Creative living demands honesty above all else.

That we show up authentically as who we are, hold nothing back and cover nothing up. The creative life is a life of whole-heartedness, where we embrace not only the amazing parts of our self, but also the messy parts, wasting none of our truth.

Living out loud means putting your whole heart into your work, your dreams, and your craft.

But seriously folks, don’t take it, you know, seriously.

Because creativity, at its core, is really just play. It’s taking the Muse up on her offer to dance, to try, to fly a bit in the face of reality and make something beautiful, something inspiring, something delightful.

And the part where you’re actually making something should be delightful.

The image of the tortured artist is, I’ll admit, romantic. But honestly, who wants to spend their time being tortured by their creativity? Wouldn’t it be better to play? To see creativity as an invitation to dance lightly, rather than as a taskmaster holding you hostage until you create something perfect to put out in the world?

Perfectionism is the antithesis of creativity. It is, in fact, the fastest way to kill creativity off. If fear tries to prevent us from trying, perfectionism tries it’s best to prevent us from playing at all. But play is oftentimes the very place where truth resides.

Yes, you want to do your best. Absolutely, you should show up and no question about it, put your whole heart into whatever you’re creating.

Take it seriously. But don’t, you know, take it seriously.

Or you’ll miss all the fun. And that would be a shame, because there is nothing more delightful than dancing with the Muse.

~xo,
LuAnne