Is Your Creativity Last on Your To-Do List?

(Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash)

“IF you do your work ..... then you can go to the ball.” - Cinderella’s Stepmother (aka the voice in my head that doesn’t think I should have any fun)

Right this very moment I am avoiding a creative project.  I have some creative work to do for the story night that I’m offering next week.  I love doing creative prep work for the events I offer and I’m excited to weave the threads of the story together.

But today I’m not doing it.

Today I’m rescheduling appointments for my kids.  Today I’m paying the bills for my liability insurance and domain name registration.  Today I’m sending emails and walking the dog and considering what to make for dinner.

None of it is creative.  None of it is moving me closer to the magic that will be the Story Night.  And none of it is making me feel particularly interested in my life.

I would much rather do the fun stuff like rewrite the story and dream up interesting ways to engage people around it.  But instead I’m doing what I often do.  I’m putting the work before the play.

Much like Cinderella, I’m making sure I have all my work done before I get to the real fun of creating.  I’m not allowing myself to create until I’ve earned it.

Earn Your Creative Time

One of the tales many womxn tell themselves about their creativity is that it is a treat.  The problem with this mentality is that we’ve been taught that treats have to be earned.  Like a dog learning to sit, we have to do something to show that we deserve the treat.  And the treat comes last, once everything else is done.  

Unfortunately most womxn I know have To-Do lists ten miles long.  That means it’s almost impossible to get to the end of it.  So they never earn the treat, or chance to create.

It’s time to shift your thinking about creativity. Creativity isn’t a treat, it’s a necessity.

Creativity is a Necessity   

No matter whether you’re bringing beautiful paint colors together, writing with magical words, or shaping new forms with your body, there is so much innate joy when you are in the flow of your creative process. When you create, you tap into that innate joy and let it flow through and out beyond you. Your creativity opens you up to life.  It makes you more spontaneous and resourceful.  It asks you to problem solve your way through challenges.    And beyond that, you need it for more than just a fun diversion.  

From a personal growth perspective, creative expression lets trapped emotions flow out of you.  It’s a way of giving voice to your struggles, your dreams, your delights.  Creativity gives you a voice even when you think you don’t have one. I can’t tell you how many times just writing a little story helped me share feelings I didn’t know any other way to share.  

It also side steps your rational mind which unlocks insights that your thinking brain can’t touch. Creativity moves into deeper places of symbol, metaphor, and imagery.  Your creative expression is a way to make your unconscious conscious.  And more consciousness means more clarity in how you meet the world.

From a bigger perspective we need everyone to tap into creativity because we have big challenges before us.  It is going to take serious creativity to solve climate change, systemic racism, COVID-19, maternal mortality.... and.... all of this wildness we’ve built around ourselves in the name of culture.    This stuff can’t be fixed by just thinking our way through it - though clear thinking will help.  It will take a lot of creative inspiration to make lasting change.

When you tap into your creativity you are contributing to the creativity on the planet.  When you solve your own small challenges with creative solutions, you inspire others to do the same.  And the more you create at home, the more your creativity flows into your work and other areas of your life. 

All of it starts with getting creative time onto your to-do list.

Value your Creativity

If you believe that creativity is essential, like eating and breathing, then the task is to live in a way that makes it clear that you believe it.  Living like you value your creativity takes practice.

With my little project I can see where I messed up.  I put all of my work early in the week so that I could be creative later in the week.  I totally believed the myth of work first, create later.  What I could’ve done (and will now adjust to) was to mix it up.  Some creativity, some work.  I know that when I am creative FIRST, my work flows much more easily. I’ll actually be more efficient in my work if I add creativity into my days.

If you honestly look at how you’re using your time, it will tell you how you are valuing your creativity.  You may find out that the million year long to-do list isn’t supporting your creative life.  So, it’s time to make a shift.

Get Creativity on your List

You’ve got to get yourself and your creativity onto your to-do list.

First, contemplate these questions:

• If I’m being realistic, how much time can I commit to my creativity every week?

• Am I thinking of a single session (like an hour on Sunday), or would smaller more frequent creative bursts work better in my life? (like knitting for 20 minutes every evening?)

Now it’s time to make a reasonable To-do list that includes creative time.

I learned the 3 item to do list from Master Coach, Nona Jordan.  And I love it for when I’m trying to get something new into my life.

3 Item To-Do List:  

• Create a To-Do list with a limit of 3 items on it.

  • Two of them can be to-dos

  • The third is just for you - in this case it’s something creative

• Write down what you will do AND the minimum amount of time you will do it for.

• DO THE LIST!!

But it’s Hard!

Coaches and productivity experts (those Just Do It! people) don’t always tell you that this part is gonna be hard.  Stopping the machine of getting stuff done all day to have the “treat” of creative time will feel uncomfortable.  It may feel frivolous or like you’re gonna fall behind.

DO IT ANYWAY.  

Expect the discomfort (like a hamstring stretch in yoga) and do it anyway. The more you do it, the easier it will be to do it again.  You can always go back to getting stuff done as soon as your creative time is up. 

It’s Worth It

Your creative life is worth moving up your to-do list.  It is worth your time and your energy, because YOU are worth your time and energy.  Your happiness, fulfillment, and ability to flow with life are all tied in to your creativity.  Give it the place on the list that it deserves and watch yourself transform.