So What Feeds Our Creativity?

In last week’s post, The Two Biggest Myths of Creativity I tried to dispel the major myths that I believe are used as “crutches” and stop many people from even attempting creative endeavours. We learnt that creativity is not solely for artists but everyone, and that it doesn’t come naturally and must be worked at; but also fostered through other creative outlets. 

Perfect! So we know we can be creative, it won’t come completely naturally, and works best with multiple outlets.  I want to start being more creative but that doesn’t really tell me where to begin.  Help?!  I think the best way to tackle it is in three parts, so today we will begin by looking at our God given, although sometimes latent, ability to be creative.

Let’s look at an example to start; you have been reading a bunch of blogs and think that can’t be too hard, it is just writing a new post each day on whatever I want.  Since I now know that I have the ability to be creative inside me, I think I may start a blog too.  I can go to wordpress or blogger, get my free account, and be blogging by the end of the day.  What am I going to write about you may ask? I will figure it out as I go. 

Unfortunately, like most new bloggers this was the mentality I took when I first started Aaron Outward.  I just dove right into the blog as a new endeavour without much thought.  What happened next you may ask?  Well the blog went fairly well for the first month but very quickly turned into “work”.  Sitting down and trying to find new topics daily made writing a chore and I quickly began to resent the blog.  I still felt an obligation to my readers to continue to post, but writing each passing post made the resentment towards the blog grow.  The resentment wasn’t towards the blog itself, I still loved that idea, I just was not enjoying what I was writing about.

Slowly I began taking days off, which then turned into weeks.  Finally, I just stopped posting altogether with the full intention of just letting the blog die.  In my time away I realized it wasn’t the blog or act of writing that I wasn’t enjoying, but the topics I was choosing to write about.  So instead of killing the blog, I just needed to change what topics I write about to something I would enjoy more and alas today’s blog was born.  Had I taken more time in the beginning to do all this thinking and reflecting, I probably would have saved myself a lot of discouragement and displeasure, but I also wouldn’t have learnt these excellent lessons to pass along ;~)

I started with this example to illustrate a point, although I had the creative ability in me from day one to create a blog that could be sustained, I was missing a major component that feeds our creativity; enjoyment and passion.  As Marianne Williamson wrote, “the highest prize we can receive for creative work is the joy of being creative”.

True creativity is fuelled by passion.  If we do not have passion for what we are doing, than we are surely are not going to be capable of being creative when doing it.  Our passion for something allows us to enjoy it become inspired, and this inspiration is the core necessity of creativity. 

So next time you are thinking about a new creative endeavour, heed the words of Harold Whitman, “Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
If you are passionate about your creative endeavours you will always succeed because you will always be finding personal enjoyment in your time spent doing them. 

Have any of you started an endeavour only to learn you didn’t have a passion for it?  Do you think passion really does feed creativity?  You know I love hearing your comments J

Did you enjoy my post today? Save yourself time and get the posts delivered directly to your email. Click Here to get the latest posts delivered directly to your Email