Do you ever have a hard time being creative?
You stare at the blank canvas of your art and wonder, “I have to do this again? I’m expected to come up with something fresh…again?”
What you choose to do in that situation makes all the difference.
I had a really hard time writing my blog yesterday.
I woke up with a blank mind. I was tired.
I wasn’t feeling an ounce of creativity. Zilch.
I didn’t really want to do anything. Even the ideas of “making a difference” and “changing the world” weren’t that attractive.
Ever been there?
There were two things I could have done in that situation.
1) Go back to sleep
2) Hustle it out. Ship. Push it to the finish.
Since I just finished re-reading Poke the Box
Get More Creative By Doing More
You know what happened? Not only was I surprised by what I accomplished from 5:30-7:30 that morning, I was filled with new ideas when I was finished.
Rather than losing creative momentum, I gained it.
There’s a lesson here for we creatives.
The more you do, the more creative you’ll become.
Start something and ship something. Every. Single. Day.
Why Do I Blog So Much?
That is one of the reasons I blog everyday. I’m stretching that creativity muscle. I’m giving it a solid workout.
You’d think that blogging everyday would be the fast track to squelching your creative genius. I beg to differ.
The more I write, the more I have to say.
The more I ship, the more confidence I build.
As a runner runs further the more he/she runs, so it is with your creative work.
Don’t wait for inspiration. Just do it.
So when you’re in that situation where
- you have nothing to blog about
- you don’t know what sermon to write
- your song ideas seem to suck
- the blank canvas is laughing at you
Keep going anyway. Just start.
After you’ve finished, capture the new ideas that come to you. They’ll be there.
I guarantee that in starting more often your creativity will soar to new heights.
Simple? In theory, yes. Complicated in practice. But the more you start the better you’ll get at starting.
The more you do, the more creative you’ll become.
Question: How do you “stretch” your creativity muscle? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
I like to surround myself with people who will push me to hustle like that. It is sometimes easier to go back to bed when I am tired rather then push something out and ship it. This is good D
Are the people you surround yourself with online people or in-person people?
I’ve been learning to “scratch” before I even get the “itch.”
I go to bed worried sometimes that I don’t have an article ready for the next day or I am not happy with what I wrote. The more I stew on it, the worse it gets, but when I just open the laptop and place my hands on the keys, its amazing what happens sometimes.
Seriously. I hate that “forced” feeling. I find the more I can write in advance of publishing, the better my writing is. Probably because I’m not writing from stress but from enjoyment.
Great Post David…I love it!
I have to keep in tune to my surroundings. finding the Gospel in everyday life…
P.S. I’m posting my song and video on my blog tomorrow…
Thanks for pushing me to finish it…
Bro, that is awesome! Way to go!
I’ve been blogging for over 700 consecutive days now, and I could not agree more. Creativity feeds on itself. And the inspiration comes from God, not me, so I just quit worrying about it. I sit and I write. Every day. Wouldn’t want it any other way!
That’s great, Carl. Do you post a blog everyday or just write every day?
The more you create, the easier it becomes. This is such a simple but essential principle. It’s hard to create something when you lack inspiration, but we just have to remind ourselves that once we start, our God-given gift kicks in and takes over. Plus, a little Starbucks goes a long way in the early hours of the day 🙂
I really needed this today. Thanks, David.
Bro, excited for your blog! Almost ready for the launch?
Almost! As tech-savvy as I thought I was, it took launching a blog to show me how complicated technology can still be 🙂
I’ve found that when I’m not in the habit of creating, it’s is harder to think of things creatively. But, like you said, when I’m making the effort, ideas come.
Thanks for the encouragement. I needed it.
Cool. What are you creating these days, Mark?
Last night and this morning, I kicked back up posting on my blog after only sporadically posting for 2 months. I’m going to try to post every day during the week.
A couple other projects on the back burner are a some songs I’m writing.
Nice, bro! Posting every day can be tough. I’d recommend maybe 3 days a week first to build up. But if you think you’re ready, that’s awesome!
We’ll see how it goes. I have some post ideas written down by date, and some time blocked off in the morning. If I shoot high, maybe I’ll get 3 per week, but possibly more.
Got some inspiration to write more from some of your previous blog posts. Thanks again.
Nice, bro. Seems like you’re motivated and have a solid plan in place. Look forward to reading!
Reading and exercise help spur my creativity. I have definitely had those days where creativity is hard to come by. These two things though help me tremendously.
Adam, I agree with you, man. Sometimes I’ll stare at my computer for like an hour and get nothing. Then I’ll read a book and be filled with ideas. Thanks!
Using Sturgeons law as a rule of thumb: 90% of everything is crud, you have to produce a lot to hit on the occasional great idea. We want everything we do to be gems, but the reality is that is not the case. You gotta get the ideas flowing. Sometimes I find I can’t move on to a new idea until I’ve fleshed out the one stuck in my head – even if its not a great one.
Ron, you speak the truth, my friend. Have you ever read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell? I’d think you’d enjoy the read. He talks about the 10,000 hour rule where it takes that long to become a master at something. Interesting read.
I generally find that music helps to spur my creativity. And if I am in a bad rut, doing a monotonous task, such as cleaning or yard work will allow me to mull over ideas. My big problem is that I often have TOO MANY creative ideas running through my head at any given time so I put the new ideas in my idea journal and focus on finishing the main projects at hand!
Me too. Acting on ideas is the hard part, isn’t it?
What music is inspiring you right now?
Wow, I just learned important factors how to enhance my creativity through this post.
I stretch my creativity muscle by looking through other people’s works, and researching what other people has to say about a certain topic I’d like to work on.
But in my case, I only stretch my creative side whenever there is a project coming up that is why its leaving me empty minded. lol After reading your post I decided to always always create something new, every. single. day.
thanks for posting this. really, it helps! 🙂
God bless you!
Way to go, Jae. Deadlines are helpful but I think it’s important to make a habit of creating for the sake of creating. Your best work will come from that, you know?
Love the idea of creativity as a muscle – excellent!
My muscles are weak…but they’re getting stronger 🙂
I’ve found value in the constant shipping as well.
My “make something creative all the time” comes in the form of 140 characters. Or in a journal I’ve started using in the wee morning hours for writing prompts. Or in those tiny squares of color and texture and scene I put on Instagram. But having a steady stream of “something” keeps my right brain in gear.
Granted, I’m all out of words right now. I could make a million blog posts of pictures. And write a handful of lyricless melodies.
I’ve lost my words…
Mandy, I love how poetic your writing is. I feel like your comment needs to be reposted as a separate post 🙂
I’m probably a little too narrow with my creativity. I see my blog and my songs as my main creative outlet, but why can’t everything be seen as a creative project? Why not?