I find the days are going by both quickly and slowly in this new world. Here's what I did during quarantine last week:
1. Attempted to turn a frozen pizza into a wholesome meal (results: unclear). 2. Watched my partner deliver some very difficult news. 3. Used a tape measure to understand exactly what 6 ft of social distance looks like. 4. Watched Tiger King and realized I know very little about Oklahoma. 5. Held abunch of workshops (including Creative Momentum) and heard what this experience has been like for many of you. Thanks for showing up and connecting.
My week had a lot of ups and downs. I imagine yours did too. There were moments where I was feeling optimistic and moments where I was freaking the shit out. I imagine it's going to be like this for a while. I'm trying to get in flow with it.
A highlight of my week was getting to talk to 28 junior and senior BFA students at Wash U in St. Louis. Like all college students, they lost their workspaces and libraries and have been trying to make their art under new conditions. The seniors won't get to walk at their graduation or have an exhibition of their final work. Not to mention they are graduating at a tremendously shitty time. Needless to say, they're stressed.
In our conversation, we talked about a lot of different things - self-compassion, permission, resources. We also talked about responding vs. reacting to our circumstances, and how those two modes might be different. Their thoughts on this topic were brilliant but one student's comments really stuck with me:
"Reacting is about setting yourself in opposition to something ... versus responding is about engaging in a conversation and adding your point of view..."
I loved this.
Reacting is about being in opposition - resisting what is.
Responding is about attention and exchange. It's about listening and adding your point of view. It's about staying connected to ourselves and to each other.
As creative people, it's our life's work to learn how to respond vs. react. This is by no means an easy task. Sometimes that response might involve taking a moment to rest. Sometimes it might mean asking for help or re-examining our resources. In a time when things are changing so quickly, our response is going to change from day to day. I'm trying to create space for that change to happen. Room for the unexpected. In effect, I'm trying to minimize my experience of friction. It ain't easy. But as my neighbor reminded me on my walk today, we can do hard things.
If you need some support around these topics, I'll be running Mindset Monday (my free group-coaching workshop) for another 2 sessions. You can sign up for this coming Monday from 12-1 pm CT for a convo with some lovely people.
