Carving Out Creativity

Part of the spring challenge over at Our Creative Community.

Carving Out Creativity

For me, creativity is something that doesn’t just happen. Oh, sure, I have those moments of inspiration or I get a great idea, but for the most part, my own creativity is something that needs to be shaped and honed.

Not too unlike a statue being chiseled out of stone or a figurine being whittled from wood.

See, I’m a creative type by nature. My family has “naturally” provided me with a knack for music and art. I guess you could say it’s in my genes.

However, my creative output doesn’t automatically match my creative nature.

I have to work at it.

I need discipline and accountability.

Disciplined Creativity

This year I’ve written more music than in any other period of my life. It’s not because I’ve become more creative, it’s because I’ve channeled my creativity into a disciplined approach at writing songs. One per week.

I’m also in an accountability group of photographers, writers, wongwriters, musicians, and other creative types over at Our Creative Community. It’s always such a great feeling to hear others in the group give feedback when I submit a song. It HELPS me want to churn out songs.

I struggle with structure. Not necessarily IN structure, but with establishing it for myself. I’m a pretty typical right-brained creative type. My office is a mess, though I know where everything is (contrary to what my neat wife says)! I procrastinate. I wing things A LOT!

However, give me parameters challenge me, give me a deadline, and I’ll crank em out. I actually thrive within structure. The problem is having the discipline to establish that structure for myself.

Enter Discipline.

Joining a group was the best thing that ever happened to me. Sharing my music on my blog keeps my friends and family in the loop and gives me a great opportunity not only to “give” my music to others, but to also “receive” all kinds of feedback from people from all over.

Carving Out Weekly Time

For me, I spend my day at least an hour off writing music. Sometimes it ends up being longer than that, but I commit to at least an hour. This happens once a week. Already this year, I’ve written more songs than in the last 5 years combined. Which is pretty amazing for this year, but pretty sad for the last 5.

Some weeks I feel totally unmotivated and the writing is more of an exercise not unlike the ones I used to do in college while studying Music Composition and Theory. Other weeks it seems like the ideas just roll in from minute one. Either way, I’m honing my skill as a songwriter.

Creativity Takes Work

Being creative doesn’t take work, but creativity as a whole does. Why? because just being creative doesn’t result in anything. Taking a creative idea and working on it until completion is good. Getting a ton of ideas because you’re a creative type but doing nothing with them is not so good.