Your Writer Uniform by LA Bourgeois
Let’s welcome back LA Bourgeois as she shares with us “Your Writer Uniform.” Enjoy!
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In a dream the other night, I gave a report to a group of people sitting around a conference table in a room with windows for walls. They all wore regular “business wear,” peering up at me in their blazers and button-down shirts.
Very corporate.
Very attentive.
Very… uniform.
Not a room I usually inhabit as a work-from-home solopreneur.
However, what struck me was how alike they all looked.
How if you met one of these folks on the street, you’d say, “Oh! What corporate office do you work in?”
Their similarity made me wonder, “What would be MY uniform?”
As creatives, we rarely consider what we wear our “uniform,” but each of us has an outfit that we wear to do our creative work. Unconsciously, we’ve probably already formed a picture of what a writer wears.
The Fantasy Uniform
For instance, when I was young, I imagined the adult writer me wearing flattering, flowy clothes, and a cape.
A cape for every occasion, in fact! Whooshing dramatically into rooms felt very important to the whole profession.
The Reality Uniform
In reality, I wear clothing built more for comfort than fashion: t-shirts or turtlenecks, pants, the occasional leggings and skirt combo. But each time I put on my “work clothes,” I feel the writer me coming to the surface.
Putting on your “work clothes” supports you entering your creative space — especially if you don’t have an office.
Clothes Create the Mood
The act of dressing, just like when an actor puts on a costume, can move you into the space of doing your work.
My wife, Stephanie, played a German maid once, with these long braids coiled up on each side of her head like Princess Leia. When that hairdo was complete, she went into her character’s German accent and didn’t speak in her real voice until her hair was back to its regular look.
You can use this same technique to get into your creative mindset!
So, What’s Your Writer Uniform?
Do you have different outfits for different activities?
Maybe a backward baseball cap for plotting your next novel.
Does taking your next description editing pass require a pink sundress?
Spend a moment identifying the pieces you usually wear when writing, or similarities in outfits if you wear different clothes each time you write.
During the time I transformed from going into an office to working from home, I would dress in my usual “office wear” before starting work each day.
Taking this approach helped me to see my writing as genuine and real “work.”
Part of Your Creative Space
As you put on your uniform, recognize how each piece of it functions for you.
Does it have an elastic waistband for comfort?
Or perhaps you need more structure with a pair of tight blue jeans.
Does a cardigan keep you warm?
Allow dressing yourself to move your mind into your creative space.
Make this transformation a part of your writing ritual. Feel how putting on each article of clothing moves you closer to getting words on the page. Be deliberate with your placement.
Once you have the complete outfit on, close your eyes and say to yourself, “I am a writer.”
Let those words flow through you.
Can you acknowledge their truth?
For example, when I looked down at myself in my business meeting dream, I wore my pajamas, slippers, and robe. The perfect outfit for my early morning writing!
I guess my robe can be my cape!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LA (as in tra-la-la) Bourgeois supports writers, makers, and other creatives in growing their creative businesses and breaking away from their day jobs.
As a creativity & business coach, she believes that exploring your creativity invites joy into your life, embracing your creativity infuses your life with joy, and manifesting your creativity gives you a joyous purpose. Writing and knitting are her non-negotiable mediums, and she can usually be found with a pen or knitting needles in her hands.
Find her free guide, Tricking Yourself into a Creative Habit online at labourgeois.biz and start writing those words today. She can’t wait to read them!
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