tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post6457418013533486515..comments2023-10-07T12:44:54.727-04:00Comments on Last American Childhood: Re-thinking productivityRachel Federmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00954446214849444639noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-47592869169461580212017-04-05T21:30:18.989-04:002017-04-05T21:30:18.989-04:00Hi Poppy,
I thinks simplifying and living in the ...Hi Poppy,<br /><br />I thinks simplifying and living in the present is absolutely the way to go. I ove that about experiencing with all your senses. I've been trying to do that, too. Yes - I'm getting closer to that understanding and I thank you for your perspective and guidance. <br /><br />Rachel<br /><br />Rachel Federmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00954446214849444639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-49931463581349775142017-04-05T16:28:41.528-04:002017-04-05T16:28:41.528-04:00Hi Rachel,
Your title says it all. As our circum...Hi Rachel, <br /><br />Your title says it all. As our circumstances change, our daily routines become blurred, our demand and supply equation seems to have no result, well, it's time to re-think our productivity, and more specifically, define exactly what that is, or rather, has come to be. I have been on a personal mission the last 5 years or so, to SIMPLIFY my life and live in the present. I mean REALLY experience it with all my senses, for it is all the time we have; the past is unreachable and the future unclear. My productivity for each day is different, and that's okay, finally. <br /><br />Hope you come to an understanding between the premises of productivity and yourself, after giving it some thought.<br /><br />Poppy:)Poppyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08980323586402386609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-33316797981217209902017-03-20T09:56:58.516-04:002017-03-20T09:56:58.516-04:00Sarah - that certainly makes sense to me that you ...Sarah - that certainly makes sense to me that you wanted a break before plunging into anything, let alone a Boot Camp of sorts! I keep thinking about your line..."if I failed, I would have to fail publicly..." - absolutely true in terms of daily accountability...what's also interesting to me is that it can apply more broadly to a blog...or most/all art forms - writing, music, painting...depending on how much one puts oneself out there..."If I failed, I would have to fail publicly..." Rachel Federmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00954446214849444639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-29795273819135089342017-03-19T06:51:32.497-04:002017-03-19T06:51:32.497-04:00I have my copy of Writer's Boot Camp! It arriv...I have my copy of Writer's Boot Camp! It arrived toward the end of my 365 project when I was reaching the burn-out stage, so I needed a break before plunging into the 30-day Boot Camp. But I'm ready now and more than happy to share feedback. I'm really excited to see where it takes me. Regarding Morning Pages vs daily blogging, I initially chose to blog for accountability--if I failed, I would have to fail publicly. But it quickly became more about connection and conversation. And I think those conversations helped shape some of the work, and in some cases, that work informed some essays. I absolutely agree with you that daily writing, whether Morning Pages or blogging, reduces anxiety and clears those "first thoughts" that might otherwise end up in our other work.Sarah Bousquethttps://onebluesail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-26247213265175646162017-03-15T17:38:06.091-04:002017-03-15T17:38:06.091-04:00I'll check that note but first...thanks for yo...I'll check that note but first...thanks for your comment here. I like that idea...Thank you.Rachel Federmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00954446214849444639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-35198559452720890572017-03-15T15:08:59.619-04:002017-03-15T15:08:59.619-04:00I wrote you a note where you left your pondering.....I wrote you a note where you left your pondering...before I came here and read this long introspection. me oh my momma...so much pressure. Perhaps you might think of your writing as your youngest child...and be patient with it and her mother.Jeannettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06115410908800997558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-59949736369216932622017-03-15T11:01:36.241-04:002017-03-15T11:01:36.241-04:00Kelly - I'm so glad you raised these points. Y...Kelly - I'm so glad you raised these points. You're right kids are the last ones who need help with creativity. And there is absolutely something that smacks of privilege about her routine! In fact, even reading the post I linked to - much as I loved daydreaming about her walks with the dogs every afternoon, her leisurely phone calls - it does feel like that lifestyle could only be a fantasy for most people, not even limiting it to mothers of young children. There is just so much space in her day. I'm sorry you haven't been able to get that little time to yourself in the gym! <br /><br />Thanks for your ever-generous interpretations of my productivity or lack there-of. I too wish I wasn't always holding up a measuring stick, and I want to stop. Interesting that Kelly was just writing on her blog to about taking a break from tracking...just going with the flow...<br />It's true the Morning Pages themselves never take shape, but I find they relieve me of a lot of the anxieties, frustrations and just mundanities that would otherwise crowd themselves into my "real" writing or just straight out block it from the start. I'm sorry I can't give away Boot Camp copies...I get hardly any myself. If you do end up proceeding through it, or part of it, and you're willing to share any feedback, I'd be so grateful. <br />BTW, I wanted to ask how you found the daily blogging compared to the Morning Pages...I know the 365-blogging kept you tethered, and maybe it was in a more productive way?<br /><br />Rachel Federmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00954446214849444639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-72307513969043482992017-03-14T21:34:33.352-04:002017-03-14T21:34:33.352-04:00Your memory of going to the gym and leaving Wally ...Your memory of going to the gym and leaving Wally at the daycare and it feeling so luxurious captures that new mom feeling so well. Those brief moments alone during those first transformative years feel so indulgent. I love that you stole a bit of time to write too.<br /><br />I have no idea why some days are so productive and other days are like, phew, we got through it. (Though even your “less productive” days are impressive!) In many ways, I wish I wasn't always holding a measuring stick up to everything. I want to let the day be, let myself be. But there is always that internal itch toward striving (and anxiety when I’m not).<br /><br />I think my original copy of The Artist's Way is from my teens. I returned to about 10 years ago during a creative dry spell. My morning pages always felt like me babbling to myself. They piled up but never took shape, and it frustrated me. But the daily routine, that practice that keeps me tethered, is so vital. It keeps slipping from me lately and my productivity has been low. I think it’s officially time for Boot Camp. Thank you for this post, for the reminder that it ebbs and flows, and for the “invitation to consider a different kind of expansiveness, a more ragged and jagged sense of personhood, apart from motherhood, that can productively begin unravelling a bit at the seams.” Beautiful.Sarah Bousquethttps://onebluesail.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89009055828422416.post-45961112812245920342017-03-14T16:02:22.104-04:002017-03-14T16:02:22.104-04:00I relate to this so much. I recently signed up for...I relate to this so much. I recently signed up for a gym membership so I could do the same thing, but the baby's separation anxiety has been making it impossible. <br /><br />There's something about Julia Cameron's insistence on routine that smacks of privilege to me, though I can't yet articulate why. I love the Artist's Way but its inflexibility has made it somewhat inaccessible to me as a mother. Even the Artist's Way for Parents is all about raising creative children. They're the last people who need help in that regard. <br /><br />Kelly Kautzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12153712035498075386noreply@blogger.com