We’re all creative. We all have ideas. Why is it some people seem to have more of them? Or that others actually produce something from their idea?
Many of us go through our day-to-day lives not realizing we’re creating everyday. Maybe your boss wants you to come up with a Powerpoint presentation, or you create an advertisement to sell you stuff on eBay. Maybe you make up the best jokes at the party or have a fix-it-up project going on at your house right now. That’s creating something that wasn’t there before.
But what makes the difference for something average and something amazing that people won’t stop talking about it? Finding your creative voice.
Three Elements that make up Creativity
- Fill It Up
- Inspiration
- Action
Understanding these three elements can help you find your creative voice.
Fill It Up
I was driving one day, listening to the radio when I heard a rattle, felt the car lurch before it died. I hadn’t paid attention as my gas gauge fell below empty, but my car definitely had. No matter how much gas I put in her, she always needs more if I want to go all the places I’ve planned.
Creating is like that. When we are filling our lives with busyness, jobs, emails, errands to run, we’re not putting in the right fuel for our creative juices to flow. In order to create, we must surround ourselves with books, people with ideas, nature, and time to reflect. Whatever it is that inspires you.
Inspiration
Earl Dickson was an employee at Johnson & Johnson in 1913. His wife was a cook who constantly burned or cut herself. Mr. Dickson prepared gauze strips with surgical tape ahead of time so he would be prepared to help her. This led to the creation of the Band-Aid. Mr. Dickson was inspired by the events around him.
When we pay attention to our surroundings, we may end up inspired. For many, prayer and reflection are a great way to do this. Reading quotes and poetry often inspire. Sometimes, just going for a walk or reading a great book may offer the right opportunity.
Action
Most people have a moment when inspiration strikes. The brilliant idea that will be the next bestseller or the next million dollar invention. But they don’t do anything with it.
To truly capture the essence of a creative life, you must do something with your creative ideas. Otherwise, they’re merely ideas that will die with you. There’s no product we can hold or see, no words we can read if they’re not written out.
Talk does not equal action.
When an idea hits, write it down. You may not know what to do with it right away, but when the time is right, it will be there. Your idea may need time to grow and develop. That’s okay. It’s all part of the creative process.
Stir Up Your Creativity
This week, do something to stir up your creativity. Read that book you’ve been shoving aside. Write that short story that’s been nagging at you. Set up a creativity journal and write down at least three ideas. Go for a walk.
Ask yourself that really hard question – what is it I want to create? Why am I really writing this story or novel? You’ll come up with a lot of reasons and start to see your themes come to life.
Fill yourself up. Get inspired. And tell yourself, “I am creative!”
What do you do to get inspired?
For more reading:
I’ve always been inspired by a quote attributed to William Faulkner: “I only write when I’m inspired. And I make sure I’m inpsired at 9:00 every morning.”
Frequently, I’m inspired by deadlines. As Douglas Adams said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”
I really like the points you make in this post. We must always be on creativity alert. Whether it’s a potential character or story or snippet of dialogue or a setting for a scene. Orson Scott Card once wrote: “Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.”
And, as you say, we must also carve out time to focus on inspirational material.
Ultimately, our inspiration comes from God as he takes all that information in our heads and guides us into what to write and helps us shape our words to get the story out and to honor him.
Always good stuff, Henry! I love those quotes and the reminder that God guides us into what to write.