Creativity: Just get started
It's time to create.
The most important action to take is to get started.
What business or project are you not starting?
We all start at zero.
Zero is the moment before we experience any sensation, thought, or emotion about an action. Jobs, hobbies, and habits – they all start at zero.
Over time we acquire and build skills that become habits.
Our terrible memories let us forget that we didn’t enter this world with all the knowledge we have today.
Most of us vow to get started on something eventually – write a journal entry, learn a language, play an instrument – but we never do.
There is friction that keeps us from starting.
Getting started is the gateway drug to creativity.
We cannot create art we do not start.
We cannot master a skill that we do not learn.
We cannot share a thought that we do not express.
The first draft of your idea is better than the masterpiece that only lives in your head.
Do not fear failure.
It’s an imaginary blocker that keeps most of us from trying. We all want to try something but we struggle to process what will happen if we aren’t good at it right away.
We trap ourselves into thinking we shouldn’t even try.
Creativity is the opposite of work.
The journey matters.
The end result is a snapshot of your creative process, but it is not the most important part.
Your personal growth is your creative act.
My creativity is unavailable at the moment
Most of us see creativity as being locked away in a vault where only some people have the key.
This gives us permission to undervalue creativity. Since creativity only applies to some people (not me), we don’t have to worry about improving it.
We tend to associate creativity with the output – a painting, a song, a dance. But that only shows half the picture.
The inspiration that prompts our creativity is equally, if not more, important.
We’re all inspired by the world around us.
It’s your choice whether the world around you pushes you out of your comfort zone and prompts you to take action.
If you don’t consume engaging, creative content your creativity will stagnate.
If you doomscroll on social media instead of posting your own content, you let the algorithm dictate your creativity, and often your emotions.
If you actively manage your content consumption to stimulate creativity, you’re able to set the terms of your inspiration.
How to Build Your Creativity Machine
A Creativity Machine is a framework to enter a creative mindset. It’s a reliable and reproducible way to engage with creativity without overthinking how you will get started.
There are 3 basic principles:
Prioritize learning over “success” - give yourself the grace to learn and be bad. No one cares if you’re bad.
Commit to doing - do first, then reflect. Don’t overanalyze the tools you need to get started or what you will create. Just do.
Create for yourself - allow yourself to pursue whatever interest you want. If you’ve always wanted to write a children’s story or produce a hip-hop instrumental, follow that curiosity for yourself. You are the audience.
Your creative machine is your engine for taking action. It’s unique to you and will create a space where you are free to explore and express yourself.
Do not think, just do.
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"We cannot create art we do not start."
This! (Bonus points: it rhymes.)