The slow grind of creativity

I love making things. But I also love to take my time when I make things. A lack of time is almost always the problem.

The main issue, at least for me, is that I have too many things to do in one day. Plus, I have to admit that I am easily distracted. For example, when I have to research a type of waterproof connector, but I stumble upon coffee machines, I can go down the rabbit hole of searching for the best espresso machine.

For me, when I want to create something, I have to have a solid block of nothing. First, I have to saturate myself with information. Let the distraction play itself out. I have to get bored a little bit. Then, a spark ignites the string of firecrackers. Once I'm going, I'm unstoppable. How long does it take for this steam train to get going? Sometimes just a couple of minutes, but mostly it takes quite a bit more time.

I notice that the more 'chores' I have to do, the more difficult I find it to start with the creative things. As I don't like doing chores, I always procrastinate on the simple tasks as if I'm being paid not to do them. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. I have to do the chores, but as I postpone them, the chores pile up.

With a mountain of chores to do and an ocean of things I can research, my creative ideas seem as if they are on the other side of the moon. Nowadays, I never have the block of nothingness to get the big wheel turning. If I want to get more creative, I think there are two general ways.

The first way is to say no more often. When someone asks me for help, I have to say no. Visiting friends? No! Fixing that broken rain pipe? No! Someone else can also do it. I think this is the way the ultra-successful people walk. Hyper-focus on their goal, and everything else is a distraction. These are the type of people who see food merely as fuel. I'm not this type of person. It would take a lot of fun things out of the equation. Being a bit less successful is also fine for me.

So, what is the other route? To get creative, the definition of creativity can also be manipulated. Most people will think of creativity as making something out of thin air. At one moment in time, there was nothing, and then, with a snap of a finger, poof! A creative masterpiece has been summoned. I'm sure that there are people who believe in magic, but creativity always takes a lot of time, work, and perseverance. Those are the ingredients that are behind creativity.

Instead of saying no, you can also flip the script. Not doing less, but doing a little every day. For example, ever since I moved out of my parents' house, I have cooked for myself at least 300 days a year. I also happen to love learning about cooking techniques and food history. Without setting a goal of becoming a master chef, I slowly but surely became a well above average cook. Another example: I taught myself video making by traveling to explore my roots, documenting it through film, and making a video every day. Now, I also make business videos.

With these daily notes, I hope to achieve the same. Doing something every day. Then, like a dripping stone that carves out a puddle in a rock, I become a better storyteller. By making it a sport to write every day, I prioritize finishing a daily note. I'm not sure where I'm heading or how far I want to take my writing skills, but I'm sure that when I look back a year from now, I will have made a great leap.