How to Create Actively: Redefining Success and Creative Habits

Anyone who actively follows my blog must have noticed I’ve been feeling a bit icky creatively. It’s only last week that I reminded myself that I’m not in a creative catastrophe! This is not a creative slump. I finished writing a novel’s first draft only at the end of August, just two months ago. That draft finished at 88,000 words. That’s no small feat. Perhaps, then, I am just a little creatively drained and I need to cut myself some slack and relax. The new ideas will come in time.

I think the more significant issue is the pressure of the season. I love the aesthetic of autumn and I wanted to write a lot during this season. Write something spooky or creepy or supernatural. But alas, I haven’t yet, and maybe that’s okay. There are no rules with creation. I can write a spooky story during winter, spring or summer!

With this in mind, I wanted to share a more actionable and strategic way of redefining creative success and creative habits.

What is creativity?

The Google definition of creativity is “the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.” This is eye-opening to me, though it’s obvious. Creativity, or creation, is not about an end product. It’s not about how many people go “OMG, you’re so amazing, you’re so creative!”. It’s the act of playing with ideas, visuals, and possibilities. Creativity, then, is not something you are or something you do, it’s HOW you do something. It’s the use of imagination and originality.

This is huge!

Someone who never writes a story, or paints a canvas, or films a video could be a creative person. Why? Because they use their imagination and unique ideas to think in new ways, act in new ways, and spread their self-expression throughout their daily lives.

What counts?

Okay, we have our definition but what counts as creativity or being creative? This list works for me, but you can add to your list for yourself.

JournalingBloggingSocial media postPoetryShort story writingNovel writingFlash fictionFan fictionSelf-led yoga flows (making it up as I go)Redecorating or rearranging the house and my environmentPaintingScene writingWriting with a promptRewriting or editing old draftsPlaying a gameDiscussing new ideas with someoneGetting ideas out in a notebook or dictaphoneCooking a new recipeCharacter buildingWorldbuildingDrawing or doodlingDancingSinging

Redefining success and goal-setting

As I mentioned in my rambly last post, if I want to succeed as a writer, I need to rethink what success looks like for me. The pressure we tend to put on our creativity when we think success is only monetising our work and/or getting lots of views or readers is toxic. It makes us not want to create anymore. It makes our work feel confined to what others expect or getting it out to some standard or timeframe. This has its place, as I know we often want to make a living with our creative work and share it with the world. However, hyperfixation on this goal as the ONLY idea of success just makes us succumb to perfectionism, paralysis, creative slumps, burnout, and even anxiety and depression.

The antidote, then, is to have a new idea of success or at least multiple ideas of success. This could look like:

A successful creative day looks like…A successful creative week looks like…A successful creative month looks like…A successful creative season/quarter looks like…A successful creative year looks like…

Breaking down goals, success, or to-dos like this helps you to have a more flexible, realistic, and appropriate idea of success. We aren’t the same each week or month. We change. Our mindsets change, energy levels, busyness, and priorities. Therefore, we have to allow room for the realism of life when setting expectations of ourselves.

You could also set goals or success metrics like this:

Dream goal – this is the big goal for your week, month, or quarter (I don’t recommend yearly goals as we often fall short thinking we have a lot of time and don’t break down the goal effectively across the year) e.g. I want to finish a first draft of a novelIdeal goal – this is the middle ground, where it’s not the easiest to obtain but not the big dream goal either e.g. I want to write X words of a novelFair goal – criteria for success that allow room for low mood, busyness, or other restrictions on your output e.g. I want to have written the beginning of a novel

Knowing yourself & setting up for success

Creative living and creation are about balancing the input and output of creativity. What you do or consume to fill your creative cup (things that make you feel creative = input) and things you do to creatively express (output). Therefore, you need to know what makes you feel creative. What makes you feel good. What are the ways to set yourself up for success so that when you do sit down to create, your cup is full?

Examples of creative input/ filling your cup:

Exercise – sorry, but it works to boost your mood, energy, dopamine, and overall health which is fundamental for creationJournallingReadingWatching good TV shows or films – not so much rewatches or reality TV or things without much creativity in themSunlight and naturePlayingArt galleryMuseumsDocumentariesDancing and singing

You may notice there is some overlap between creative output and input. This is because it depends on your desired output. If you are a writer, like me, then creative input may be painting or singing because those are creative tasks but they won’t make me get in my head about doing it well because I’m not hoping to ever be an acclaimed painter or singer. Conversely, a painter may be too critical of themselves when painting for fun and may want to try some story writing instead to fill their cup.

The other thing you need to know is your roadblocks. The things that often knock you off your creative projects.

Deadlines or time constraintsToo much free timePeople interrupting youOverplanning or plottingUnder planning or plottingSleep deprivationWork stressMessy homeToo many projects or ideas at onceLack of expertiseToo much knowledge/ expertiseNeeding to be perfectAfraid of criticismFeeling like it’s a waste if you don’t share it

Finding the time

Lastly, we must of course consider how we will even find the time for our creative work, no matter what our new definitions of success may be. This task is hard at first but once it’s done, you can finally see where and when to create.

List everything you need to do in a week: work, kids, clubs, sports, exercise, socialising, etc. Then, add up the free time between these things. Allow room for error or things popping up. Then there you have it! Free time to create!

I would then go a step further, if it helps, and literally block out this time for creative work. If you have an online calendar, put it in that so you know not to arrange anything else during that time. Put it in your diary each week or month. Have it on a sticky note. Whatever works for you!

Then stick to it!

Flexibility in routine is part of being a creative person and that’s why I said you should set goals each day, week, month, or quarter. The same goes for this routine. Edit and adjust as needed. Have a routine, but don’t be afraid to mix it up. This is the only way to find what actually works best for you.

Personally

So, with all this in mind, for me personally, I see success for my creative work right now to be:

Doing creative things every day (see list of creative things) or never missing two days in a rowUsing my weekend mornings to write or enter my creative worldsWriting for the sake of it like I did when I was a childNot caring whether my projects go unfinished or are not my best work, as long as I’m always creatingPutting words on a page (paper or screen) in any way I feel called to that dayEnding each quarter with something tangible (short story, novella, novel), even if it’s very short, very rough, or never going to be seen by anyoneNot being afraid of having multiple projects to dip in and out of throughout my month/ quarter (mood dependent)Not being scared to read old work and think of new ways to fix them; and taking small steps towards fixing them

The last one is a big one because I tend to finish novels but then I go, “actually, I’m not that into this and it’s not what I intended so I’ll have to write something else now” and I’m afraid this will become a habit. Therefore, I need to allow a finished first draft to sit for a while (3-6 months maybe) before reading with fresh eyes and mining it for what works and what doesn’t. To rewrite, revise, and refresh as needed. Or if I’m really and truly not happy and it was the wrong story, then still take elements that I liked and repurpose them for other stories.

Success needn’t be what others suspect. We can live happy, creative lives and never make a penny from our work, but still feel fulfilled from the act of doing it. Creative purposes or passions or whatever you want to call them aren’t about monetisation or acclaim or fame, though that can be nice. It’s about the doing of it anyway. And strangely, that is often what leads to the audience of followers in return anyway.

Sincerely,

S. xx