Putting creative work first

Maybe nobody will give you a paycheck for your creative work, but keep doing it anyway. (Library of Congress photo)

The Notes app on my phone is full of entry codes to buildings, shopping lists, information about how to find my car in this or that parking garage, quotes I found interesting, lists of songs to play, and the truly inscrutable (“Dreamed I was schoolmarm to a teenage Jagger and Richards”).

It’s also where ideas go to die.

I’ve had this blog for just over a year, but I’ve been coming up with blog post ideas for much longer — they are all over the place. Not only that, I have a note from May 4, 2015 that says simply, “Daily blog posts.” Why did it take me nearly four years to follow through?

The simple truth is that these ideas went into the Notes app in the first place because I had no plan. I had no time set aside for writing. Otherwise, I would have simply done it. Instead, my life was full of meetings, email, and all the other day-to-day concerns of life. There was no creative routine — any time spent making things, from songs to sketches, was relegated to the nooks and crannies of life. Therefore, it didn’t happen.

What I see now is that I had it backward. Now that I’ve been writing regularly, I see that this is the important part. This is the priority.

It’s important not because of the promise of attention from others, although I truly appreciate each and every person who reads this blog (thank you!). No, it matters because to me, this is what life is for: spending time engaged in creative work. Now that I am once again doing it consistently, I see how it is the engine for everything else. I have more discipline, more energy, and even more ideas — and most significantly, an increased feeling of well-being.

Over the years, I’ve often thought about writing, recording, filming, and making art. I’ve dabbled in it, but I was never willing to make the long-term investment. I didn’t think I could afford the time — there were bills to pay. Ultimately, I was afraid of devoting myself to something that might not pay off. I didn’t realize that consistent effort over time will always pay off, even if it’s not in a way you can see at the start.

Having seen this, a whole world has opened up to me. All of the things that used to feel too scary are within reach. I can make movies, clothing, songs, pictures. I don’t need to have a reason or even a plan. And it’s okay if no one else cares about it, although my lack of attachment to the outcome paradoxically makes me more interested in making things that will be useful to others.

Now, I’m putting the creative work first. I will sacrifice email and meetings, not my writing and thinking time. Looking back over a year — or even a week — of the resulting creative output, I can see that it is absolutely the right decision for my life.

I still record ideas in my notes app, but I use them immediately, like I will use the fresh produce sitting on the counter for tonight’s dinner. They are put into action right away rather than rotting in a drawer until I no longer remember what they were.

Once, I didn’t think I had the time and energy to develop my ideas, but I was wrong. I was missing the focus and commitment. I made a decision to change that, and now everything has changed.

What change could you make? What will you commit to? What long-term impact might it have?