by jennifer lee

I love the first signs of summer. The sunshine and warm breeze, the lazy naps in my backyard hammock, the occasional dip in the pool. These tastes of more carefree days remind me how important it is to embrace (and create!) the lull.

I bet many of you musepreneurs who work for yourself, or juggle a day job and many side passions, or who are busy wish mamas can find yourself feeling overworked, burnt out, and exhausted by all that you do.

I know we are all so used to doing, doing, doing and going, going, going, but summer is a wonderful reminder to just BE.

In fact when you create and embrace the lull you invite in more spaciousness, you give yourself time to rejuvenate, and you ultimately enhance your own creativity in your work and your life.

How about recharging with a couple of these summer-vacation-inspired tips?

• Think back to summer vacations when you were a kid. What where some of your favorite memories? Did you enjoy adventurous trips? Frolicking in the sprinklers in your front lawn? Hanging out with your friends? Or doing creative projects? Find a way to capture some of that summertime childhood magic this summer for a spark of delight and wonder.
• Give yourself a break. Allow yourself to enjoy some much deserved time off even if it’s for a few hours or indulge in a few days or few weeks! Use the open space to do something that will truly fill your soul. Or use it to do absolutely nothing – that can certainly feed your soul, too! And while you’re giving yourself a break, please let go of having to be “productive.”
• Take a mind-vacation. In the last retreat of my Expressive Arts Teacher Training program my fellow student Erin Bartolotta shared that intuitive painting is like taking a mind-vacation. When you give yourself full permission to let loose in your creative process you give your judging mind a break. So grab some paints or crayons and just doodle your cares away!
• Simplify or cut back. Ask yourself what are one to two things that you can say no to in the next month? When you clear the decks you clear your mind.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of the summer! As for me, I’m listening to my own suggestions to simplify, so I’ll be taking my own break here from the lovely wishstudio as a guest columnist. I’ve enjoyed the past couple of years sharing Musepreneur with you all and I look forward to continued connection in other forms in this amazing community of creative souls. Thanks, Mindy for the opportunity to be a part of the wishstudio and for all that you do!

Love,
jenn
Musepreneur and certified coach Jennifer Lee, of Artizen Coaching, is the creator of the Right-Brain Business Plan. She loves yoga, painting, reading and hanging out with her husband and dog. She blogs at Life Unfolds.