I used to sit down to write every single morning, with a carefully thought-out list of topics, outlined well, and printed neatly sitting next to me.

I was so organized it was, frankly, annoying.

And exhausting.

I would sit down and work for an hour or two on a well-crafted piece of writing, one that had been outlined and researched and had all sorts of good and necessary things like bullet points and introductory sentences and transitional phrases. Then, I would read what I had written and totally hate it.

Totally.

So I’d grab a cup of coffee and sit down with myself and my thoughts and just be.

And the crazy thing was that after I stopped and after I sat and after I just let myself be, I’d go back to my keyboard and just write.

Un-outlined and all.

And these writings?

They turned out to be the best ones.

Creativity is something that we all try so hard to wrap our heads around and wrap a curriculum around and wrap some sort of sense around, but the truth is that creativity is never neat and it’s never a one-size-fits-all thing, and some of us do our best work when we stop thinking so much and some of us do out best work when we start thinking more.

So when I hear that someone’s come up with this amazing course or program or lesson plan to teach creativity? Well, I just think…um…no.

No. Nope. No.“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” (~Pablo Picasso)

You can inspire creativity. You can encourage it. You can cheer it on and you can appreciate it.

But you cannot teach it.

Because my creativity is not your creativity.

By definition whatever you create comes from somewhere inside of you. And who am I to tell you what’s inside you?

The most, and probably the best, I can do is to tell you to just go ahead and write. Go ahead and paint. Fire up the wheel and throw some pottery. Sit down at the keys and compose. Take the camera out and shoot.

I cannot teach you how the muse will visit you. Cannot even guarantee that she will. All I can tell you is to do what it is that you want to do.

Outlines and research and plans may work great for you, and if that’s true then good for you.

Or they may not, and that’s good too.

Sitting down with a cup of tea, a pretty journal, and a pen might work for you, and if that’s true then good for you.

Or it may not, and that’s good too.

Scrolling through your Instagram feed or strolling through the park might work for you, and that’s awesome too.

Or maybe just sitting in front of a blank page will do it.

I have no way of knowing. And the thing is, no one else does either.

By all means, listen to what inspires others. Try things. Experiment.

But just know that in the end, your creativity is YOUR creativity.

It’s expression, it’s inspiration, it’s method – all yours.

Which is, of course, is exactly what it should be.

~xo,
LuAnne