I didn’t mean to, but this morning I started listing out my core values. I didn’t think a lot about “core values” before I started my own business, but I think that, despite its corporate icky-ness, it’s a great exercise for anyone seeking clarity and direction in their life.
I started doing this because lately I’ve been (over-)thinking about my writing practice — how much time I spend journaling, for example, and how much time I spend in deep focus on a given project. I found myself wondering what the ROI (“return on investment”) was, precisely, for each journaling session, which of course completely misses the point of the journaling practice.
It can be so hard to justify and quantify creative stuff, which is why it can be so frustrating to prioritize in a society that demands proof of success in the form of money, accolades, publications, awards won, etc.
The good news is that, as creators, we don’t need to justify and quantify and prove ourselves to anyone else if we don’t want to. We create to create, and both the ends and the journey justify the means. We create because of who we are and what we believe in. We create because we have our own unique set of values — the things that are meaningful to us, personally.
As I questioned my morning journaling practice, I thought back to not only Julia Cameron’s fantastic guidebook The Artist’s Way, but also to a pop psychology article I’d read recently about how to improve each day with micro-habits. It noted that for folks of the INFP Myers-Briggs type (you can take the test yourself for free here), journaling was essential:
“…sometimes, your inner complexities and dreams get lost in the demands and duties you have to perform in everyday life. It’s important for you to have a quiet, focused time each day to track your dreams and inner reflections so that you can live a life that aligns with your core values.” (Source)
I copied this quote in my journal, and beneath it, without even really thinking, wrote: FUN.
Then beneath that, I wrote DELIGHT, then BOOKS, then, of course, COFFEE.
I jotted for another few moments, feeling more than thinking my way through it, and ended up with this list of what I believe to be my core values — the things that are most important to me:
- Fun
- Delight
- Books
- Coffee
- Hugs
- Words
- Rain
- Citrus fruits
- Color
- Human worth
- Animals
- Paper and pens
- Freedom
- Glitter
- Humor
- Autonomy
- Caring
- Kindness
- Warmth
- Thought
- Joy
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But it’s an important start.
What do you value? What is important — what is essential to you as a creative individual? What matters to you that the larger world overlooks so easily?
There’s a lot going on in the world right now. I hope you’re well, and that you’re taking good care of yourself and the ones you love.
Words & warmth,
Sarah