Yes, you are creative

No matter what you want to do, just start writing

Nov 16, 2023

Every day, you're watching, reading, and listening to content. Most of it lacks substance; it's not revolutionary. But it's entertaining. It keeps you scrolling.

But every once in a while, you come across that punchy post, that insightful article, that incredibly well edited video, or that had-me-rolling-on-the-floor podcast.

And something sparks in you.

A tingling sensation in your brain.

And for a moment, you feel inspired.

An idea pops into your head and you imagine yourself being that creative person that immediately grabs their supplies and makes their vision a reality.

It’s thrilling and exciting.

However, these moments of inspiration tend to fade quickly. And some very different thoughts come up:

"I am not creative."
"I can’t do that."
"That’s too difficult."
"I have no time."
"I have no skill."

But is any of that true?

Two weeks ago I wrote: to be happy, create. I believe that nurturing and expressing our creativity is a vital aspect of the human experience—a fundamental yearning that should come as naturally as breathing but often gets neglected in our society.

Instead we live in a hamster wheel seeking nothing but efficiency and profit. We struggle to wake up and grab our phone first thing, scrolling through the morning in a daze. With coffee as our lifeline, we daydream through our 9-to-5 grind. Come evening, we're zapped. Slumped on the couch, we flip between the TV and our phones, dinner a forgettable blur. Creativity? That's squashed under the weight of our daily rerun. And as we hit the pillow, it's like hitting the replay button - ready to spin through the same old cycle as soon as the sun rises.

Now, I know that throughout all of these, sometimes you feel that spark of inspiration. Something takes you out of that hamster wheel and for a moment you feel so energized you can just feel the electric pulse of your creativity waking up within you.

Making something, anything, can seem too daunting. Requiring too much effort. Too much time. So you usually let it go away.

But it doesn’t have to feel as daunting if you know where to start.

Let's not pretend that being creative and producing valuable work isn't challenging. It is.

But suppose you decide to embrace your burst of creativity. I’m sure you’ve experienced the frustration of feeling like you’ve got an amazing idea but when you try verbalizing it, or turning into something tangible, it sort of crumbles and stops feeling as groundbreaking.

The idea is not to blame. Ideas are fleeting and fragile. And you’ll be much better off thinking of them as the little seed of bonsai. A seed that needs watering to grow and trimming to take shape.

The starting point is to water that seed. And that watering starts with writing.

Writing transforms your elusive thoughts into fully-fledged, share-worthy ideas.

And that’s because writing is an invaluable skill to help you find clarity.

Putting our thoughts into words on paper compels us to organize and structure them coherently. It pushes us to make sense of the natural chaos that is our mind.

Writing not only enhances our ability to communicate effectively but also improves our understanding of the topic, that we can break into manageable pieces, and our understanding of our own perspective.

It provides a space for introspection and self-awareness.

It opens up the opportunity to reflect on our thoughts and emotions, gaining insights into our own experiences, which is essential for nurturing creativity, as it allows us to tap into our unique perspectives and bring forth original ideas.

And writing can serve as the baseline for any creative art form.

While creativity can take infinite forms, writing serves as its cornerstone, offering a platform for self-expression, critical thinking, and exploration.

Take filmmaking, for instance. The script is the backbone of the audiovisual experience. And it's writing that breathes life into the narrative, structure, and construction, critical elements for creating engaging content that need to take place way before cameras start rolling.

Even in visual arts like painting, design, or photography. Starting with writing can ease and improve your creative process. Through writing you can better unveil what you intend to convey with your creation, and how to make it come across in the most impactful way, enhancing both the process and the final result.

Again, it doesn’t have to feel daunting.

Start simple.

Just start by asking yourself questions.

What does this mean to me? What can it mean to others?
Why does this idea excite me? Is it something that others would share with me?
What’s the best way to convey this feeling?
How does this relate to or affect other areas of my life?

You will find that in the process of reflecting over these type of questions and finding the words to write your answers you will unveil the path to breathe life into your idea. Which will not only make it feasible, more tangible, but it will also be much more powerful than that first fleeting thought. And therefore, much more exciting.

You’ll find yourself with the inescapable feeling of having to act on your idea.

And you’ll feel reinvigorated in your very human need to create.