I’m pretty sure we’ve read hundreds of articles and thousands of headlines on how COVID-19 has affected in so many different ways our mental health and our new lifestyles. As human beings, we had to adapt and make the most out of a sudden impediment that has been reducing social interactions and interpersonal communication at all levels. Meetings on Zoom, online shopping, indoor workouts… you name it! We all had our big and small changes these past 12 months - if not longer…

Being a creative or staying creative during these times has been tough. Imagine being an actor and all of a sudden having to do auditions online. Imagine being a fashion model and not receiving any casting calls like before. Imagine being a musician and having limited access to venues and public spaces to perform in. When it comes to creatives, having the certainty and security to have a space outside the walls of your house is key to feeling empowered and secure in their job - a job made to soothe the eyes, hearts, and minds of their clients, customers, and viewers. Creating something that suggests emotions, whether it is a dance, a song, a slam poetry performance, etc. - holds a lot of power in its action. The pandemic hasn’t necessarily been the best fertilizer that has kept creatives productive in their crafts.

Despite their limitations, creatives have found out ways to express themselves in many more multifaceted ways. Some have shifted career paths, passionate interests, or poured their energy into something more vocational and personal. Now that the world seems to be “back to normal”, creatives must find a way to find their physical and mental place where they can still cultivate their creativity. For this reason, they need what I like to call, a G.A.R.D.E.N.

A G.A.R.D.E.N. is a guide that creativity enthusiasts can make use of whenever they need to remind themselves about their authentic passions. Being a successful creative requires discipline, education, and compassion, along with a sustainable lifestyle: a garden is the perfect set of practices that creative people should pay attention to, in order to bloom and stunt their petals and fruits, all well-deserved accomplishments.

G as in geography

Locate yourself. Use your mental map and place yourself in it. Where are you in this moment of your life? Where are you in this moment of the year, of the day? Are you happy where you are? If not, where would like to go? What are the possible plans you can start sketching in order to go where you want to go?

Knowing where you are in the present moment should help you being appreciative towards the daily perks that life has benefited you so far. If you are reading this piece on your smartphone, that means that you’re lucky to have an instrument that is able to keep you connected to the world. If you’re reading these words from your house, you should thank the universe for the roof you’re standing below. If you’re breathing, you should be thankful. With small and long breaths, locate yourself and look around you.

A as in atmosphere

Take time in investing in your materialistic world. Whether you like it or not, being surrounded by a certain set of furniture or displaying a table or a lamp in a specific direction can help you set the tone of the atmosphere you’re in. May it be a temporary arrangement or a much more stationary one, make sure that your environment is well-curated and refreshened as your aura. The air you breathe in your home is the air that makes your day and night routine precious moments of your creative life.

R as in relax

Your body will speak for you and shut down if you don’t give it the right time of relax. Let your body recharge. Pick your favorite activity that you enjoy besides your creative job. If you’re a writer, pick a hobby that doesn’t involve writing. If you’re a singer, choose an activity that stimulates other parts of the body - not only your voice. It is important to fuel your creativity by doing something totally different that your usual work (even if you happen to be blesses to do a job that you love). I’m a journalist and a student: I do make sure to spend a portion of my day NOT in front of my computer. That fuels me. What fuels you?

D as in day

Remember: every single offers a new series of opportunities. If your day starts in the wrong way, let the bad emotions float in your system and allow yourself to feel all the feelings. It would be counterproductive to try to avoid them at all costs. Instead, have in mind that panta rei (“everything flows”, in Ancient Greek) and that if something annoys you, you’ll find a way to deal with it. There’s no need to worry too much about the future or dwell on the past. What you have is the now and what your creativity can do is a reflection of what you have in front of you. Cultivate your dreams, plans, and thoughts when the light is out, even if it’s just two minutes of daydreaming. As a journalist, our lives are so engulfed in media and in other issues’ trajectories. But what about what we think and what we want to make the most out of our job and purpose?

E as in energy

Similarly to the R as in relax, energy is fundamental to have yourself on point. How do your find pieces of energy in your life? What kind of food does your body crave right now? Are you educating your body to try out new healthy and energetic lifestyles? Does talking with a friend or a coworker gives you energy? Anything that can give you a productive energy, take it and cherish it.

N as in night

It doesn’t matter if you’re an early bird or a night owl: sleeping is key. Your night-time routine should play an important part in your life, just like your daily routine. Lit some candles. Read a book. Drink some warm tea. Gently embrace the warm and welcoming hugs from Orpheum.