Creativity: Magic, genius, or practice?

What does it really mean to be creative?

I feel extremely antsy if hours or a day goes by and I haven’t created something. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say I feel antsy if I haven’t accomplished something. Even if it’s paying a bill or making a call I’ve not been wanting to make. Is this the sign of a Type A perfectionist? Or is this a side effect of guilt, baked into my being while attending the Catholic church as a child?

Not sure. But even straying from the Catholic church didn’t help my antsiness. Writing something always helps. I just have to do it. Starting is the hardest part, but once I do, it’s usually just a matter of time when the words start flowing.

There’s so much talk of creativity being a magical gift from heaven or somewhere in the universe. Songwriters are hard pressed to pinpoint how the melody or lyrics came to them. How do movie directors or great painters get their visions? From life, from love, from other works of art? Yes, yes, and yes. It’s impossible to precisely quantify or explain. But much of creativity begins with beginning.Trying. Doing. Sticking with it.

I’ve written 18 non-fiction books and dozens of magazine articles and a handful of TV shows. When people, mostly non-writers, hear about this, they are entirely too impressed. For years, I was a full-time freelance writer. If that’s your job, that’s what you do. You write every day, sometimes for many hours a day and on the weekends. There are no weekends when a book is due. And maybe that’s the key. Most of my books had deadlines. Otherwise, I can understand fiddling with a manuscript for months or years or not working on it at all.

The novelist Nora Roberts, who’s written 225 books and counting, has been asked numerous times, “How do you write all these books?” Her answer: “Butt in Chair.”
I think about that often, especially when my butt is not in the chair or when my butt is in the chair but I’m scrolling or performing low priority tasks. When I was writing books, I had a sign on my desk, “Is this an hour you’ll want back the week before your book is due?”
Again, guilt plays a part in my daily life. But we’re talking about productivity. What about creativity? I think most people are creative to some degree. I’m not talking about talent, like a piano prodigy or a child who has perfect pitch at age 6. I’m talking about the innate ability to come up with ideas. We all have it. You just have to tap into it.
I have heard so many people say, “Oh, I’m not creative.”

I’ve heard this from an incredibly successful friend who started her own business from scratch. She had the idea. She figured out how to get it going and continues to creatively solve problems every day. So what if she’s not painting with watercolors?
What about my friend who opened two bars in New York City with no money of his own?
Sales pitches, solutions, and hustle –all creative endeavors–won the day.

People often confuse creativity with sound and color. Wearing a costume on stage, hitting high notes, or writing a great novel. And those are magnificent things. But I’d love to see people acknowledge the ordinary creativity in their lives. Or if it’s missing, push through until they find it.

You’ve heard this: Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
In 5th grade, we were assigned an art project. It was easy, low stakes. I think we were making place mats and decorating them with doodles. I remember not finishing mine – not turning in the project. What was that about? (And how do I remember this?) I didn’t think mine was good enough. I guess I had to grow up and live in a world where deadlines meant getting paid.

Perfection has no place in kickstarting creativity. Especially when you’re starting something. My friend who took singing lessons recently would have missed out on some serious joy if she’d let her lack of ability hold her back. She didn’t have delusions of someday charting a radio hit. “Oh, I’m terrible,” she said. “But it’s the most fun I’ve had in forever.”

In the early days of my podcast, Let’s Talk Ladies: Conversations Across Generations, I was recording in my house with friends. Then, I was toiling over the audio editing which was not my wheelhouse. I was trying to cut every “uhm” or pause or lame thought and it was excruciating. The dream team – my friends who appeared as guests and helped in the early days of the pod– convinced me this was unnecessary. We met in the middle. I still think episodes should be edited and kept shorter, with less rambling. But I’ve let the perfect go. I highly recommend it.

This essay was inspired by a recent episode of the podcast, Let’s Talk Ladies: Conversations Across Generations. We’d love for you to listen!

Creativity with guest Emily West available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.