Living a life that cultivates creativity
Here are 3 things that I’ve learnt over the years about the creative life:
Most of my ideas come to me when I’m bored. It’s those ‘in between’ moments of the day. Taking a shower, going for a drive or a walk, riding the train. It’s these moments where our mind gets to run in ‘idle’ mode for a little while.
I feel like I’m in these moments less and less these days, because, I’m so used to being distracted. I’m so used to filling every spare moment of my day with something. Some kind of content.
I feel like I need more time to just be still, to breathe. To take notice of what’s around me and be present in every moment and with every person I’m with.
Artists are like sponges. What goes in is what comes out. That’s why it’s really important to get a lot of input, but to also be mindful of what that input is. What we choose to look at, read, listen to, even the people we spend time with, they influence us and become source material for the things we create. Adrianne Lenker said it this way:
“Everything I put into myself comes out through music. Every little thing.“ - Adrianne Lenker
If I’m constantly spending my time creating bitesize content and not having deep, focussed time to work, then I’m not going to be able to create deep, meaningful work. I need to cut out the noise and let my mind wander. I need to be mindful of the sources of inspiration I choose to let in to my ears and eyes.
And as independent artists, social media makes you feel trapped in the narrative that ‘you need to be posting content every single day for your art to be even seen or heard’. But what’s the point of making something to post every day, if what you’re making isn’t worth posting? In that case I’m just adding to the noise.
What if the content we consume, was not decided by an algorithm, but decided by you? By your own personal choice to watch a movie, or read a book, or visit a gallery, listen to an album…
Artists are curious
We have to be disciplined enough to stay childlike. To choose sincerity over cynicism.
To take notice of every little detail.
To truly capture a moment - how it looks, how it feels. We have to wait there. Zoom in to every detail, every texture. Zoom out to the surroundings. The weather. The time and space.
But always, stay curious. And follow that curiosity where it leads.
