You, my dear sweet writer, have a little person living in your head. And contrary to popular belief, you aren’t crazy. (Who knew? 🤷🏻‍♀️) Without further ado, let me introduce you to: Your Inner Artist, also known as “Tiny Writer”.

Think: Tiny Chef in Rattatouille.

Who is she?

Your Inner Artist (or “Tiny Writer”) is your creative self, the part of you that remains imaginative, playful, and curious about the world.

Tiny Writer weilds Ten-Year-Old-You’s imagination and energy PLUS (!!!) Present-You’s wisdom and life experience.

Tiny Writer is in it to freaking win it. She loves to show up and play. She provides fresh ideas to take to the page. Fearless, she is completely unbound by perfectionism.

She has yet to learn of the world’s ugliness or be betrayed by the people in it. Her mind is open. Her heart is free. She trusts. She’s safe to create, and be silly, and have fun. Life isn’t so serious. She laughs at her mistakes, and a fire burns in her gut to never stop learning.

Tiny Writer is a way for you to compartmentalize alllllllllllllll (emphasis on All—you’re a writer, after all) the thoughts and emotions swirling in your head.

Creativity and fun are saved especially for Tiny Writer. Analytical thinking and criticism? Put those in a different box when Tiny Writer is in control.

You’ve met your inner artist, now what?

It’s your job to protect her and care for her.

It helps to think of your Tiny Writer as a small child. Make sure she is watered (literally), fed (creatively), and napped (physically).

She is vulnerable, impressionable. Perfectionism can strangle Tiny Writer. Early criticism can crush her. Overwork can burn her out.

This is why nurturing your creativity is at the forefront of this blog.

Dos and Don’ts

Tiny Writer doesn’t know when to take a break. Don’t let her burn herself out.

Hugely: don’t let her overshare with someone who might crush her (even if they are close friends and family). Tiny Writer doesn’t know how to handle criticism or negativity. Protect her from cynical people.

Do let her run wild with ideas. Take her to the park and on walks, and let her lie on the rug with the cat. Show her the different colored fibers in your carpet. Let her sing loudly. Have a dance party. Take her to make sandcastles at the beach.

What’s in it for you?

Tiny Writer will reward your work. As you write, she will give you the first sentence, then the next, then the next. She won’t abandon you. She will keep the thoughts flowing and your motivation high. What once was a solo act is now a group effort. You will never have to create alone.

P.S: Add a little prayer in there, and you’ll be unstoppable. (In her book Write For Life, Julia Cameron refers to God as The Ultimate Creator, which I find beautiful.)

Conclusion

Writers ride the struggle bus. With no one to care for us, we often push ourselves to our breaking point. We write until our fingers bleed and our heads are empty shells. We become slave-drivers to ourselves, twisting what used to be fun into something we dread. Left untreated, this could lead to us hating the craft of writing. And how sad would that be?

By personifying our creativity as our Inner Artist or Tiny Writer, we see ourselves for what we really are: human.

Just because we aren’t small children anymore doesn’t mean we no longer require our basic needs to be met.

We need breaks. We need fun. We need to speak to ourselves gently and encouragingly. We need to protect our fragile, fledgling ideas from those who could crush us.

Writers are not as impenetrable as we like to think, and we aren’t solar-charged. We may require a nap, a snack, or even a time-out from time to time.

Tiny Writer is a writer’s way to take care of herself again.

Remember, Dear Writer: Without you, there would be no words. You are important.

Next steps

Take some time to think about who your Tiny Writer is. It helps to literally think of your ten-year-old self. That carefree child who was unaffected by the world’s influence, making her 100% genuine you? Who is that girl? What is she like?

Is she prone to overtrust? Burnout? Fear? Perfectionism? How can you protect her? What can you do for her that will make her smile and sing?

Grab a notebook. Go somewhere inspiring. A cafe, a library, a brewery, a museum. Go there alone. No friends, no family, no dogs. And get to know your Tiny Writer.

You’ll be happy you did.

What do you think of this concept of “Tiny Writer”? Have you ever thought of your inner artist before?

Comment Below!