This was a beautiful read, Janelle! I totally agree with you and I'm forever working on accepting the ebb and flow too. Thanks so much for the lovely mention too - I'm so glad you found a little comfort in that piece. Always helps me to know we're not alone with these things, y'know?! Here's to keep the inner critic at bay and going along for the ride of it all - ups and downs included. 💗
I'm so grateful to have found your writing and creativity on Substack. Your pieces really speak to me and help me unpick how I feel about things. And yes - reminders that we're not alone! V important. x
What a fantastic read. You summed up an itch I've been trying to scratch so succinctly and beautifully. I dwell way too much on my ebbs. This is a fantastic reminder.
Thank you, Bryce! Glad it's what you needed to hear right now. I was/ am definitely the same. When this way of framing it arrived in my consciousness I definitely found it a comfort.
SO relatable. Life isn't linear; it's all circular. I'm definitely going to start ebbing more. (Err, does that sound like a gross euphemism? None intended.) I love that you were able to discredit your inner critic by pointing out you HAD done a lot. Too often we take our thought as fact. Thank you for writing this <3
Hahaha 🤣 We should all be allowing more ebbing in our lives! Thanks so much.
I actually wrote a 'done' list yesterday. Something I'm going to try for a bit. If my brain is saying I've done nothing I can look at the evidence. But also its absolutely fine if I haven't 'achieved' anything
Too right! Society's so obsessed with productivity – need to inject more unproductivity into our lives. It's not 'doing nothing'; it's resting, it's looking after ourselves, it's catching up on sleep, it's reading a book, it's ~ebbing~. (Also love the idea of a 'done' list – I've been known to write a few things I've already done on my to do list so I can cross them off.)
Beautiful. The greatest gift I excavated from art school was the value of white / negative space. Not just in the piece itself - the empty spaces hold everything together - but in the making of work. So much of my 'productive' time as an art major was sitting in my studio, sipping coffee, listening to Miles Davis and staring at my wall of sketches, quotes and source material. Anyone watching me would have said I 'produced' nothing - but actually those quiet, still, often uncomfortable days were were all the good stuff originated. The actual physical production of the work was simply a culmination of many days or weeks of stillness - the external flow after the internal ebb.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this Stacey. You're right that this lesson is a gift.
I actually wrote another piece recently on a similar theme of how much I need to daydream. I need to get better at creating that empty space and then seeing the richness and value in it.
This is something that I have consistently struggled with as someone who worked in the corporate world for 20 years and has been on a sacred journey of awakening since. I do believe that I find the most peace when I accept that sometimes I am ‘on’ and sometimes I am switched ‘off’ and to wrk with this natural ebbs and flows as you so beautifully put it. It’s a work in progress! 🙏💫
Fantastic post. Thank you. Been in an ebb for so long (literally years) and now I feel the flow is starting but I want more, more, more! This post is a good reminder not to basically waterboard myself!
Very wise and helpful post thank you - you are SO right about our inner critic's voice and how it shifts perspective from the truth - each day we are often achieving so much of value yet barely notice as we can be so caught up in what we have not done. I love the idea of being nourished so that we can then grow again.
Ah, thank you, Lou. Yep. I'm pleased that I can at least observe that at least. There definitely would have been a time when I believed and fully took to heart every single thought my inner critic had!
Yes I really loved that quote too. It has helped me to reframe.
A doorway to acceptance! What a beautiful turn of phrase Janelle, I'm so glad the book found you at the right moment — and is there for you to dip in, and dip out! Here's to our fecund days x
Really here for creating more permission, acceptance and even celebration of the inevitable flow! Like you say, so much of nature is cyclic - including us! It's so violent and counterintuitive how capitalism creates this expectation of continual forward momentum and growth - thank you for modelling that we can create other ways to be and attend to ourselves! Beautifully written and wise as always, and I'm definitely gonna check out the book.
Thank you Jane! Yeah this programming runs DEEP. You definitely helped me get much more curious about this, so very grateful. Here's to accepting where we're at in this moment ✨️
I love the flows, hate the ebbs. I can be very hard on myself during the ebbd and I end up filled with worry that the flow will never come back. But it’s always come back before! Thank you for sharing a wonderful, relatable post, Janelle. X
Aw thank you Becky. I'm glad you got something from it. Yes the catastrophising! I was just talking to my colleague about the feeling that 'this will never end!' But, yes so far I've always had the flow return so why would this time be any different? x
I felt this today. I’m also in an ebb. I have the want, but not the capacity. It’s hard to let that flow go, or admit that we need to take a break from it. I hope you find some rest and peace, so when your flow does come back, you are ready for it again :)
Thank you for sharing, Leslie. I would say I'm sorry to hear this but actually as I'm trying to re-frame, maybe it's about us being more open to these ebbs. I've also been reading a bit more of this book today and there was an analogy about being a sponge! I don't know if this helps but there are periods when we have to be 'soaking up' and then the squeeze out bit is when we're being 'productive'. Maybe we're in our very necessary soaking in phase? I hope that you find some rest and peace too and trust that flow is coming when it's time.
This was a beautiful read, Janelle! I totally agree with you and I'm forever working on accepting the ebb and flow too. Thanks so much for the lovely mention too - I'm so glad you found a little comfort in that piece. Always helps me to know we're not alone with these things, y'know?! Here's to keep the inner critic at bay and going along for the ride of it all - ups and downs included. 💗
Thank you so much, Charlene.
I'm so grateful to have found your writing and creativity on Substack. Your pieces really speak to me and help me unpick how I feel about things. And yes - reminders that we're not alone! V important. x
What a fantastic read. You summed up an itch I've been trying to scratch so succinctly and beautifully. I dwell way too much on my ebbs. This is a fantastic reminder.
Thank you, Bryce! Glad it's what you needed to hear right now. I was/ am definitely the same. When this way of framing it arrived in my consciousness I definitely found it a comfort.
SO relatable. Life isn't linear; it's all circular. I'm definitely going to start ebbing more. (Err, does that sound like a gross euphemism? None intended.) I love that you were able to discredit your inner critic by pointing out you HAD done a lot. Too often we take our thought as fact. Thank you for writing this <3
Hahaha 🤣 We should all be allowing more ebbing in our lives! Thanks so much.
I actually wrote a 'done' list yesterday. Something I'm going to try for a bit. If my brain is saying I've done nothing I can look at the evidence. But also its absolutely fine if I haven't 'achieved' anything
Too right! Society's so obsessed with productivity – need to inject more unproductivity into our lives. It's not 'doing nothing'; it's resting, it's looking after ourselves, it's catching up on sleep, it's reading a book, it's ~ebbing~. (Also love the idea of a 'done' list – I've been known to write a few things I've already done on my to do list so I can cross them off.)
Love these quotations you’ve pulled. Definitely makes me want to read the book. Love the notion of productive vs fecund!
I'm still working through it but it's so good! Full of this sort of wisdom.
Beautiful. The greatest gift I excavated from art school was the value of white / negative space. Not just in the piece itself - the empty spaces hold everything together - but in the making of work. So much of my 'productive' time as an art major was sitting in my studio, sipping coffee, listening to Miles Davis and staring at my wall of sketches, quotes and source material. Anyone watching me would have said I 'produced' nothing - but actually those quiet, still, often uncomfortable days were were all the good stuff originated. The actual physical production of the work was simply a culmination of many days or weeks of stillness - the external flow after the internal ebb.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this Stacey. You're right that this lesson is a gift.
I actually wrote another piece recently on a similar theme of how much I need to daydream. I need to get better at creating that empty space and then seeing the richness and value in it.
Internal ebb. That's a lovely way to put it
This is something that I have consistently struggled with as someone who worked in the corporate world for 20 years and has been on a sacred journey of awakening since. I do believe that I find the most peace when I accept that sometimes I am ‘on’ and sometimes I am switched ‘off’ and to wrk with this natural ebbs and flows as you so beautifully put it. It’s a work in progress! 🙏💫
It's absolutely a work in progress! I'm very much working on it.
The corporate world doesn't really do 'off' does it? It will take time to unlearn all those narratives but sounds like you're well on that journey.
Fantastic post. Thank you. Been in an ebb for so long (literally years) and now I feel the flow is starting but I want more, more, more! This post is a good reminder not to basically waterboard myself!
You're welcome, Keris. I'm so pleased you found it helpful.
Great to hear your flow is returning. Yeah it can be such a high can't it!?
But some steadiness and balance is something we can aim for! We can but try
Very wise and helpful post thank you - you are SO right about our inner critic's voice and how it shifts perspective from the truth - each day we are often achieving so much of value yet barely notice as we can be so caught up in what we have not done. I love the idea of being nourished so that we can then grow again.
Ah, thank you, Lou. Yep. I'm pleased that I can at least observe that at least. There definitely would have been a time when I believed and fully took to heart every single thought my inner critic had!
Yes I really loved that quote too. It has helped me to reframe.
A doorway to acceptance! What a beautiful turn of phrase Janelle, I'm so glad the book found you at the right moment — and is there for you to dip in, and dip out! Here's to our fecund days x
Ahh thank you Madeleine. I'm so grateful for your words and support from afar. Hell yeah! X
Really here for creating more permission, acceptance and even celebration of the inevitable flow! Like you say, so much of nature is cyclic - including us! It's so violent and counterintuitive how capitalism creates this expectation of continual forward momentum and growth - thank you for modelling that we can create other ways to be and attend to ourselves! Beautifully written and wise as always, and I'm definitely gonna check out the book.
Thank you Jane! Yeah this programming runs DEEP. You definitely helped me get much more curious about this, so very grateful. Here's to accepting where we're at in this moment ✨️
I love the flows, hate the ebbs. I can be very hard on myself during the ebbd and I end up filled with worry that the flow will never come back. But it’s always come back before! Thank you for sharing a wonderful, relatable post, Janelle. X
Aw thank you Becky. I'm glad you got something from it. Yes the catastrophising! I was just talking to my colleague about the feeling that 'this will never end!' But, yes so far I've always had the flow return so why would this time be any different? x
I felt this today. I’m also in an ebb. I have the want, but not the capacity. It’s hard to let that flow go, or admit that we need to take a break from it. I hope you find some rest and peace, so when your flow does come back, you are ready for it again :)
Thank you for sharing, Leslie. I would say I'm sorry to hear this but actually as I'm trying to re-frame, maybe it's about us being more open to these ebbs. I've also been reading a bit more of this book today and there was an analogy about being a sponge! I don't know if this helps but there are periods when we have to be 'soaking up' and then the squeeze out bit is when we're being 'productive'. Maybe we're in our very necessary soaking in phase? I hope that you find some rest and peace too and trust that flow is coming when it's time.
Ah I feel this. I've just read something that discusses the ebb and flow of creating. And when we force things it can make it worse.
It's by Matt Cardin and it's available on his website as a free download- A course in demonic creativity - a writers guide to the inner genius
Ooh thank you! I'll have a look. Although the demonic is throwing me 😅
Ha yeah, it's demon as in creative Daemon - a Jungian thing
Ahh 👌
Loving the sound of this - I love some demonic vibes!
Really!? Cool. Hello there fellow J. Hardacre
Thank you for the feedback, Rebecca :)
Ooh thank you. I will look Jules up.