If you’ve got a hint of an artist in you, now is your time

In this time of coronavirus creators have a choice. They can do what my wife and I have done — check news and feeds like an IV anxiety drip every so many minutes. Or they can enter into retreat mode.

Creative retreat mode.

— or —

Spiritual retreat mode.

Better yet, since we know creativity and spirituality are interwoven, you can go on a creative spirit retreat within the confines of your own home.

Which is what we are now doing in Casa Griffiti.

Finally!

Ann’s a painter. I’m a writer. When we’re not running an art gallery.

I was discussing this creative spirit retreat idea with my friend Russell Harris. He’d been thinking along the same lines. With a twist:

“If you’ve got a hint of an artist in you, now is your time.”

Yes, I agreed!

Then he added:

“You don’t even need to be told.”

Russell elaborated. You know this innately. You know this deep down. Don’t push it aside. If you don’t seize this isolation time to create, then you won’t ever.

The whole world is stopping.

You can choose feeds, streaming, movies, news, or binge watching shows.

Or you can choose your passion project.

(And still fuck off to your heart’s content at the end of a productive day.)

(It’s not binary, one or the other. Choose creation and entertainment can still be wedged in.)

Now is your time!

You can emerge weeks or months from now having grappled with your creative work — or your spiritual work — or your mental and physical renewal.

Or you can emerge blinking into the light of regular life again fatter, bleary eyed, having kept up with the minute-by-minute drip of bad news, having escape-watched entire libraries of serial TV.

Ugh.

There’s a better form of escape — into your work, into your personal renewal.

Your choice.

(Now is your time.)

(My time too. I write these Notes for me, because I need them. I share them with you, in case they resonate.)

Now is your time.