What's your creative era?
Take this totally scientific, 100% accurate quiz and find out!
As a writer without a trust fund (thanks mom colonizers!) the scarcest resource I have is time. Whether it’s doing the laundry, doing the dishes, going to therapy appointments, going to the dentist, shuttling my kid to playdates, shuttling my kid to classes, signing my kid up for classes, signing my kid up for summer camp, (you get the idea) it always feels like something else is more important than my writing. Plus, all the kid stuff costs a lot of money, so I tend to lean into the work that I know is going to pay me, rather than books that someone may or may not publish. I thought making writing my career would change this but…it hasn’t.
For years, I banged my head against craft, process, and time management books, thinking that I was doing something wrong, and that everyone else had figured this out. It wasn’t until I started interviewing writers whose lives looked a lot like mine - neurodiverse writers, BIPOC writers, writers who were parents - that I realized that there are a ton of ways to fit creativity into our lives, and that all of these ways are valid. Nowadays, I try to be flexible with my writing schedule - although my stubborn ADHD makes that hard - and to focus on being happy instead of being perfect. Years of therapy later, I am…almost there?
If you’ve been told that you’re doing creativity wrong, I’m here to tell you that you’re not. Take this quiz and find out what kind of creative you are - and keep in mind that as our lives change, our process does too!
How much time do you have to yourself?
HAHAHAHAHA I’m literally reading this while cooking dinner, answering emails, and teaching my kindergartener how write the letter “q”. Time? Who’s she? Never met her.
I’m pretty busy with family, chores, and work (screw you, capitalism!), but I can scrape together a few hours here and there once in a while.
Despite all my obligations, I have a pretty predictable schedule. It isn’t easy, but I can find time if I need it.
How often do you have time to yourself?
Does daydreaming about beach vacations while driving kids to soccer practice count as time for myself? Because that’s all I got.
Maybe once or twice a week, depending on whether my boss is in a good mood / the babysitter doesn’t cancel / the Denver Public School system doesn’t decide to give everyone a snow day when the roads are perfectly clear.
Every day. My sanity depends on it. (I have a GREAT pair of noise cancelling headphones.)
When you engage in creative work, how long can you spend on it?
Five minutes here and there? Maybe?
When I have the time, I have a ridiculous attention span. I can work 3-4 hours without stopping!
1-2 hours if I plan ahead, but then I get tired or have to start my day.
What’s your workspace like?
You mean my kitchen table? Sticky and covered in melted crayons.
I work in public places. Nothing lights that creative spark like a season-themed latte and a teenage couple loudly breaking up at the table next to mine!
I have a dedicated workspace. (It might be a tiny corner of my living room that I share with the cat’s litter box and the laundry hamper, but it’s a workspace!)
What kind of projects are you working on now?
Short stuff that I can finish quickly or pick up easily, like poems or one-page essays. That’s all that fits in my schedule.
Some bigger projects and some smaller projects - I like to try everything!
A single long term project because I am focused AF.
IF YOU GOT MOSTLY A’S, YOU’RE IN YOUR LUCILLE CLIFTON ERA
Lucille Clifton was a fantastic poet who wrote classics like won’t you celebrate with me and homage to my hips (which we read in Moon Rabbit’s Writing the Body class - only a few spots left, so sign up now!). Clifton was a single mom who wrote her poems at the kitchen table surrounded by her children and anyone else who stopped by.* If you’re in your Clifton era, you might want to focus on short, finite projects that will give you a sense of satisfaction. (I went through a stage like this from 2020-2022, and basically spent the whole time learning how to write and pitch a personal essay - and I published my first humor piece, which was a long time bucket list item!)Even if you only have five or ten minutes at time, use them - especially if you know that tiny burst of creativity will make you happy! Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up: just because you’re not creating on a regular, robust schedule doesn’t mean that you or your art is less legitimate than people who do.
IF YOU GOT MOSTLY B’S, YOU’RE IN YOUR ROXANE GAY ERA
Fierce, fat, feminist Roxane Gay is a powerhouse of truth on and off the page. She’s incredibly versatile, and her work includes memoir, fiction, and even comic books (Shuri 4eva). On social media, she’s advises writers not to write daily, but to write consistently. If you’re in your Gay era, you might be neurodiverse (shout out to my hyperfocused sibzzzz), and / or you might have a schedule where you can only create on certain days when you have childcare and / or a break from your job. If you want to be intentional about your schedule, try to reserve one day a week where you can create for 4-5 hours - whether that’s at home or in a coffee shop. Another option is to take solo trips dedicated to creativity. (I do this! Once a year I either house sit or use hotel points to spend a weekend away from my family and just write!) Most importantly, don’t beat yourself up for not writing every day. Your style requires a lot of emotional energy, which means you need your time off!
IF YOU GOT MOSTLY C’S, YOU’RE IN YOUR TONI MORRISON ERA
Ah, Toni Morrison, the best writer who ever lived. (This is fact, not opinion, I WILL FIGHT YOU). Every day, she woke up before sunrise and wrote while her children slept. If you’re in your Morrison era, then a) you are incredible (I have NEVER sustained a daily writing practice), and b) it’s time to treat yourself. Create a dedicated workspace - even if it’s just a table in a corner - decorate it with inspiring works of art, and stock it with the best versions of the supplies you need (that you can afford). Also, don’t feel obligated to write in the mornings: pick a time that works for you, like lunch breaks or late nights.If you can, get help with things like cooking, cleaning, and childcare so you have some time to rest in between your creative time and all your other obligations. Most importantly, lean into the joy of your creative practice - what a treat to create every day!
Want more tools to upgrade your creative joy? Join me for Reclaim Your Creative Space, a workshop about making space for creativity in a super-busy life, or sign up for a Process Your Process one-on-one coaching session where we can work through your goals together!
*I actually can’t find sources for this claim, but I’ve heard it from multiple friends who worked with Clifton (and who I’m not jealous of AT ALL). So we’ll say it’s fact?
And now, for some news…
New Book Who Dis?
I have a new picture book out through Pratham Books, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written! You can read it for free here.
Upcoming Classes
Not sure how to research and write characters that aren’t like you? Check out my class on Writing Diverse Characters through the Center for Fiction!
MOON RABBIT CLASSES FOR WRITERS: Check out Writing the Body (which only has a few spots left) and Building Worlds, which I just added to the lineup!
MOON RABBIT CLASSES FOR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS: Looking for resources to diversify your child’s bookshelf? Come take Decolonize Your (Kids’) Bookshelf with me at Second Star to the Right in Denver!