I currently work in Park City, Utah as the Executive Assistant for the owner of six fine art galleries. For my first six months there, we had a gallery manager who was and still is a life coach. He would often ask me how my writing is going and would help me make plans when I would get stumped. During one of my last conversations with him, we got on the subject of creativity. He asked me, “What’s the opposite of creation?” Without hesitation, I answered, “Destruction.”
Now, this may be seen as an easy answer. “Yeah, good job, Adam. You chose the obvious antonym.” True. I did. But most times the most obvious answer is also the best.
Yet, I think there’s more to destruction than its definition. Indeed, one can even destroy creation by the act of not creating. I said as much to Dan (or something very similar, and probably much more long-winded as I tend to ramble when I speak) and he challenged me to write out my five ingredients for creativity and two pitfalls. And though I write these from the perspective of a writer, I think that they can be applied to just about any person who considers themselves a "creative."
Something New Every Day
Don’t wait for the muse to find you. Forcing yourself to create something, even if it’s small, has a snowball effect and will exercise your mind so that you notice more and more ways to be creative in small moments as well as large. Eventually, you won’t have to wait for inspiration or the “muse” you’ll just create because you can’t help yourself.
Create a Discipline
Set a time and place, and bring your tools with you so that you have everything you need so you can focus and dedicate yourself to creativity. This goes in hand with what I said above about forcing yourself to create every day, even if it’s just a little.
Learn about Anything and Everything
I don’t mean be omniscient. That’s impossible. I mean take time to learn about whatever it is you’re creating so that it can be as relatable as possible. Reality creates a relatable environment. Realism still belongs in abstraction or fiction, as you need to know how something works in order to break the rules.
Learn a little about everything. Being a well-rounded person is more than just being a know-it-all, it’s about understanding the world and all of its beauty, as well as its complexity. To create, you must have the knowledge to do so, and you cannot have knowledge without education.
Multiple Projects
Having two or three projects to switch between can help with burn out as one project may become stale after a while and coming back to it later, after working on something different, can help you come back with a fresh perspective and rested mind.
Doing this will help you keep creating every day. Rather than dropping into a slog, making your process slow and arduous.
But also take a break when you need one. Everyone needs rest, even from their passions. But don’t completely stop creating. Be thinking about ideas, seeking inspiration, and participating in activities that engage the mind (hiking, reading, video games (keep it to an hour maximum per day), puzzles, etc.).
Take a step back from your project(s). Ideally, this break should be as long as you need it, this could be a week, but no longer than a month. The longer you wait to get back into a groove, the more difficult it will be. Take your time, pace yourself, be patient. It’s not a race.
Support Groups
Having a group of friends who you can bounce ideas off of is crucial to the creative experience and process. No idea is original. Let me rephrase. None of the ideas that pop into your head are entirely original because they all came from somewhere else and then subconsciously re-manifested from within your brilliant mind. Original ideas come from workshopping and brainstorming. They come from talking it out with friends and even strangers of like-minded creativity.
The creative life is sometimes a solitary one. Most of us are introverts in one way or another. But none of us can go without social interaction. Lose your fear of strangers and put yourself out there. I know, it’s easier said than done, but I promise it’s worth all the time and effort that you put into it. And the best part about this is that if the people you meet aren’t working out, you can always let that relationship go and find a better one. You can always be friendly without being friends!
Two Pitfalls to Creativity
Rigid Thinking
Getting trapped in the “my way or the highway” mentality will destroy your creativity. Yes, there are rules to follow and foundations to build off of, but don’t be afraid to branch out and find what works for you at different stages of your creative journey.
Fear of Failure
To fear failure is to fear life. Find out what failure means to you and have a healthy paranoia of it, but don’t fear it outright. Conquer it, instead.
Questions to Consider:
What are some of your ingredients to creativity? What are some of your pitfalls?
How can you improve on either?
My ingredient for my creativity is a good atmosphere. I love writing right after watching a good movie or after a reading session. Then I get cozy with a drink and the words start flying! My pitfall is definitely comparison and feeling like I’m not good enough, or that my story isn’t X enough or Y enough, so why try? I think I need to focus more on myself and what I like about what I’m creating, rather than what other people like all the time.