S-t-u-c-k. The s-word dreaded by creatives all over the globe. And there is good reason for dreading it.  You’re humming along, in a creative groove and then you come to a complete halt.  Your mind is either blank or so cluttered with non-fun, creativity-sucking things that there is nowhere for a spark to catch.  Man, I hate being stuck! As we’re creeping towards Christmas and I’m already looking forward to taking a long break, I have to admit that I have been feeling a bit stuck creatively.  I’ll sit at my easel and flip through books and ponder what I’ll paint next without putting brush to canvas.  I’ll sit at my computer and distract myself with window shopping on Etsy or watching news bloopers on YouTube.  (Some are a riot.)  I’ll set aside focused time to work on a specific project only to find myself uninspired, sitting in front of

When I worked in the corporate world (can you even imagine that?), I would keep a running to-do list on a legal pad.  Each day, I would work through the list until it was “quitting time” and, whatever was left on the list would get transferred to a fresh piece of paper as the start of my to-do list for the next day. That method worked well when my job was over the minute I left the office to start my commute home.  I was never nagged by what was undone.  My work very rarely came home with me. Since I started my own business, I’ve used the same method of keeping a running to-do list.  It seemed like a good business practice. Here’s the problem… my running to do list made me feel like there were never enough hours in the day and like my work day couldn’t end

My time of retreat felt like flight.  Not the kind we’re used to these days when you’re herded like cattle through security and shoved into a seat appropriately sized for a nine-year-old.  It was flight that was light and swift, like a blue jay.  The wind was in my hair and I glided, soared, and soaked in the view. The landing has been a little rough, though.  I thought I was prepared for it.  I knew that coming home after having completely uninterrupted days in 70 degree weather and sunshine would be a jolt.  It’s been more than that, like there are literal forces at work against me, trying to siphon all enthusiasm from a completely full tank. I ended up in a mix of tears and manic laughter at my small group last Thursday, when I was asked to share a prayer request for the week.  Even though I was