• Raise & Shine Blog
  • Hey Sis, Try This Blog
  • Welcome
  • Search
Menu

Raise & Shine

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number
Wake up. Grab Coffee. Shine. Repeat.

Your Custom Text Here

Raise & Shine

  • Raise & Shine Blog
  • Hey Sis, Try This Blog
  • Welcome
  • Search

Practicing the art of Consuming vs. Creating

February 9, 2017 Rachel Nevergall

It’s like ten thousand ideas when all you need is a nap.

I’m adding a new line to Alanis’ song, as equally as inaccurate as the rest.

Since entering motherhood, creativity has called my name, urging me, teasing me, even more than I ever remember. I believe as a mother, the very act of surrounding myself with little beings who create as their single vocation, all day long, with wild abandon, this influences my greatest and somewhat lost desire to tap into even a little bit of that freedom of expression I once had as a little one myself. And I know I’m not alone. The amount of incredible work written and crafted and shouted and whispered by mothers is inspiring. I should know. I just spent a precious nap time falling down the Instagram black hole of talented artists.

And while all this consuming of creativity is enriching, it does not give life in the way of words to pen or hands to brush or whatever the creative passion of the moment might be.  At some point the consumption must turn to creation, but that is also the very point where the reality of mothering makes herself known. Because as soon as you find the motivation to put on your apron, literally or figuratively depending on your craft, that flutter of an idea calling for a home will flutter right passed you as soon as somebody wakes up from a nap, another asks you the 39,400 question of the day, or you remember you forgot to thaw the chicken for dinner. With the tap of the shoulder, the scream of your name, or the fleeting glance around this studio you call a home, the creative passion is squelched. Just like that, you are yanked back to responsibilities. It’s a constant start stop, start stop, start stop. 10 thousand ideas when maybe it would have been easier if you had just taken a nap.

I try to remember to repeat the words of Ira Glass over and over again.

“The most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.”
— Ira Glass

So I write and rewrite. I plan and scheme and write again. I color and craft next to the littles or sneaking it in to the things I already have to do. I gather and sort and label all the supplies so I’m ready to practice all this great creative work.  I work during nap time, in the wee hours of the morning and after bed time. I work while they play and I work when they are away. I log 3 hours stretches or 5 minute chunks here and there. I have tried. It. All. 

But let's be honest, mostly I'm doing it all inside my head. I think about the amazing things others are doing. I think about what if maybe I tried that too. Then I remember to think about the things I once wanted to do. And I think about how I might try to do them.

Consuming and thinking is so much easier and safer and manageable in this crazy beautiful life I’m living than getting to work and practicing it all.

But if there is anything I can practice well it is permission and grace. Permission to consume the creative realm when I don’t have the energy or space or time to create. And grace to trust the process. Practicing the art is slow, and tiny, and sometimes feels superfluous. But it is still a practice. A little grace will help me appreciate that more.

So to practice both the consumption and the creation, I also need to share.  I will allow the space to celebrate the consuming, because there are truly some lovely things in this world to admire. Consuming is not a bad thing. It can lead to paths of inspiration we never dreamed of. And consuming beauty is so much better for the soul than its counterpart.

But then I will also remember to practice at least one idea. I will find the time in my day, or my week, or when it's really tough, maybe that month, to just be free with creativity without the fear of a finished product.  So at least one of those ten thousand ideas finds a home, and then I can take a nap.

Today I’m consuming…

Photo Source

Photo Source

I picked up a book Ladies Drawing Night from the library the other day and consumed it immediately. I first heard of it from Shutterbean and her crafting nights. This most recent craft night is so much gorgeous eye candy. The food, the drink, the crafting, the fellowship. Makes you think all the world's problems could be solved over cheese, gin and crayons. 

Photo Source

Photo Source

l stumbled upon children's musical artist Emily Arrow a few days too late. Upon discovering her Instagram account, I learned she performed at our local book store just this past Saturday. I was heartbroken to miss her but declare myself an instant fan. With delight and whimsy, she takes beloved children's books, many of which we have read, and she turns them into music that even the kid-less fan would want on their playlists. One of her CDs, and maybe even paired with a book from the album (you know how I love book pairings!) would make a fantastic gift. 

Finally, for my consuming transformed into creating, I turn to a great resource I've spoken of before at the Artful Parent. When I saw this heart collaborative artwork I knew this was exactly the amount of creativity I needed in my life. Caroline and I sat side by side, sharing the paper and watching it grow. And, wouldn't you know, my heart grew a whole bunch too. Creativity has a magical way of doing that to us, in a way that consuming art just can't quite capture. I'm going to remember that. 

And I'm going to keep practicing. 

← His Story on OneWhen Goals are Hard →
IMG_5992.jpg

Hi there! I'm Rachel.

I believe each morning is a fresh start and I believe hot coffee is step one. 

It is here that I celebrate each day as an opportunity to seek the creative inside both our children and ourselves so that we can all       raise and shine. 

Learn More
If I showed you the sweet picture of the hairstyle I gave her for crazy hair meets Valentine’s day, would you also believe me that I don’t remember when she last bathed?

If I shared the fun crafty Valentine we made for his class would you also believe me that my house looks like a fraternity house at the end of a raging party?

If I show the darling babe all snuggled up under my chin that makes my heart burst with unspeakable joy, would you also believe me when I say parenting three is the hardest thing I have yet done in my parenting life?

Sometimes in these little squares, I have so much fear that I might post something that makes someone’s heart shrink a little bit with guilt or inadequacy. I worry you will think I am something you are not and that will make you feel smaller than you deserve to be, when in fact I struggle too. So much.

But then, if I keep quiet, not only am I not allowing myself to show you exactly who I am, how I like to love on my people, and what just makes me happy, I am thus not leaving space for you to do so as well.

If these things brings you joy, too, hurray. If something else does, I celebrate you. And if you aren’t in a space of joy, I’m sitting her with you too. And sending you ❤️. Never alone.

This has been my struggle for years. I saw self care as (by my)self care. And it seems it only got harder and harder to care for myself as I fought to be alone.

And so I’m trying something new. I’m learning to find the peace I need in my day right along side them.

So I move WITH them in tow. I read to THEM, as long as it something of MY choosing. I pick up a paint brush too when they paint.

And hopefully all this togetherness is teaching them what matters to me and my day too.

Shared on the blog today how I practice my *What Feels Right* list from yesterday when I can’t be alone.

What’s your go to care strategy when your little ones tag along? I test as a Highly Sensitive Person. 🙋🏻‍♀️Anyone else?

I like to think of myself as a noticer. From the way the snow sounds when it hits the ground to his sweet sigh as he nestles into sleep in my arms. I feel it all. And I mean ALL.

This can be a beautiful way to look at life, but it can also be EXHAUSTING.

But I decided to start using this skill for the better. I started to pay close attention to my day to notice patterns of when I feel off and when I feel right.

My list is not revolutionary. It is nothing you don’t already know to be true. But sometimes we need to really acknowledge the simple ways we can manage our days to feel joy, to feel peace, to just feel right.

Sharing my list of What Feels Right on the blog today to maybe inspire you to pay attention to your own list.✨Now your turn...What Feels Right to you? Yes his sweatshirt is on backwards. Yes this happens on the regular. It’s become his signature look. But the important thing is he got himself dressed and no one had to use their angry voice!

I am quite excited to introduce a new series on the blog today called ☀️Raise your Mom Game☀️ It’s a way to share the great ideas learned from regular, cool, smart moms (and dads) like us. I believe parents are super heroes with powers to battle the everyday parenting struggles. And they are willing and happy to share these with fellow superhero parents so we can all win.

It’s not about the quick fix, because none of us are broken. We just sometimes need a fresh perspective to tackle familiar challenges in parenting, another play in the playbook, tool in the toolbox, option in the portfolio. Am I giving you enough metaphors here?

Today, I go first with my big frustration in getting kids dressed. I feature two great ideas for both of my kids from fellow parents @kelseywilliams and @ladderica. And I filmed one in the stories so go check it out. After you read the post, of course 😉. And remember, this is a village. So please share with me how you are Raising your Mom Game. And what helps you Shine.☀️ “...I make so many beginnings there never will be an end.” Louisa May Alcott

She opened up 6 crisp white books, completely blank, exactly as she asked them to be, for writing down her own stories. Obviously I was thrilled to grant this Christmas wish. It wasn’t 5 minutes later that I turned around to find her set up at the dining room table, pen in hand, words flowing to the book. “Now you realize these are special, right. You can’t throw them away and start over if it isn’t just as you want it to be.” “I know.” Barely glancing up. Back to work.  Her confidence and self assurance just taunting me.

She has no trouble diving in. She doesn’t worry about where the ending is taking her. She doesn’t hesitate and doubt herself along the way.

She just BEGINS.

It is with this same resolve that I choose to take with me throughout this new year. To not hesitate with my step one. And to not be afraid to be new at something.

Last year I explored being enough. And with that I determined, there is also enough time, space, energy to take more step ones.

To BEGIN.

Introducing my 2019 word of the year ✨BEGIN✨ on the blog today.

A month in and I already love where this word is taking me. My skin is still soft from the humidity of Texas, and my heart, and stomach, are full in the way only a winter escape can bring. But it feels right to be home. It feels right to see snow softly falling in February. And to be all piled up together as a family again. ❤️❤️❤️ You know that welcoming feeling you get when you go home to mom and dads?

They make you your favorite meals. You take comfort in the familiar space. You just feel so warm and loved and cared for.

We got that welcomed feeling when we made it back to our old home in Austin town this weekend.

We had all our favorite meals, barbecue, tacos, queso, more tacos. Memories flooded us around every corner, date nights, family adventures, milestones crossed. And most importantly, we got to feel loved by “family,” or rather the friends that became family when you needed it most.

This is how it should be when you make a place a home, no matter how short the time was in your life. It should make itself a little home in your heart and always open its arms wide to you when you come back.

So glad we will always have Austin.

And tacos. 🌮 Confession time... I sometimes daydream about being a mom of just one baby.

Not that I don’t love each and every one of my kids more than my heart can even find words for, because obvi I don’t even need to clarify that for you.

It’s just that this multiple and different needs thing all at once is very very hard on my brain capacity. And also my heart.

I sometimes dream of a world where I get to have each of my babies one day at a time. And then we all come together for one big epic fun filled Sunday as a family of five. Wouldn’t that be fun??!! But then I see the oldest reading a book to the middle. Or the middle tickled with himself at how he can make the baby giggle. Or there’s the epic family snuggle sessions in the king size bed before someone, all of them, demand breakfast. And then I remember we are right where we need to be and who we need to be with.

But also sometimes it’s super fun to just be with one. We snuck away together with our baby to a place that still has a piece of our heart, Texas. And while I miss the other two, it feels like a gift to enjoy that stage where it’s just you and me and a baby makes three. I can hardly remember him that tiny, but I’ll never forget when she started reading to them. 📚 Reading creates strong memories, doesn’t it. “For some it’s a physical place in which I remember reading. The beach, the hammock, the couch under a blanket. For others, it’s a place in time. A difficult pregnancy. A foggy newborn stage. A challenging stage of parenting. And for some, it’s a moment that I realize is one of a momentous milestone. Like seeing her read a book for the first time. Or reading our first chapter book series together.” Eighteen Memorable Book Moments in 2018 on the blog today. The answer to snow-mo and other FOMO related cases (see last post if you are confused 😊) ?? Be a noticer.

As promised, I shared about my process of creating a Reverse Bucket List on the blog today.

You don’t need a fancy planner, a complicated system, or even a lot of time. You just need a photo storage system of your choice, a few questions I list in the post, and a couple of minutes to do some thinking.

It’s my own way of doing goals and reflection. But I would love to see what you learn too. So I’m creating a hashtag!! Tell me how it works for you with #raiseandshineandnotice 🥳
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away”
— Pablo Picasso
Featured
Feb 13, 2019
Practicing my *What Feels Right* List When I Can't Be Alone
Feb 13, 2019
Feb 13, 2019

Powered by Squarespace

Blog Header Design by Rachel