Get Creative With Your Creative Accountability

My head likes to lie to me. It says:

You’re lazy.

You don’t write enough.

You’re not a real writer.

What I’ve come to learn—in life as well as in my creative endeavors—is that my head can be an unreliable narrator at best and a bully at worst. It will present False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR) and taunt me with Shoulda Already Mastered Everything (SHAME). It’s sometimes an unsafe neighborhood to hang out in, which is challenging for me because it’s where all my best ideas, characters, scenes, snarky quips and plot twists live.

Due to a number of factors (some in my control, others not), I likely write less than the average professional author. But I DO write, stringing words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into pages, and pages into full manuscript drafts, long and short. Regardless of what my head would have me think, I’m not lazy, I do get a lot of writing done, and I am a real writer.

My head can be relentless, though, so I needed a way to reassure myself and to provide clear evidence of all the work I was doing. To that end, I developed a new practice after a casual conversation with my mom. (Moms are special that way, aren’t they?) She was telling me about a composer she liked who’d mentioned in an interview that he puts a checkmark in his calendar for every day he worked on his music.

Oct 2021 creative accountability
calendar page

Checkmarks seemed a bit dull for me, so I used colorful star stickers I had on hand, “awarding” myself a star for every day I wrote. Before long, I thought why stop at merely marking writing days? How about days with author activities, artist’s dates, drawing for fun? Heck, I stuck swim days and social activities in there too, as both contribute to my mental health and ability to re-fuel creatively. 

Add in the occasional hand-drawn doodle or mini-photo, and these creative accountability calendars started being not only really fun—but opportunities for additional creativity! 

My min-sticker collection

I upped my sticker game too, using super cute pencils, books, hearts and more—all purchased on Etsy, so I’d be supporting indie artists. 

Now when my brain tries to tell me I’m lazy, I need only to glance at my Creative Accountability Calendar right beside my desk to prove my head wrong. I share photos of my calendar on line, at first worrying that it would seem like I was bragging or something, but being reassured by friends that it was fun and inspiring.

April 2024 creative accountability calendar page

I urge you to give this a try if you have a bully brain like mine—or if you just like keeping track of work in a fun, arty way. There’s no right way to do it, no rules. Maybe the simple checkmarks work for you? Or maybe you want to draw your own symbols or make your own stickers? Just have fun with it. 

Personally, I love looking at all the stickers I’ve “earned” in a given month, and I bet you will too!

KAROL RUTH SILVERSTEIN is an award-winning children's book author and disability activist. She lives in West Hollywood, CA with two impossibly fluffy cats.