Make Creativity a Habit

Creativity is not magic.

It’s a habit.

Creativity is something you practice, built on curiosity, passion, and determination.

What folks saying “I’m not creative” might mean is “I don’t see value in my skills.”

It’s OK if you don’t yet have the skill level of your favorite authors, filmmakers, or musicians — but the process of learning and discovery is not out of reach to anyone with the will and ability to create.

Even better, Dr. Cathy Malchiodi promotes the benefits of creativity as a wellness practice: studies show how artistic practices contribute to wellbeing, especially later in life. “These findings underscore the idea that it is possible to build a ‘cognitive reserve’ through engaging in novel, creative experiences that have a protective effect on the brain,” notes Dr. Malchiodi.

“Creativity is increasingly being validated as a potent mind-body approach as well as a cost-effective intervention to address a variety of challenges throughout the lifespan.”

It helps to break the creative process down into smaller steps:

How to be more creative (in a few mins. a day)

In short, capture life.

Write, take photos, knit, paint, carve wood — do anything that scratches your an itch that capitalism doesn’t claim to care about.

Let’s use writing as an example:

Dedicate five minutes a day to writing down any thought.

Start by writing down a name, a stray phrase, or your favorite music of the month.

When you start looking at the same thing each day, whether it’s a blank page or your walk to work, you’ll begin to notice little differences. Places where you can improve. Dancer and author Twyla Tharp wrote about this in The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, “It gives you a path toward genuine creation through simple re-creation.”

After writing for a month, reflect. 

There’s no right answer, but there is an answer.

Which sentences do you like more?

Why do you think that is?

Once a month, try writing about which sentences are better and why.

Repeating this practice creates a new muscle memory. As you repeat your process, you’ll become more comfortable, confident, and efficient.

At a certain point you’ll get bored. That’s good. 

Be comfortable with boredom.

Dr. Sandi Mann links boredom and creative thought; with time to drift mentally, you’ll come up with better ideas.

Once you’re in a routine, move to the project: and start with the end in mind.

A poem, blog post, or article for your dream publication.

Decide what you’re writing and write it, but don’t be concerned about whether it’s good or bad.

(Or if it even makes sense.)

Forget about it. Or pitch it somewhere accepting articles on that topic, if you want. Or publish it on your blog or LinkedIn. But you have to release the expectation of any outcome, or you’ll get frustrated.

Your best bet? Write another one. Use your five minutes on this now. 

Creative people have a lot of ideas. Most of them are bad, but that doesn’t mean we stop. Most of them are put in drawers and never seen again.

Only by going through all these bad ideas can we find the good ones.

Then apply your process to something else. 

Something bigger like an album, screenplay, or novel. Because creativity works like a muscle, and you’ve spent a lot of time building it up, this will be easier in the future. 

By stretching yourself toward something new, you can find new connections between old ideas you’ve been working on.

Tharp, in The Creative Habit, touched on the purpose of artistic endeavors: “Creativity is more about taking the facts, fictions, and feelings we store away and finding new ways to connect them.”

Remember: Being human means making mistakes. 

It's nothing to be ashamed of — mistakes can be a great way to learn if you're receptive to feedback. This is where you’ll find gaps in your knowledge, or realize that your original vision was slightly off.

If people criticize your work or you aren't happy with your progress, try to understand why, if you want to grow. Or maybe they’re not your target demo, and that’s fine, too.

As Sarah Ruhl wrote in 100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater, “Failure loosens the mind. Perfection stills the heart.”

Don’t set specific goals, by the way. 

Not yet, anyway.

This might seem counterintuitive. If you like that, you’ll love our coaching POV.

Although you should be writing every day — which is kind of a goal, yeah — we’d suggest not marking it on a calendar.

You did not fail if you miss a day.

You simply missed a day.

On the other hand, once you've completed your goal, you might be inclined to stop practicing. That's not good, either.

Being creative means figuring it out, not checking a box.

It will take time. That’s the point. 

As Mr. Rogers once said, “Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.”

Every once in awhile, reflect again. (And dig through your archives.) 

This might mean looking through old work that makes you cringe, but it’s an important part of growth.

By regularly assessing your own progress, you’ll be more comfortable constructively critiquing your future work as you create it. This helps you to avoid the same mistake twice, and will keep your eyes on where you have room to grow.

Sometimes you’ll even notice how far you’ve come, and feel so, so damn proud.

Creativity is about starting small, making mistakes, and constantly adjusting your work.

In other words: Practice.