The good news – creativity can be developed.
The bad news – it takes work.
To create is to work. That’s why art and other creative output is referred to as “artwork” and a “body of work.”
That doesn’t mean the work is drudgery; it can be joyous. But, the nature of creative exploration has to encompass trials, missteps and outright failures or it won’t lead anywhere worth going.
As you expand your creative practice and output, you learn about your chosen craft and how to work within its constraints while bending them to your own vision. This intersection of practical knowledge and experience is where inspiration lives.
The difficulty is persevering on the path to get to that intersection because you don’t get there overnight. It takes time – maybe a few days or a few years, depending on complexity – and the road on the way is sometimes frustrating.
Learning to find reward in the creative process itself is how to remake the work of creating into joy.
How do you find joy in creating even when it doesn’t go as well as you’d like?
From the Studio: