5 Lessons on Dream Catching [May printable calendar]

Last month, I started working on some of my goals for 2019. Last month. Yes, with one quarter of the year gone, I finally began putting some time into that burgeoning list of ideas I’ve been wanting to add flesh and paint to. I guess that makes me a late bloomer. It’s easy to scold myself and get discouraged with the delays and shifts in plans and even with my own resistance to putting in the work. But, instead, a few weeks ago, I decided to give myself a “talking to” as we say in the South, and embrace the notion that late blooms are still blooms. Their lateness just leaves longer for loveliness to germinate. That’s the inspiration for the mini print I’ve included in this month’s printable calendar – shared as you continue reading in ALL its tardiness! It’s also the motivation behind the trove of painted sketches in various stages of completion and a few lessons I’m trying to teach myself about capturing dreams.

This school year has been a challenging one, simply because we’ve had a series of hurdles that have interrupted how I thought the year would go. You know, when you have one idea about how life will play out, what you’ll have time for, what you’re excited about working on, where you’ll end up? And suddenly, a change of direction shake things up. Or, more of unexpected life gets thrown into the mix, and you’re left juggling, postponing, regrouping. That’s kind of how the year has gone.

Last September, my father broke his hip, which presented some physical changes, some worry about the future, and some additional support needed for my parents. Through surgery, an extended hospital stay, and a few months of great physical therapy, Dad regained most of his movement, and we were so excited to see that he would be able to be involved with our lives in all the same ways.

Just as we were beginning to celebrate that relief and excitement, another little curve ball entered the scene by way of a pine tree. It fell on my parents home during a storm at the beginning of December. We were so incredibly thankful that they were actually visiting with us when it happened, so only the house received damage. (perspective!) We decided to make a party out of the process of repair, and my parents stayed with us from early December to mid February. We were filled with gratitude for the time together, but through the process, I began 2019 feeling disappointed that somehow all the ideas and plans I wanted to accomplish in 2018 just didn’t materialize.

In February, after my parents were able to go home, the next hurdle came in a few weeks of flu and a strained hamstring that took kids out of school and me further out of any semblance of an organized work schedule. Plans for accomplishing anything more than the bare minimum flew out the window again. And, as I began to see the hints of spring coming, I was really ready to take control of the frustration. My heart just wanted to make progress!

During those months since September, I began reading and absorbing a great little hand-drawn and lettered book by Elle Luna, called The Crossroads of Should and Must. In addition to be utterly beautiful and vibrant, it talked a lot about recognizing your “musts.” We all have “shoulds” where we devote energy and time and emotional space. But, we may also have “musts” that nag at us until we pursue them. Things or efforts or goals or excitement that won’t go away until we chase them down. That’s kind of where I was. I’ve had some dreams and ideas for my business that I’ve shuffled around in my brain for several years. They’ve been put on hold by real life and all its surprises. They’ve been pushed to the back burner by client responsibilities and the craziness of being a single mom. Some of the frustration and dissatisfaction with beginning a new year has been the realization that I haven’t made any progress on those dreams. I don’t even know if they are good ideas because I haven’t given them the space and attention to find out.

So, one fourth of the way into 2019, I decided it was time to change that. It was time to start the new year! For the last month or so, I’ve been diligently trying to capture some of those dreams and give them feet and wings and color and shape. I’ve been trying out some new things, including how I organize my time, how I involve my children in what I do, how I approach client work, and where I find inspiration. Through the process, I’m learning a few things that I think are helping me stay better on track — a few rules and guidelines for dream catching. Take a look and then download your (tardy) May calendar!

Lessons in Dream Catching

When it comes to managing my time, act rather than react.

Boy, this is true in SO many areas — from social media to discipling kids to dealing with clients and beyond. But, I’ve really tried to apply this principle to how I organize my schedule. It’s so easy for dreams to get pushed out by tasks that create a sense of emergency. You know, those things that incessantly pop up that must be done immediately and suddenly our plans are thrown in the air. Now, in a freelance business (or a single parent family, for that matter), we can’t always avoid emergency tasks, but the feeling of overwhelm from disorganized or outstanding projects can produce the same perpetual sense of urgency. Over the last few months, I’ve gradually been trying to shift my project schedule so that I have designated and scheduled times or days for certain client contract accounts as well as for my own personal projects. For me, that helps me know from day to day what I’m going to be working on, and protects my schedule from being at the mercy of whatever whims show up in my inbox or my brainstorming. I’m able to act and create confidently, and also shift tasks to their appropriate place (and brain space), knowing I have a time already scheduled for them.

Put in the time.

This is a big one for me. Over the last year, I have almost completely abandoned my disciplines of daily painting, writing, and reading — the creative pursuits that in the past, have been the main source of new product ideas and the sense of curiosity and experimentation that tends to keep me sane during times when I have a busy workload. In addition, dreams don’t just materialize out of the air. IF I want to make the most of my ideas and accomplish those goals I’ve been harboring, I have to dust them off and put time to them. There’s no other way. So, for me, that has meant diligently scheduling time to pursue specific new ideas. Yes, I said scheduling. No more just letting new work filter in where there is time. Because there’s never time! Not unless I intentionally make room for it. If I want new products and new pursuits to become part of my business, I must also make them become part of my schedule. Period.

Make rest a priority.

When it seems like there are a thousand balls in the air, it’s tempting to deny this simple fact: Rest matters. It just does. None of us are as effective as we could be if we ignore our need for rest. And, rest comes in several forms. Actual sleep matters. I’ve realized that simple steps like specifically turning off my electronic devices at bedtime or intentionally putting them aside rather than letting myself fall asleep to their ambient blue light really make a difference in how rested I feel in the morning. The bedtime routines that I’ve tried to maintain for my kids as they’ve grown are just as important for me as an adult! In addition to sleep, so much of my ability to create depends on intentionally taking breaks and rest time from project demands. No one is served well by my constant need to be doing something for my businesses. Not my family. Not my clients. And not my own creative spirit. If I expect to bring life to new ideas and fresh creativity to what my clients need, giving myself time away from those demands is essential.

Leave time for mind wandering.

It’s not a waste of time. And, to believe that takes every single ounce of will power sometimes! When I give myself time to daydream, to let my mind wander, it actually acts as a jumpstart to creativity. It gives my brain the opportunity to process everything it’s been absorbing, and that time becomes a breeding ground for synthesizing new ideas. For me, painting sometimes serves to help my mind wander. Particularly if I’m painting “something” rather than lettering words. As I’m letting my hands meander from one color to the next, usually my brain is doing the same. Really, anything that lets our minds un-focus on specific tasks can bring freedom to our thoughts. Never underestimate the power of a good rabbit trail.

Begin.

In that “talking to” I keep trying to give myself, this is the most important thing. Just begin. Begin anywhere. No plan? That’s ok. Just start something. Not sure where this is going to take us? No worries. Just put pen to paper, or paint to brush, or make a move. Any move. Beginnings are like seeds. The anticipation of starting and the intimidation of where to start can sometimes become my biggest obstacle. For sure, when things are harried, that anticipation and intimidation becomes my biggest contributor to worry! When I feel like I have too much to do, the best way to overcome that fear is to DO something. Forget about what should or shouldn’t be the first thing, and DO the next thing. Just beginning brings us forward and provides the momentum to help those seeds continue to germinate.

So, May is made for beginnings, right? Yes, we’re a quarter of the way into 2019. Who cares? It seems like a good time to get blooming! Click below to download your printable calendar and be encouraged by the cut-away art, late bloomer!