Ooh and Aahs 4.18.25

Working big, working small, and finding what works for you right now

One thing I try to do here is encourage you to see all the different ways you can make space for creativity in your life. Of course you can write, sing, and dance. But you can also find creativity in smaller moments like when you sew your daughter’s favorite lovey back together or find beauty in the rainbow blocks you’ve been building with. Academics often talk about big-C creativity (writing, singing, dancing, etc) and little-C creativity (problem solving, playing pretend, making your lunch look extra pretty).

I’ve started making dryer balls with my son, and they feel like fun little color studies. Are these examples of big-C or little-C creativity? We’re using our hands and it feels very satisfying to choose the colors, felt the wool, and watch the balls take shape. I also feel proud, because I finally found a crafty activity my son is interested in, so I feel like I brought some little-c creative skills to the problem of “What can I make with him?” But I’m not sure it matters if this is a big-C or little-C creative activity. It’s bringing us joy!

Whatever kind of creativity you’re talking about, it might be more helpful to think about the scale you want to work on during this season of life.

On one end of the spectrum, I want you to imagine writing a haiku or sketching a portrait on the back of an envelope. On the other side of the spectrum, you can picture a building a sculpture garden, with heavy pieces of marble and steel scattered across the landscape. Or you might imagine a large body of work on display in a gallery, vast not just in size but in concept and time.

When you’re deep in the newborn days, anything bigger than writing a poem might feel out of reach. If you’re new to an art form, you might start with small studies or even just start noticing what kind of work you’re drawn to and would like to try one day. When you go through a big change in your life, whether that’s becoming a mother or something else, you might need to spend time getting to know yourself before you feel ready to be creative. It might not feel directly related to making art, but it can help to spend time getting to know the rhythms of your days, learn what you’re interested in now that you and your life are so different, and connect with other people who are in a similar stage of life. Along the way, making space for small projects can help you stay in touch with your creative energy and drop into the flow when you’re ready for something bigger. As you gain confidence, you can graduate from a short story to a novel or from playing piano to writing your own music.

Photo via kristinromberg.com

I don’t want to discourage you from dreaming big. I would love to see what we could create if we all had the same time and space to make art that Kristin Romberg does! I know it would be magnificent!

But I also know there’s inspiration to be found in our ordinary lives. Taking notes on an idea can see you through hard times. Small can be beautiful. And it’s better to make something tiny than to ignore your creativity.

I often hear from clients who are eager to write a book, but they have too many vague ideas and don’t know which one to start with. Maybe they’ve been on a break or they’re new to writing. It can be intimidating to choose an idea to focus on. Asking yourself what scale can I work at during this season of life might help you decide between writing a picture book and a middle-grade novel. It’s not that one is easier than the other. It’s more that you can make progress, finish something, and build momentum for other projects more easily if you start with a project that doesn’t require massive energy and focus or years of planning and execution.

Need help figuring out what scale you want to work on or how to move from small to big or vice versa?

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This Week I’m…

• Offering Nebula Notebook gift subscriptions for Mother’s Day (You can find more gift ideas here.) 💛

• Looking forward to reading Unfit Parent when it comes out 👩‍🦽

• Reading

  Ryan Rose Weaver (she/hers)
  nonviolent Buddhist guide to giving less Fs 🙌

• Hoping someone in San Francisco can go see the Motherhood and Art show and report back 🎨

• Appreciating this honest look at what it means to be “a good author” 🤓

• Loving

  Anu Atluru
  ’s thoughtful discussion on the time it takes to create something meaningful and why it’s worth it (Very much related to the post above!) ✏️

• Giving you an assignment—go read the MG version of these books and then read the PB versions when they come out (I promise you will learn something!) 📚

• Thinking you’ll also find this helpful if you want to write a picture book 📓

The next 4,000 Ideas post is about having too many ideas, perfectionism, and commitment—a word I still can’t spell! Until then, you can catch up on the other posts here.

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Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

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✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏