Making progress when life is 🍌

On journaling, creativity, and parenthood with Heidi Fiedler

If raising children sucks up most of your leisure time, then why did I write a book after my daughter was born—not before?

I’ve written at length about the connection between nursing and my writing practice; so it was no surprise that

Heidi Fiedler

and I immediately formed a kinship. She’s a children’s book editor, mother, and writer; and I constantly look to her for guidance on how to balance creativity with the demands of parenthood. In the latest interview for

The Write-Life Balance

, we discuss:

• The value of starting an idea in a hand-written journal vs. typing in a Word document.

• Why you don’t need three-hour chunks of time to make progress on a creative project.

• How raising a neurodivergent child taught her to embrace her unique perspective on the world.

On Journaling, Creativity, and Parenthood with Heidi Fiedler

WRITE 👩‍💻 (3:04)

Even though Heidi didn’t think of herself as a writer, she’s been working with books all of her life—from mending them at her college library, to selling and buying books. It was only through editing instructional art and craft books at Walter Foster that she started doing a lot of writing behind the scenes, and putting her name on the books.

It wasn’t until Heidi started freelancing that she studied the creative process, thinking about what helped herself and clients find their voice when they were overwhelmed with noise. That’s when she started journaling to document her project ideas.

We tend to undervalue how much [creative projects can benefit] from reflecting on our own process and getting to know ourselves…it doesn’t seem journaling [makes an impact] but it does.

LIFE 🏡 (1:03)

Heidi lives in Massachusetts with her chemistry professor husband, mom, and six-year-old autistic son. She credits parenthood for giving her permission to abandon subpar ideas, centering in on work that reflects her values, and changing her perspective on what it means to make progress on a creative project.

Parenthood is an endless stream of decision making…and that’s okay, sometimes that just means a day to read or take off and trust [your creative project] will be there the next time.

BALANCE 🧘‍♀️(8:55)

Heidi rediscovered journaling after encountering overwhelm multiple times—whether it was because she didn’t know which idea to move forward with, or getting out of a rut with a project that meant a lot to her. By pretending she was writing a letter to a friend, she unlocked a crucial part of her creative process.

Journaling is a safe place where I’m not worried about productivity or what anyone thinks of the ideas. It’s truly just for me.

For journal and writing utensil recommendations (check out this

Yoga & Writing

post on this polarizing topic!), Heidi prefers a wide rule lined flat-lay notebook with a pencil; whereas I am a fan of the Full Focus Journal and a Copic Multi-liner pen.

PARTING ADVICE 💭 (35:28)

For busy people who want to make space for creativity, but fear not having time or energy to do it; Heidi recommends taking a seemingly superfluous action that has nothing to do with your project. It could be getting dressed in a certain way, or reading in a different genre or format, or going to a museum.

Do something that says, “I am a creative person, I have ideas, I’m going to take them seriously, I’m going to write down whatever comes to me.”

READING 📚

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

STREAMING ⏯

Portrait Artist of the Year

COOKING 👩‍🍳

Breakfast sandwiches, consisting of three eggs and Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Spice, with a slice of cheese and toasted bread.

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To learn more about Heidi’s work on journaling, creativity, and parenthood, you can:

• Find Heidi’s journal prompts on her website

• Follow Heidi on Instagram

• Subscribe to

  Nebula Notebook
  (Make sure to check out my Mothers Who Make interview on healing ancestral trauma through writing.)

Hope you enjoyed this episode,

Sophia :)

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P.S. If you haven’t taken

Russell Nohelty

and

Monica Leonelle

‘s Author Ecosystems Quiz yet, now’s the time! (And here’s the accompanying interview you should listen to after doing so.)