Creativity Doesn't Come Easy

Creativity Doesn’t Come Easy

Hopefully you would have already read my other article (You Left a Six Figure Job To Do What? Are You Nuts?) so you know that I’ve recently left a lucrative job and career for the unknown abyss of freelance writing. I’ve written 3-4 articles over the past week or so, none of them worthy of putting in “digital print” in my opinion. I’ve been struggling with what I’ve been wanting to write, trying to think of engaging ideas people would want to read. Then it dawned on me, write about that. Write about the fact that it’s hard, really hard, to constantly be thinking of new material that you both like and you think other people would like as well. 

This got me thinking about anything and anyone creative, this must be what many musicians and artists of any kind go through on a daily basis. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not lumping myself in with artists at this point, but it’s amazing how quickly you begin to understand the mindset when you’re attempting to do anything creative, whether that’s building a birdhouse for your backyard or attempting to write a hit song. 

Speaking of hit songs, my daughter had a 90s station on the other day and a Nirvana song came on from their Nevermind album. Quick aside, I’m a big Nirvana fan, having read multiple books on both the band and Kurdt Cobain, needless to say I was happy to hear one of my favorites (Lithium) and equally excited my daughter wanted to listen as well. As we were listening, I commented out loud how amazing it was that Cobain was able to write this song (and the entire album for that matter) before the age of 25. The amount of God-gifted talent it took to write the lyrics and music at such a young age is incredible when you think about it. The fact he was able to accomplish so much prior to his death at 27 seems unfathomable to me. Nirvana’s music has become synonymous with the 90s, the grunge movement and indeed my entire generation. I also commented that I’d never be able to create something so lasting and impactful, quickly digressing to self loathing and self pity rather than simply enjoying the music and being inspired to either write about it or something else. 

When you have a job, even one you dislike, it’s a fantastic daily distraction for your mind. You have to get up at a certain time, be to work at a certain time and stay there for hours on end. Your mind is actively engaged elsewhere, dealing with the daily problems of emails, instant messages and conference calls. There’s no time to sit and think with yourself or be vulnerable to the world, you’re constantly engaged in other things and have the ability to dream of what it may be like to remove those barriers and just “be.” I’m here to tell you, it’s interesting. When you remove all those barriers that have been in your way and begin to dream, you’ll not only be surprised by the result, you’ll most likely find that both fear and self doubt will easily creep in if you’re not careful. 

What I’m learning is, you need to embrace the unknown and simply go with it. It’s like a rebirth of who you are and what you want to be, which is of course going to be hard. I’m reminded of the line in The Matrix when Neo asks Morpheus “why do my eyes hurt,” and Morpheus responds, “you’ve never used them before.” I’m certainly not going to be a Neo/Superman/Jesus character whose sole purpose is to save the world; however, I’m beginning to understand that my purpose can be more than simply email responses to a colleague regarding a past due project and what our next steps will be to get it back on track. 

Allowing yourself time, swaths of real time throughout the day, provides a unique perspective on all those who came before you and did something creative with their time. The amount of effort, angst and self doubt must have driven some of them to the point of going mad. We take so many of these things for granted, from the washer and dryer that saved us literally hours and days of work to the laptop I’m using to write this article, the inventions that drive our life and the people behind them amaze me. What’s most amazing is the thought that went into them but also the sheer will to see them come to life. I’ve got 5-10 thoughts that go through my head each day, some of them are viable while others most likely aren’t, but I’ve done nothing with them due to any number of reasons. Facing your fears, having belief in what you’re doing in the face of perceived outside doubt or self doubt are essential to achieving success in whatever it is you’re doing. Perhaps this is a known fact that everyone already has at the ready, but the newfound time I have to think about has made this very clear to me. 

The point of all this is to say, many of you have reached out after my original article expressing a similar desire to quit your job and move on to something new. I think that’s great, I’m excited that you’d look at anything I may have written as either inspirational or a way to kickstart your next move. What I’d say is this, be ready. Be ready to: 

• Sit in silence with your thoughts

• Wake up and wonder what you’re going to do that day

• Wonder if you can be as great as others think you can be 

• Think, you have time for that now 

Unlatching the chains that bind us is both great and scary at the same time. I think we’re conditioned to have a set schedule that we live by from a young age. You wake up and go to school from the age of 6 to 18 years old, followed by either college or work. If you go to college, you get a bit of a reprieve in that you may only have 2-3 classes per day and you have tons of free time otherwise to hang out with friends and be a young adult. Your first job may also be fairly simple to do allowing you time after work to do whatever it is you want, without the stresses of marriage, kids, etc. The point is, you’re straddled to something from the age of 6 to when you retire in your mid-50s if you’re lucky or mid-60s as most will need to do. This is normal, this is the cycle of our human condition that we’ve become accustomed to. 

If you’re looking to make a change, I’d challenge you to take that leap. You don’t have to do what I did and resign entirely with nothing else at the ready. I’ve said this before, I’m very lucky to have a supportive wife who has a great career that affords me the ability to be writing this very article. Take it from someone who hates change, it’s not going to be easy. Like Neo, the world will be new to you in many ways and you’ll be using your eyes for the first time. Not since you were a child, will you have the freedom that you now possess. What you do with it will be the key. As for me, you’re reading what I’m doing. Although it’s not a hit song in the same stratosphere with the greatness of Nirvana, it's allowed me to continue dreaming that one day it could be, and that's a pretty amazing feeling.