Indrani Perera

poet, publisher & mentor

Tag: creativity

  • I’ve Been Putting Off This Post Again & Again

    IP - eggplant

    I've been putting off this post again and again.  The elves were supposed to magically deliver it to your inboxes last Thursday morning.  Instead, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm due to leave the house any minute now to take my daughters to their friend's birthday party ("No I can't do your hair, I'm writing a blog post!").  The truth is I'm just not in a writing mood at the moment.  And I'm not in a particularly making mood either.  After the mad Christmas rush to make food, decorations and presents I'm all made out.  I need a break!  (Don't worry, I'm still doing some making.  Mostly cooking new dishes from an excellent new cookbook I got for Christmas.  The above picture is Roast Aubergines with Sweet and Sour Tomatoes from River Cottage Light and Easy by the fabulous Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.)

    If I need a break, why am I sitting here writing a post?  Good question!  Like most things, the answer is complex.  It's partly the love of sharing my experiences (good, bad and ugly) in making the things I need and the life I want.  Partly the commitment I made to myself and you good people to blog regularly.  Partly a kick up the bum to get it done – I set myself a deadline of doing it before I took my kids to their friend's birthday party.  

    On the other hand, I don't want to write a post just for the sake of writing a post which is why this has taken so damn long.  (If this is feeling excruciating, it's because it is.  And that's exactly what writing has felt like this week.  Excruciating.  It's unusual for me.  Normally I love sitting here writing to you.  But hey, I did promise to share it all -the fabulous projects and the times when it all turned to custard.  This is one of those custard times.  But if I can learn something from it and share that with you it will be worth it.  I promise!)  So back to the story…

    The main thing that got me sitting here writing to you was giving myself extra time to think about this post and what I wanted to say.  To fully explore how I was feeling about not wanting to write.  To discover what, if anything I wanted to share this week.  Turns out there are no universal truths this week, just a lot of little insights.

    I had lots of thoughts about what I could share with you.  These included the benefits of taking a break, the kindness of giving myself extra time and doing what makes me happy.  But the main thought that I wanted to explore today was the seasonal nature of making (and of everything really).  

    In our lives, our passions ebb and flow.  We change and they change too.  We are living, growing and evolving beings.  Personally I want to be a tree with a massive root system under the earth and a huge welcome, sheltering canopy above it that is home to countless birds and possums.  Not a stagnant pond where the waters haven't moved for years.

    As well as our passions changing throughout our lives, they also change throughout the year in harmony with the seasons.  I've noticed this about myself and my creative process.  I have found that the winter months are great for me to focus on a big writing project like a book.  In spring time I dust off my sewing machine and start to make clothes for my children.  In summer I spend a lot of time outdoors and so I express my creativity by cooking new recipes.  In autumn I hunt out the knitting needles and buy more wool.  

    Right now the weather here is so good that I just want to be at the beach or the park, seeing new friends and exploring new places.  And if I'm not doing that I want to reorganise the house, declutter and get ready for the coming year.   So that's exactly what Im gonna do.  I'll still be blogging when I feel like it and posting pics of my adventures on Instagram.

    This summer I'm going to be following my bliss and using my spare time to do the things that bring me happiness and satisfaction.  I think that you should do the same!

  • Make Things For Yourself

      IP - perfume

    I had high hopes for my 42nd year, it being the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything as fans of Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers to the Galaxy will know. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite according to plan and for the first time I'm feeling my age. I look at folks in their twenties with a mixture of sadness and regret. I used to be that young, with all the promise of the coming years in from of me. Now though, I feel weighed down by age.  I know I'm being a tad melodramatic here but it's true.  I feel old.  Not as old as my nana, but old nonetheless.  

    I'm sure this funk will pass and I'm doing everything I can to help it on its way. My answer? Make something. Not just a handmade gift for a friend but a handmade gift for myself. It's very easy to get caught up in making for others and forget that you also need nurturing, pampering and spoiling!  Especially when things just aren't going according to your master plan!

    I've made myself an all natural perfume using organic oils. It smells divine and the dark colour comes from the vanilla essential oil which along with rose are two of my all time favourite scents.  I've used both in this perfume along with some sandalwood and orange essential oils.  All organic, all natural and all fabulous!  The carrier oil is organic jojoba.  I've used a vintage perfume bottle found in a country town garage sale. I got a whole box of gorgeous old glass bottles from a lovely old little lady for the princely sum of two dollars!

    So for my 43rd year, I'm not planning big goals or lofty achievements. This year I'm going to focus on happiness in the every day, right where I am. And while I'm doing that I'm going to be wearing my very own bespoke perfume!

  • Why You Should Take A Break, Right Now!

      IP - dishes

    It's really easy to get caught up in the importance and urgency of what you're doing.  All those pressing deadlines need to be met and those three thousand emails in your inbox to be answered. The obvious solution is to work a little harder, so you can get it all done.  Yet the more you work, the tireder and more inefficient you get.  Trust me, I try this approach all the time and it never, ever works!  A timely break to recharge the batteries, however, allows you to return to your project full of oomph and poomph.

    As well as recharging your batteries, taking a break allows you to consolidate memories, maintain goal focus and helps to reinforce positive behaviours.  

    If you need more reasons to walk away from your desk and go outside and sit in the sunshine, taking a break also gives your brain white space in which to innovate.  According to author Todd Henry, in his interview with Marie Forleo  "You have to allow the idea to breathe which means sometimes engaging in activity that is gloriously inefficient." He's the author of a range of books including his most recent title, Louder Than Words. I'm sure he meant dining at a fancy restaurant or reading the latest blockbuster novel but my favourite way to take a break and give my ideas room to breathe is to do the dishes.  Mundane but true.

    When you're a maker, innovation is a big part of your toolbox.  To tap into your innovative side, you need to give yourself some of that vastly underrated breathing room.  So the next time your boss bawls you out for heading out for coffee with friends, tell them that you're innovating!

    The key to taking a successful break is to do something active like going for a walk, meeting a friend for coffee or doing the housework.  You want your brain to have the space to drift so no social media.  The physical activity along with the mental break will leave you feeling refreshed and energised.

    If you're still finding it hard to walk away from your project, check out this article to figure out the reason that's holding you back.  I can identify with at least four of the thoughts that keep you from taking a break!

    Take a break right now.  Your brain (and your dishes!) will thank you for it!