Merriam-Webster defines momentum as: strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events. “The wagon gained momentum as it rolled down the hill.” 

It stands to reason the only way to have momentum is to simply begin. No matter how sluggish or small the beginning, in the activity of doing something repeatedly, momentum is gained. 

I follow a writer on Facebook who recently posted that she is on day 1500 of writing every day. She said small steps each day add up. She also credits the accumulation of daily decisions with her success—along with being obsessive! Another person responded that they are on Daily Drawing 2324. I admit, I am in awe of their achievements.

It made me want to commit (yet again) to be creative every day—to be more exact, to compose every day. I have followed through for thirty-one days as I write this. 

Maintaining interest and momentum in artistic endeavors can be a challenge. Life gets busy. Interruptions happen. Regular daily chores take longer than expected. I find my forward progress when working on a blog, a music composition, or any other creative project is easily sidetracked or even stopped.

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A body in motion stays in motion, and a body at rest stays at rest, unless, acted upon by an outside force.

—  Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author

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One of my problems may be that I am too precious in my work. I expect to know the direction I am headed on a project. I may waste time thinking that inspiration will lead me. Wendell Berry’s quote made me think—perhaps it is better to keep moving, keep writing, keep my mind actively thinking about a project. Keep the momentum alive.

Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction. Practice resurrection.

— Wendell Berry (b. 1934) American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer

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The image of the fox gives me a mental picture of what momentum could look like. Whenever I feel stuck, I think of the fox constantly moving around. My steps do not have to be perfect or correct all the time—that is not the point. The basic principle is to keep moving—and that creates momentum. The goal is simply to “write every day.” I trust the rest to take care of itself once I have the momentum.

Painter and author, Mitchell Albala, expresses the idea of momentum this way.

“Painting is a process of moving energy, in the form of ideas, from one place (our creative vision) to another (our painting). The more regularly I work, the more my mind stays involved in the creative process, and the more those ideas keep flowing. Painting is like an endless question-and-answer session. Each stroke is followed by a question; the next stroke is the answer. And on a larger scale, each painting is like a conclusion that poses another question, What’s next? There’s an expression, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” Momentum is like that. Through momentum, I remain engaged in my own process long enough to hear the answers. If my efforts are intermittent, I lose momentum and I am less likely to hear the questions and answers that are so much a part of my process. We hear a similar refrain from artists in other disciplines, like writers and musicians.”

“As long as I keep going forward, as long as I maintain my momentum, then I’ve got a chance to keep the creative dialogue going. And if inspiration comes about as the result of that momentum, so much the better. I’ll hope for inspiration, but keep up the momentum.”

Everyone gets off-track or stuck sometimes. It is part of being human. I find it helpful to look for ways to nudge myself from my inertia. Elizabeth Gilbert in her book, Big Magic, has this advice.

“Go walk the dog, go pick up every bit of trash on the street outside your home, go walk the dog again, go bake a peach cobbler, go paint some pebbles with brightly colored nail polish and put them in a pile. You might think it’s procrastination, but—with the right intention—it isn’t; it’s motion. And any motion whatsoever beats inertia, because inspiration will always be drawn to motion. So wave your arms around. Make something. Do something. Do anything.”

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Since momentum is in essence movement, Martha Graham has this tip to capture the vitality of each minute.

All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.

— Martha Graham (1894-1991) American modern dancer and choreographer