Category: Creating Art

Time spent in creative self-expression is time never wasted.

In those moments when we’re spreading paint, choreographing movement, wrestling with words, etc… we’re staking claim to the existence that is uniquely our own.

…Consider for a moment all of the things you uniquely created since being born.

Could anyone else have created those things in the exact same ways? Surely not. And for something to spontaneously arise from within based on the unique DNA, experiences, and perspectives of the creator—is something, by definition, incredibly special. What a shame to be born a unique manifestation of life and to rarely express it!

It’s with this in mind that I encourage you to spend more time in creative endeavors.

Not only will you never regret it, but you’ll leave behind the rightful legacy that is uniquely your own. A path of metaphorical footsteps that, with each creation another imprint in the earth formed. Proving your existence and ultimately leaving behind a path composed of colors, movements, and paragraphs that we—all of those who come after—may absorb and use to influence the next creative expressions of our own.

Leaving behind a legacy not only of footprints in the metaphorical earth, but a legacy of footprints along the metaphorical hearts of all those who your creations leave an imprint on.

There are hundreds, thousands even, of written pieces of content that I could easily repurpose and share as my daily blog. Pieces that you probably wouldn’t even recognize as being repurposed that would share some of my past ideas that I’m (1) proud of, (2) are just collecting dust, and (3) could very likely be helpful to you.

But, that’s not the point.

The point is to reflect daily on what’s happening inside my mind. To think about what I’m currently thinking; what I’m currently feeling; what direction I’m currently heading—and if I’m content with that direction or if I need to make adjustments.

The point is the practice.

Not the educating/ entertaining/ “edu-taining” an audience. Once you do a thing for the sake of the thing, you no longer care about metrics, content strategies, or marketing plans. You’re free to embark on a journey that’s specifically for you, by you. And you, too, should have a practice in your life that’s done purely for the sake of the thing—one that’s insulated from outside manipulation.

When everything is measured, tracked, and influenced by the rest of the world—suddenly, work never stops. Because as soon as you make a thing about the others, it’s work. Keep that thing to yourself, however, and make the practice sacred and suddenly… work is forgotten.

…And your work will be better because of it.

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P.s. My guide that helps you calibrate your life’s direction is currently on sale. Use code ‘SUMMER10’ to save $10 at checkout.

I don’t judge days by the amount of inspiration I’m feeling; I judge days by the amount of opportunity I’m given.

And each day, I’m granted 86,400 moments—86,400 opportunities to engage with and experience life.

Wait for inspiration to strike inside your moments—and you’ll be waiting around for much, if not all, of your 86,400 moments. Quite possibly more as days turn into weeks or months…

Start striking regardless of how you feel and what you might find is inspiration on the other side. On the side that appears mundane, average, ordinary, normal, expected…

For what is it that starts a fire? Is it a lightning strike? Yes—occasionally. Is it some tinder, kindling, firewood, and a match? Yes—much more consistently and reliably.

And what’s surrounding you right now? Lightning strikes? …Maybe if you’re in a creative phase or riding some high powered muse momentum. Is it some tinder, kindling, and firewood—aka blank papers/canvas, keyboards/pens, computers/connections? I’d say yes—undoubtedly.

Everything you need is already available to you.

All you have to do is categorize, organize, and light the damn match.

Believe it.

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P.s. I ran out of words yesterday, so to catch up, I’m thankful for The Almonds Guy and today, funnily enough, I’m thankful for inspiration lightning strikes. Because while building fires manually works—inspiration strikes are exciting as hell and I gotta give them a shout out for being so.

I have no idea how many people actually read these daily posts.

This would distract me from the purpose of the practice.

Which, isn’t to say I wouldn’t like it if more people read my daily posts.

It’s to say that the audience is secondary.

Writing for the sake of writing—for my own reflective purposes and personal development—is primary.

The second I start writing for the audience first, it’s no longer inner work—the task suddenly becomes outer work.

And while it’s true that outer work can pay in attention and dollars… it’s the inner work that pays in fulfillment and clarity.

Remember this as you practice your craft. If it suddenly feels like it’s becoming laborious and forced—it’s because you’re creating with the wrong people in mind.

Create with only one person in mind—yourself—and watch as the weight dissolves off your shoulders and your muse begins to visit more freely once again.

One thing the most prolific among us do differently is they optimize for boredom.

See, in today’s world, there seems to be two default states for the modern person: busy or bored.

And those who are bored, most often, find ways they can quickly make themselves busy—typically through unimportant busywork, passive entertainment, and social media.

But, those who can reprogram their mind to see boredom as something different… something to be sought out… something to be carefully guarded… something to be planned for…

Get to spend more time in that non-busy state… undistracted and unbothered… uninfluenced and unhindered… un-marketed to and unprodded…

So they can more freely explore ideas on their own…

So they can sort through the infinite depth of what’s already there…

So they can imaginatively play as they once did when they were at their creative height(s)…

So they can become a prolific example of what it means to be an independent, uniquely capable, creatively abundant, infinitely potentialed human in a world of ever present and ever increasing carbon copies and AI regurgitations.

Those who are too busy flooding their minds with everything else never get a chance to sort through it all and actually decide.

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P.s. I asked: Do you create better in tension or relaxation? I found the answers to be quite interesting…

There are days when everything just flows. When you wake up on time feeling refreshed; when your clothes fit great; when you walk more confidently, speak more clearly, find the right words more easily. Days when even your muse is feeling you and waltzes in on cue.

It’s on days like this where the very essence of life comes crashing down over otherwise untouched canvas. Days where blank pores and blinking cursors get filled with statements of unique existence. Days that leave you in awe as you look back on what feels like vanished time because of a hypnotism from a higher power.

…And then there are days when everything just doesn’t.

The key to more days like the former is to keep showing up on the days that feel like the latter. Because while waiting for the river to flow might seem like an appropriate strategy… the frequently overlooked truth is: the river never stops flowing.

Only our temporary moods and comfort-seeking egos make it seem that way in how they fog up and misguide our minds. Some of my best pieces were written on days when I “wasn’t feeling it.” Some of my favorite art was created by artists who dragged their feet. Some of the greatest insights were unveiled by those who forcefully cut their way through mental fog.

The river never stops flowing.

It’s only when we stop doing the dirty work required to access it that it “suddenly” disappears.

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P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.