Creativity, thou art a chore
I like having ideas. And I like seeing those ideas turn into clean cut finished products. Who doesn’t?
But here’s the catch: creativity is a struggle. It requires effort. To turn your brilliant idea into a brilliant something, there will need to be molding, creating, designing, planning. This simple graph drawn by a four-year old with ADD me illustrates the creative process:
For example, I enjoyed tossing around the idea of this post. I will be glad when it’s finished being written. But between these two stages, there’s a middle stage where I wrestle with the wording of the post. How to lighten up this paragraph? Should I place this prepositional phrase at the beginning or end of my sentence? Is this sentence even necessary? Would my time be more profitable if I slammed my face against a brick wall? Repeatedly?
I wish instead that creativity were like a toothpaste tube that oozes creative goo on cue. Need some creativity? Here, take some. Or perhaps if it were like a perfume that I could bathe in and leave an aroma of creativity wherever I go.
But it’s rarely that easy. Instead, it requires time and effort.
But really, that applies to pretty much everything, doesn’t it? Health, happiness, consistency, growth, the list goes on and on. Even exercise:
What do you want? It’ll take work to get it. The process might involve a series of victories or a series of mistakes but there will be a struggle in there somewhere for sure. I don’t think creativity is a talent given to a select few. Creativity is like exercise: everyone can do it, it just takes work.
Don’t let the struggle scare you away. Let it teach you.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Share
