EMAIL #57 - 3rd, February, 2020 - YOUR CREATIVE CALLING
Hi Team,
Back in September last year I started to explore the topic of creativity and the role it plays in your work and life in general. This week I would like revisit this topic and look at the importance of finding and pursuing your "creative calling".
Getting in touch with your own creativity.
Finding and accessing your creativity starts with some self-reflection and understanding who you are and what interests and inspires you. Creativity is everywhere and it is an integral part of our daily lives. To be aware of it and to nurture it you must first understand the different ways that you currently express creativity. As an exercise, brainstorm and write down a list of all the things you currently do that involve creativity. (As an example, here is a list of my current creative pursuits.)
- Researching and writing my weekly emails.
- Architecture & interior design.
- Building and renovating houses.
- Traveling.
- Photography.
- Gardening.
- Podcasts.
- Skiing.
- Marketing & Social Media.
- Cooking (A newly discovered interest!)
Next, review your list and identify which of these activities you are most attracted to and which ones give you the most joy? These top 3 or 4 activities are the ones that are most likely to be you current creative calling and the ones you should try to expand and devote more time to. Once you have a good feel for your top creative interests, you should take a deep dive into these worlds. Research them, read books about them, find out who are the leaders in these particular fields. One of the best ways to refine and grow your creativity is to join a community of likeminded people (both online and physical) who are passionate about the same interest or activity. The real power and joy of creativity comes from combining your creative story with your work, what you do on a daily basis and what you produce.
"You owe it to yourself to find what lights you up and go chase it", George Daniels.
Vulnerability also plays a big role in creativity. The best way to unlock your creativity is to follow your emotions and be true to who you are and what you enjoy doing. But just as vulnerability is not easy, creativity can also be difficult and scary at times. An integral part of any creative task is not knowing how it will turn out and how other people will respond to whatever you create??
"Being creative means that every morning you get out of bed into the dark (into the unknown)", Brene Brown.
Doing something that is creative and putting it out into the world takes courage and conviction and if you are brave enough to do this there is a good chance you might fail and that can be very scary. But to not do it can be worse. Something I have personally experienced recently is that "unused creativity is painful" and avoiding doing something you know is important to you but is scary and risky can be very destructive and stressful.
"You can't stand out and fit in at the same time", Chase Jarvis.
Thanks for reading,
David.
