Can You Plan Creativity?
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”
Pursuing a creative endeavour, particularly an artistic one, can be quite a different experience when contrasted with something more logical and methodical. You can’t always control when or how you are going to get your best ideas. Therefore, choosing when to work and what to do isn’t always straightforward.
I can plan a weekly schedule of when I plan to do all my creative tasks, but I cannot always be sure of how much work I can get done in the time. Sometimes, when my creative juices are flowing, I can complete full projects in only a matter of hours, other times I find myself stuck for the whole day (or longer), not always knowing how to go forward. And funnily enough, it is often when I am doing something mundane, like cleaning my room, washing the dishes, or taking a bath that suddenly I am hit with the answer that I was looking for.
I guess it is a lesson in ‘not forcing’. In this world we are often conditioned to work to a specific schedule that matches with the status quo. Therefore, we can sit for hours and hours trying to force out any ideas we can to get our work done. It can feel difficult. It can feel like a struggle. And it can feel unenjoyable. Yet, often when we step away from our workspace and we take the time to do something totally different, fun, or undemanding, our minds are allowed to relax, any resistance dissipates, and suddenly we are struck by a wave of inspiration that we only wish we could have had while working.
For those of us focussed and committed to creative endeavours, it can help to work on those projects when we feel inspired to and have the ideas to move it forward. The rest of the day can be filled with the administrative tasks that come with any creative project, or taken out in search of the inspiration needed to continue. A perfect pathway towards lower stress and higher happiness… right?!
“If you get stuck, get away from your desk. Take a walk, take a bath, go to sleep, make a pie, draw, listen to music, meditate, exercise; whatever you do, don’t just stick there scowling at the problem.”
