3 Sure-Fire Ways to Summon Your Best Creativity
“Work is love made visible” - Khalil Gibran
For those of us who create for a living, there are times when we’re not particularly inspired about a project. It might be something that pays the bills yet doesn’t come from our heart. In these situations, it’s tempting to rush the project and give less than our best effort so we can move on.
The problem with that is, we’re putting something into the world with our signature on it, and it’s not very good. We’re not showing enough love and respect for the people we’re creating for.
Not everything we create will be a hit, but there are 3 things we can do to summon our best creativity when we need a lift:
1. Imagine that what you’re creating is for someone you have tremendous admiration, love, and respect for.
Ideally, that person should be you. But if you’re not feeling particularly proud or inspired by your project, ask - Would I give this to my mother? My spouse? My creative idol? Jesus Christ? George Clooney? Would my peers respect this? Is it the best I can do?
If the answer is no, you know you’ve got to amp things up in the quality department. You will suddenly see every imperfection in your creation, and know exactly how to improve it.
Think of a food critic who sneaks into a restaurant. The cooks and waitstaff have no idea who it is. Are they trained to automatically give their best effort to every customer, or are they slacking?
When we infuse our creativity with love, it usually shows. And when it does, people return to us.
2. When faced with a creative dilemma, ask yourself, If I were the person who knew how to fix this problem, what would s/he do?
Stepping outside of ourselves and pretending we’re some other genius can produce surprising results in a pinch. Try asking the above question the next time you’re confused about something and see what answers you get. Then detach and carry out the solution. When we ask specific empowering questions, we usually get specific empowering answers. It’s pretty cool.
3. Practice, practice, practice.
I hate to add this obvious one, but it’s impossible to leave out. The only way we get great at something is to do it over and over. That’s how Kaki King has become one of the best new guitar players around, and why her hypnotic new acoustic album Dreaming of Revenge is one of the prettiest things I’ve heard all year. (Watch her videos!)
Practice is the reason the B-52’s sound better than ever on their awesome new album, Funplex. (Get it!) They’ve been practicing those infectous grooves and gorgeous harmonies at the Loveshack for decades, and it shows.
Practice is the reason Seth Godin provides the most cutting-edge marketing advice in the world. Are you reading his blog? No? If you provide a service, you better be! His insights will help you tremendously.
Summoning our best creativity doesn’t mean being perfectionistic. It means doing the best we can, now, with our current skills. Imperfection is always acceptable when we give our best. When Prince screws up the lyrics to Kiss because he’s doing splits for us, we forgive him and call it soul.
What about you? What are some ways you summon your best creativity? Leave a Comment!
It’s funny I feel more creative when I don’t feel obligated to do something…how do you push past that stubborness and really give something your all?
Hi Mark,
This is another great post. I love your first point, “Imagine that what you’re creating is for someone you have tremendous admiration, love, and respect for.”
As a blogger, this would make me think twice before I hit the “publish” button.
Also, doing the best we can, now, is another great statement. I think we all have a tendency to look back at older work, and sometimes cringe, but it also gives us the opportunity to see how far we’ve come.
@Nicole - you’re right, most of us feel more inspired when we’re not obligated to create. You’ve made me realize I probably should have titled most post differently. I guess my point is, when we’re not feeling particularly inspired, here’s how to reach inside and find that spark.
@Barbara - thank you. You make a great point about looking back at older work to notice our progress. Both a cringe-inducing experience and happy one simultaneously!
Hi Mark-! Thanks for letting me know about your blog, there are some wonderful insights and tips here (I’ve bookmarked it-) I especially can relate to the part about having to create something for a company etc although your heart might not be into it. Also the part on perfectionism- something I fall into at times, but as you said- it’s important to do one’s best , no matter what point we’re at in terms of ability or skill. Hope all is well with you
best wishes,
Christina