This article is an excerpt from a past MONTHLY LETTER. If you enjoy this kind of grounding support, sign up to receive the monthly coaching package: it includes an article like this one, journaling prompts, creative practices, spiritual rituals and supportive tools to help you navigate your rebellious path as an artist or creative entrepreneur.

This month, we're getting curious about patiently nurturing the seeds we plant instead of pulling them by the root in an effort to make them grow faster. We’re also exploring our tendency to jump from one thing to the next when we cannot observe immediate results.

What might happen if we were to trust in the inevitable process of growth, and stop monitoring it under a microscope?

What if we chose intention over speed, grace over hustle and integrity over perfection?

What if we learned to pace ourselves and find delight in the moments we keep pressing fast-forward on?

If you know me, you know that “travel”comes right after “art” on my endless list of passions and interests. If you really know me, you also know that one of my ultimate hobbies is scrolling through Airbnb in search of the most intriguing home. I actually pride myself in always finding that perfect little gem— in the 103 places I’ve rented over the past few years, I’ve never been wrong. Up until now.

After a rather stressful day (we’re crazy enough to travel across the globe with 3 cats), we finally made it to our Spanish apartment, ”a place full of character in a historical building”. With hindsight, I should have read between the lines. Our charming little home had no electricity, no internet, no heating, clogged drains, and was located in the noisiest place I’ve ever visited on Earth.

I promise, this letter is not really about power outages and clogged drains. Be patient ;)

Don’t get me wrong— this is not me complaining, this is actually me being grateful. This unfortunate incident got me thinking about all of the power flickerings that had been happening in my own creative life. This apartment was a reflection of my internal state. No matter how many appliances I would turn off, its power source kept jumping— and so did mine. For quite some time, I had been lighting fires that would extinguish immediately. I had been planting seeds that would rot almost right away. I had been jumping from one idea to the next, continuously switching my focus until my creative fire blew out.

This non-functional apartment was in serious need of restoration, and so was I. It invited me to reconnect with what mattered most, and save energy for only the essential, the important, the meaningful. It invited me to witness the noise in my own mind, and seek a silent place within to listen deeply and hear all the ways life had been saying no. No more. Less. Less. Even less. It invited me to make lemonade out of lemons, and reflect on how often I had been making lemons out of lemonade.

Do I read a little bit too much into the spiritual meaning of things? Maybe. But it was nonetheless a very accurate metaphor and timely message for me about the need for a total reset. Maybe this resonates with you too?

So often, we spend more time either igniting or putting out fires— instead of tending to it patiently and keeping the flame alive. We forget to nurture the seeds we plant, and they never take root. We end up feeling like we’re behind, or nowhere near where we should be. We buy into the story that we’re not going fast enough, we’re not doing enough, we’re not being enough.

Dear creative mind, I hope you learn to surrender to the inevitable process of growth that happens when we tend to ourselves just as much (and dare I say, even more) as we tend to our creative projects. Your art needs you in order to grow.

I hope you learn to stay here— and not run away from the uncomfortable (and often slow) process of growth or awkward beginner phase of anything new.

I hope you learn that you are enough. Your art does not need more of A, B or C… It needs more of you, being present here and now.

I hope you learn how to nourish your own power so you can keep the fire alive.

journaling prompts to find safety and delight in the unknown:

What if the waiting period became a delightful moment?
What if what is still unknown became an exciting adventure?
What if for a moment we chose maintenance over growth?
What if it was okay to abandon a few projects so we don’t abandon ourselves?

CREATIVE PROMPT TO SUSTAIN THE FIRE:

Simply put, fire needs three elements: heat, fuel and oxygen— basically an idea, something to nourish it and space to breathe.

Heat— Understand what you want + need (and who you are, here and now) so you can filter out the idea that feels right for now. It’s okay if certain things hibernate for a little while.
Fuel— Focus on sustainable routines (nourishment) that can support you on a daily basis and help you stay the course.
Oxygen— Start small and grow incrementally. You cannot maintain 52 different fires alive with two hands. But you can light new fires with the flame of the one you chose to nurture for a while.