Maintenance Actions

As someone who was diagnosed as neurodiverse extremely late in life, it's taken me some time to really examine what patterns and routines I've picked up over the years, and to assess how they may or may not be serving me in this current moment. And though it may seem a bit counterintuitive, one of the biggest acts of maintenance I've developed since is to relent to the (un)natural ebb and flow of my brain's creative process. Put another way, I've been working to abandon the habit of forcing creativity when it isn't there. This sometimes means missing out on submission and application deadlines, but it also means choosing myself over relentless productivity.

Another act of maintenance that fuels my practice is tending to things outside of myself. I am extremely fortunate to live in a space where I'm able to cultivate life all around me, and practically every room in my home abounds with a variety of houseplants. In doing so, I've learned about the similarities we share: hydration, natural light, and a healthy amount of clean space are essential to our flourishing. During the summer months, I spend hours outside gardening, and reveling in the kinds of laborious tasks that ask nothing of my brain other than to submit to my hands.