Creative Intention Setting — Q1 Check In
Hard Things
Submitting to Journals - 1
Writing a poetry collection - 2 new drafts
Read more poetry - 3 unfinished
Go to more open mics - 3 (100% new)
Get feedback - 3 poems
Spontaneous poetry - 18-19
Get paid - chats happening
TikTok - BIG NO
Posting Socials - 4 personal / 4 OV
Self- promotion - 0
Finish the book - 0
Networking - Yes
Poetry Slam Competitions - 0
Writing down all of my ideas - not very good
Organising my drive - 0
This month is slightly different to the usual check in because we have come to the end of Q1. Maybe it’s because I cut my teeth in the corporate world, or maybe it’s because the season is changing, but a quarterly review is a worthy chance to assess how things are going and whether the Creative Intentions I set myself at the start of the year are serving me still.
I know a lot of creatives find January a difficult time to set goals and intentions and would rather do this in Spring. So, if you’re here looking for a more creative way to organise your ambitions download a copy of the Creative Intentions Setting Workbook and start figuring out your Hard Things.
What went well?
Season 2 of the Orange Verse
Season 2 of the Orange Verse was a hit! I loved it and got some really lovely feedback.
I had friends (and my mum) sign up but also some faces I’d never seen before. I made a small profit and learned a lot of lessons which are priceless, I suppose (although don’t pay the bills). It’s a start.
Season 3 is already in the works and will be taking place towards the end of May. Watch this space.
Open Mics
I’ve been to loads of new open mics and met loads of new poets.
I also pushed myself completely out of my comfort zone and competed in a slam. It was an interesting experience.
Community
I love my zesty community. It feels a privilege to be sent poems and meet new people.
My friend has started a creative writing group where we workshop each other's works in progress. It’s great to be on a journey with people and have an encouraging group.
What didn’t go well?
Reading more poetry
Reading poetry has been hard. It shouldn’t be so hard but it is. I have bought a lot of poetry and have dipped in and out but sitting down and actually reading the words and taking it in has been another struggle. Something I must learn to content with.
Social Media
Social Media has been both a success and a failure. My follower count has grown but I haven’t really been creating the content that I need to. I have lots of ideas it just somehow takes me a million hours to create one post so I put it off. More organisation and scheduling is needed.
Also, it’s much more important to spend time creating art over creating social posts - so the next quarter will be about finding the happy medium.
What needs to go?
TikTok
TikTok is probably not going to happen for me this year at all. I’m barely able to keep on top of Instagram and I don’t want to learn a whole new platform when I’m only just beginning to get to grips with all the tools in IG.
Self-promotion
What does that even mean? It’s unquantifiable. If all the other things are happening, self-promotion will occur naturally. I’d much rather be rooted in community than feeling like a show-off.
Finish The Book
I’ve scratched this off the list of Hard Things. It’s happening in the background but the main focus of this year is to build a sustainable life writing and teaching and hosting and all the other poetry business.
How many creative projects still interest you?
I’ve got stuff on there like merch and podcast which I would love to do someday, but right now would take me away from my core values. It’s an interesting list.
I needed a big start to the year with lots of possibility. Q2 is about narrowing down and getting some stuff finished. Then we’ll see about picking up some of the projects I’ve put down.
I keep learning the same lesson over and over again, which is, the more you take action the more you figure out what it is you want to create.
How close are you to living your Ideal Day?
Not close.
I write whenever I have some quick time and strong energy.
I think that’s OK for now, but I will need to take some time off to polish up my manuscript. There’s a lot that needs tightening up and I don’t have the capacity to do it at the moment with a full-time job, going to the gym, looking after the house, socialising, etc, etc. I could probably be a bit more selfish with my mornings.
I have picked up some crochet projects so I am adding in some other creative pursuits that aren’t for any kind of work benefit - just pure enjoyment.
And your creative contract?
Getting there. One small segment at a time 🍊
