There was a time in the past where I believed I was allergic to consistency. And now, I suspect it might be the thing that truly matters.
I’ll be the first to admit that consistency, even writing about it, is not sexy. There’s a 22 year old version of me that would like to roll her eyes at me too.
When I imagined this posting/sharing/writing project, I wanted to have a map, a structure to post by, a framework for each post. But that’s not what I got. As much as I love certainty for its illusion of safety, this project wants to be much more spontaneous, to feel like what posting on social media used to be, back before everything became excessively curated.
By that, I mean that I went into this thinking that I’d read through past journals, find bits and pieces of things to share, maybe even have a theme for the week. The content was supposed to be already made, literally pulled from the giant pile of notebooks and back-catalog of photos that I have stored away. I could make it easier on myself if each post had a planned format. I’d show up to a blank page prepared, with notes and outlines and topics (someday, maybe I’ll do this, but for now, holding myself to it would keep me from producing anything at all).
Instead, I’m relying on the channel – using less effort planning and leaning into listening, trusting the right pieces to bubble up. Trusting the channel is also learning to trust myself, that the words and ideas that bubble up are worthy of being seen and shared.
Which brings me back to consistency being what really matters. I’ve found this to be true in other places, too – movement, teaching yoga, making regular creative containers like morning pages and monthly photo projects – that committing to a regular practice is the thing. Letting go of the product or outcome of the practice and focusing only on showing up for the practice is what allows me to come back again, even after days that I abandon the practice (right now, the practice is sharing).
And what makes consistency possible is finding the practices – the ways of sharing – that feel good. Ones that aren’t painful or too difficult, that fill the container of time I set for them and no more, that create space in my body and my life in exchange for the time I put in. Consistency was terrible when I made it an absolute ruler, but turns out to be delightful when treated like play or essential self-care.
There’s no intention to preach that everyone needs consistency or to shame inconsistency – in fact, exactly the opposite. I abandoned consistency, put it in the compost, when I thought that as soon as I missed a day, I had failed and I just couldn’t stick with it. It was only after pulling it back out that I discovered the magic of consistency is being committed to being consistent without shame, so that if you you miss a day, the point becomes to get up the next day to try again for as long as the practice serves you.
Do you need help showing up consistently for your art, yourself, or your most important work? Talk to me about making creative business photos, so you’ll always have something that you feel excited to share!