Five Well-Kept Creativity Secrets
What they don’t tell you about creativity.
Creativity is not spoken about much on Medium, not taught in books, classrooms nor on the streets.
Ever since I took the executive decision to hone my writing skills on this site, I began to think deeply about creativity in a broad sense.
Granted, I’ve only been writing consistently for a mere two weeks, writing on Medium has taught me many lessons. But you’re better off hearing Medium lessons from the pros.
When I first wrote, I struggled with being creative. I reasoned that creativity was an excuse for not writing well. But I soon realised that it is a skill often kept hidden and secret.
My job here is not to tell you why. I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know a few things about creativity that I have mulled over in my mind for two weeks now.
1. Creativity is lonely.
I’ll be honest. Medium has one of the best writing communities. I have found friends and supportive readers.
But coming up with creative ideas day in and day out is not only tiring but also lonely. The image of the lonely artist isn’t comforting when you try to write unique ideas consistently.
As writers, we’re in our heads for the better part of the day. At night, our subconscious mind whizzes and mulls some more.
It’s lonely.
Some days, I feel overwhelmed by the pressure to be creative and not let myself down. I struggle to make sense of my ideas and create something new and innovative.
I find it hard to translate these ideas meaningfully.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m actively trying to socialise, talk through my ideas with fellow writers, and have a supportive network.
I find that journaling and writing poetry gets me out of my head a little. When things get suffocating, you can write letters to friends to relieve the pressure of creating.
Step back and create in different ways and with people. If writing yields a creative block, paint with a friend, knit with your nan, draw with your brother, or even film something with your dad.
Creating whilst socialising is my new coping mechanism.
2. Unique creativity doesn’t exist.
“If you want to be original, the most important and possible thing you could do is do a ton of work. Do a huge volume of work.” — Adam Grant
It took me a long time to realise this. With creativity, it’s not about quantity or quality. It’s about sustained consistency. If you want to be recognised for your work, you have to outdo everyone else.
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Picasso produced about 147,800 pieces. Mozart composed over 600 pieces. These creatives outworked their competitors. They stayed in the game longer. They didn’t give up.
Quantity produces quality. You hone your creativity with every piece. You strengthen your creativity.
If you want to be unique and original, increase the rate of art you’re creating.
This fits in nicely with number 3.
3. Creativity is a muscle.
You’ve heard of James Altucher’s 10 ideas everyday philosophy. You may have read about Ayodeji Awosika’s similar 10 headlines a day routine.
Both have one common denominator. Iteration.
When you break your leg, it goes into atrophy. You need physiotherapy to remember how to walk again. It’s true. You forget how to walk.
It’s the same with creativity.
To keep being creative, exercise that muscle.
Persistent creativity leads to recognition.
Even when it feels lonely, you create. When you’re angry, create. When you’re tired, create. When you feel deeply passionate about something… create.
Soon you become an idea machine. Creativity will manifest itself in you.
You will never be short of ideas, but you’ll struggle with choosing an idea from the sheer abundance of them.
You will eat, breathe and talk creativity.
4. Creativity is simultaneously cheap and precious.
Ideas are a dime a dozen.
You can find creativity in everything and anything if you look hard enough and for long enough.
James Altucher once said, “Everything is creativity. Process is art.”
Living life is art. You can write about anything in life, and it can have the potential of being great content.
By the same vein, creativity is precious. It is too valuable to be traded for money. To learn how to be creative should be something taught at every school around the world.
Real creativity is pure genius.
As a creative, you must come to terms with this paradox.
Ideas and creativity can come and go, but they are also what makes life valuable.
Without creativity, we won’t have entertainment. We’d be savage beasts.
5. Resistance is the enemy of creativity.
“There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistence.” — Steven Pressfield
The reason creativity is hard to cultivate at first is resistance.
We try to do anything possible to resist creativity. It’s part of our human nature.
But once we overcome that initial resistance — procrastination, it can get easier. Until we’re almost finishing our work, that is.
Perfectionism is the final form of resistance. It hinders our ability to ship content.
We sit and wait instead of creating the finished product.
But with the exercise of creativity, we can overcome the resistance threshold.
Being creative is hard. But it’s simple. You just have to keep showing up. Every time you show up, you beat resistance and overcome your lonely fears. You exercise your creative muscle and get a little close to being original.
Just keep creating.
Fatima Sultan is a writer, tutor and self-proclaimed nerd. She writes about life and its many excitements and disappointments. She also apparently likes referring to herself in the third person. You can read more of her writing by subscribing to her free newsletter.