Rilke reminds us that we should create things the way a tree grows.

When it comes to creativity, it’s easy to get caught up with the results. We can be so worried about producing that we treat our creative selves like machines instead of growing organisms. This quote reminds me that creation is an organic act:

Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterwards summer may not come.

Rainer Maria Rilke

During the busy holiday season, it takes extra effort to relax and enjoy the process of making things. Yes, there are things I want to accomplish and projects I’d like to finish, but I also want to enjoy the things I make as I am making them. The satisfaction of the finished object is doubled if I can also remember how much fun I had creating it.

How do you remember to keep your focus on the process instead of the product?

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