How to be creative?

Collected advice from my own experiences, wise books and observations of creators and entrepreneurs.

Act routinely.

Inspiration is for amateurs, real creators just work regardless of the circumstances.

Creation doesn't happen in moments of epiphany, but between laundry, emails, and chores. It is a daily practice of acting despite doubts. Habits and rituals that promote creativity - a favorite mug, time of day, place - can help. Set small, daily goals. They don't have to be ambitious. You don't have to create in euphoria. Create rhythmically. It is rhythmic regularity, not bursts, that builds mastery.

Do a lot.

Quantity leads to quality. This applies to every field.

Want to take better photos? Take 10,000 photos. Are you learning to cook? Try 100 recipes. Want to get better at editing? Record 100 videos. Along the way, it's impossible not to develop and discover something.

Make peace with mediocrity.

Creativity is living in constant disappointment between what you want to create and what comes out.

Most of your stuff will be average - that's just the way it is. But you have to come to terms with it, because the fear of weakness kills more works than the lack of talent or work. Tell yourself, “I know a lot of what I do will be bad.” Try your best, but don't let the pressure of "it has to be the best" hold you back.

Divide the process into two stages.

Uncritical creativity and critical editing.

The first one is about an uncontrolled stream of thoughts and ideas. Only then comes the time for analysis and selection. I have a saying: "Let's focus on what we want first, and then on what we can do."

Enjoy boredom.

The brain hates emptiness, so when you do nothing, it starts to create.

Turn off stimulating things: phone, games, constant going out. The brain is as burdened by dopamine attractions as work. Einstein spent most of his life sleeping - and when he woke up, he changed the world.

Don't force it, process it in the background.

Don't force the process - let it happen. You can't speed up the maturation of an idea.

So don't sit and stare at the wall forcing your creativity, just run the processing in the background. When we are relaxed and not actively focusing on the problem, our subconscious processes intensify - and then the "Oh! I've got it!" occurs. That's why we often come up with good ideas in the shower, because the combination of relaxation, monotonous noise and limited stimulation allows the mind to wander and connect information in new ways.

But it doesn't have to be a shower (though Aaron Sorkin apparently takes eight a day when he writes). Any minimal activity with your hands is good - it can be sailing, fishing, walking, riding a motorcycle, crocheting. Anything that engages the body lightly but doesn't overload the mind. Keep your hands busy and your brain will start wandering and creating on its own. When you stop working, the work continues. Rest is part of the process, not an interruption.

Release the (from your point of view) crap

Crap for you - something unique and special for the recipient.

Accidents at work are often the best works. Many works that the audience loved were works that the creators themselves did not like, wanted to throw away, or hid in a drawer.

Be curious.

Don't create to prove something. Create to see what happens.

Be honest.

Many creators block themselves because they want to be original.

Meanwhile, originality is a result, not a goal. Don't try to be original. Try to be honest. Your own unique truth is always new.

Cut off everything unnecessary.

No matter what you're working on - it can always be shorter, simpler, cleaner. The process is simple: Create any sketch, rest, come back and delete anything unnecessary. Think like a sculptor: cut away until only what is necessary remains.

Love the limits.

The fewer possibilities, the more creativity. Replace the entire band with one guitar (Tommy Emmanuel, Marcin Terazałek), record a cinematic movie with a home camera (Blair Witch Project), do business with one laptop. Don't think outside the box - think inside the box and make it small. Fewer options. Fewer functions. Shorter deadlines. Creativity loves limitations. Dr. As part of a bet, Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" using only 50 words - and it is his most popular book.

The video below shows this perfectly:

Collect experiences.

Our brain does not invent anything from scratch, it only processes what it has experienced. Therefore, surround yourself with experiences. The brain likes it and then draws from it. Too few experiences and your ideas will dry up. Too many similar things and you will start repeating yourself. A variety of experiences is fuel for the brain

Write down your own and other people's ideas.

Creativity is combining things that seem unrelated. The world is always saying something. Take notes, connect, mix. This is how you breed ideas.

On the street, in cultural works, at work. Most people don't hear it because they are preoccupied with themselves. Your works are not about you. You are just an instrument through which the world speaks to itself. A true Creator spends most of his time listening, not inventing. Ideas pre-exist. You just have to quiet down to hear them. Creativity is not a lone genius. It is a network of connections between people, ideas, places and time.

Take care of quality.

Our brain does not distinguish between the gibberish of a patoinfluencer and the classics of philosophy, it absorbs both content in the same way. And what you feed it becomes what you think. That's why you need to expose yourself to the best that other people have created and then incorporate it into your work.

Create, create, create!

Creativity is an everyday way of being. How you look, listen, think and react to the world.

It's the courage to act without a guarantee of success. The humility to accept mistakes as part of the process. And the discipline to show up every day – even when nothing is happening.

A true creator simply works until inspiration has no choice but to come to him.

What I wish for both you and myself.

P.S. Additional materials: