m constantly trying to figure out how to storytell truthfully but in ways that are still creative.
Regardless, writing is still certainly a form of art, and art is just one of those professions that doesn’t have a lot of room for burnout. It is hard to stay motivated all the time and feel creative at every moment I need to be. I’m certainly not successful at being creative at every turn of life, but I have picked up habits that I think help me quite a lot. These are things I do that not only keep me motivated as an aspiring writer but also just keep me enjoying life and not taking the burnout too seriously. They’re habits that not only support my productivity but support my wellbeing and my mental health first and foremost.
Aspiring writer or not, these are honestly just some great habits for happiness and finding more wonder within the world.
Going on Walks
As with most things in life, functioning from a state of flow tends to feel a lot better than forcing ourselves through the motions. Because of this, I’m always attempting to move myself into a state where I am both happier and more likely to produce more quality content.
You can’t really force creativity out of yourself; rather, I find that I need to give myself space and a change of pace, sometimes physically moving my body to get the energy moving.
It’s so important for me to set aside time where I’m not trying to be creative. For one, it helps me become inspired again. Second, I tend to place a lot of my worth in how creative I am or the things I create, and it is a healthy reminder to step away from that and recognize that my value lies more within my existence itself, as it does with everyone.
I feel like we are always so caught up trying to make meaning with our lives and do something with our lives that we forget we are allowed to simply exist and enjoy life without achievement.
A seated meditation is another powerful way of doing this, but personally, I have trouble sitting still for more than 15 minutes, so going on walks is a way for me to kind of force quality time with myself and do nothing other than walk and look around. Sometimes my thoughts are racing, sometimes they are quieter.
Regardless, spending mindful time like going on walks helps me to just accept myself outside of what I do or what I’m trying to do and recognize that the world is so large compared to myself that I am allowed to release some of the weight I feel back into it.
Being Creative in Every Facet of Life
Being creative in ways other than my main creative goal is so important for me when it comes to staying close to myself and just enjoying life in general. It’s so easy to get caught up in producing things motivated by the potential for success and money, and what else have you, but true joy, in my opinion, comes from the things you do that aren’t motivated by anything other than the motivation to be present and enjoy the moment.
We don’t always have time for creative endeavors, but life has rich potential to be done in so many ways. You can have the same day but do the same things slightly differently, and that’s a form of creativity. Not everything has to be practical; there can always be a little more whimsy added. Whether it’s burning a candle with a seasonal scent, going out of your way to watch a sunset, or taking dance breaks, creativity isn’t always an art project that you need to sit around and spend hours on. Life itself can be a creative project.
