The joy of creativity - Part Two
In Part One I spoke about the ‘why’ of a creative practice. This second part touches more on the ‘how’. I will say that this is just a few ideas that work for me and I believe could be useful for others - but in the end you’ve got to go and do you, if creativity had set rules then it really wouldn’t be very creative!
I think about four main elements to my current creative practice.
Repetition: Though it might seem pradoxical at first, there is no way to get creative without repeating the same act over and over again. Think of any artists, musicians, writers etc. that you admire - and you can bet that they all worked on their creative talents in many ways and for many days and hours before they created the work you know them for. By learning their trade inside-out these masters were able to know enough to break the boundaries.
What this looks like for me is building a specific time for creativity into my day. I always find mornings are best - my brain is freshest and I know I can make that time work, but again, everyone is different and so experiment with what works for you.
Awareness: It’s all very well ring-fencing some time, but if you are not really present, then the best results won’t emerge. This is especially relevant in the modern world where there are distractions readily available at any moment - whether that’s your phone, your fridge or your office. So make sure your practice happens in a comfortable space where you know you won’t be disturbed (recommend to leave your phone in another room). I just sit at my desk but a sofa, bean bag, tree branch or wherever else are all valid (and again, keep expirementing!).
However in my opinion awareness is also a muscle and the best way to build that muscle is through mindfulness / meditation. There are many ways to work on that and here is not the place to go into all of them - but if you feel that this is something you struggle with and would like some help, the meditation app I have enjoyed most is Waking Up. If you would prefer to start in-person, then your local Buddhist Centre is normally a friendly and welcoming place to start.
All in all, being able to really present to what we are creating (think of a kid absent-mindedly poking their tongue out the side of their mouth while they intently draw something) is a vital piece in having a worthwhile practive.
Space: This third pillar is a bit more ephemeral. Part of creativity is having inspiration - that big idea that lights you up that makes these hours worthwhile. Some people seem to have no problem with this whereas for me getting the ideas is often the hardest part. And sadly this often doesn’t come when you are sat at your blank piece of paper. Again, every one will be different here, but my best creative ideas almost always come to me when I am able to let me mind wander off where it likes - maybe in the bath, lying in a field or sleeping out under the stats. As much as discipline is important it’s also true that we’re trying to create something new and sometimes just being open and available to the newness is really important.
I think this idea needs fleshing out but somewhere in my mind there is an idea of the balance of energies: The masculine energy (the seed that has one action in mind and just keeps on repeating that); The feminine energy (the womb that takes a chosen seed into its awareness and nurtures and encourages it); and the in-between (the space where magic happens and new ideas can be birthed to feed into the other energies).
Sharing: I could (and will) keep writing poems till the cows come home (whatever that means) - but to keep my creative practice growing I have to share. This helps in many ways - I get feedback and see what other people resonate with, I feel the joy when others resonate with my work and I get used to the scary feeling of putting something I’ve nurtured out there and letting it fly. The reverse side of this is also that I learn through failure - in fact failure is often the best and fastest way to learn (see Part One!) The other side of this is also thaty we also learn so much by devouring other people’s art - if there wasn’t something to inspire us in the first place then it would be hard to work out where to jump off from - so keep going to galleries, ready great works, listening to great musicians etc.
There’s a lot here and I have tried (I really have!) to keep this post as concise as possible - I would love to know what lands for you or any other thoughts you have on how to build a creative practice that you enjoy, please do decorate the comments with your ideas!
