Is this a question you’ve been asking yourself, “How can I engage with my creative self?” Perhaps you’re thinking, “I really want to do more creative writing,” where the form of creativity you’re interested in could be any genre: music, sculpture, painting, dance, gardening, film, etc., or even an activity like volunteering for community service.
If so, my answer is: take one action, small or large; other actions will follow naturally, and you will find yourself on your own path to self-discovery. Several years ago, I was pondering this question. I had put in three decades of full-time work and felt the need to let my freak flag fly, dust off my interest in art and creativity, and dive into my second act.
The very first action I took was a visioning exercise. I found some quiet time and let my imagination run unconstrained, then wrote myself a letter describing those imaginings. Some of my aspirations were to do more creative writing, play more music and professionally record original music, among others. I decided to put effort into realizing those dreams.
My next step was to start writing haiku for relatives on their birthday cards. After that, I wrote several longer poems and began keeping a poetry and music journal. Once I had gathered about twenty poems, I collaborated with a friend to write some original songs. Three of my poems became the lyrics for songs on our album The High Road. During your journey, you will also likely make some unexpected discoveries, which will in turn support and enhance your creative process.
The idea for a book of poetry occurred to me during a trip to Italy. I was inspired by that country’s diversity of art, architecture, history, culture, language and music. I wrote several poems on that trip and once home, I realized that I now had over forty poems, which evolved into my book Incandescent Visions. Notice how a series of small actions — along with a commitment to continually engage with and refine those actions — helped propel me forward.
Here are my recommendations as you undertake your odyssey of creative self-discovery.
- Take one action, small or large. With this initial act, your adventure begins.
- Take that first action regardless of your age, work history, family situation and so on. Creativity transcends these sociocultural factors.
- Continue practicing your craft. The following habits will help: keep a journal about your experiences; set up a creative workspace; study the work of artists who inspire you; think about your life history and your most influential experiences; connect with people who are also pursuing your craft; and approach the entire process with an open mind.
- Tell someone what you’re doing. Find a person who is trustworthy, supportive and a good listener. She/he will be a cheerleader — a “superfan” — as you forge ahead on your exploration of creativity. I expect you’ll find that you have several superfans.
- Stay positive. Ignore any naysayers, starting with yourself. It is easy to be self-critical, and you will more than once hear that nagging voice in your head, doubting the value of what you’re doing. Minimize negative self-talk and replace it with a strong connection to your initial vision, faith in your personal creative spark and the support of your superfans. (One of the themes of my book Incandescent Visions is recognizing self-criticism and learning how to fight it.)
If creative writing is your passion, consider reading my article “Essential Tips for Writing Your First (or Next) Book.” It’s a free download when you subscribe to my newsletter: click here. This article will help you save time and money by learning from my research and experiences stepping into the self-publishing industry, instead of having to start from scratch.
P.S. Special thanks to my wife Liz Harsch for her insightful help with this article.
Lee Hudspeth is a poet, musician, recording artist and fellow human being. In December of 2019 he published his debut book of poetry Incandescent Visions. He is the co-author of ten non-fiction books in the field of Information Technology. He has written articles for professional journals like PC Computing and Office Computing, and is the author of over one hundred articles in the online magazine The Naked PC, where he was co-founder and co-publisher. Find out more about Lee, his books and his music at LeeHudspeth.com. Contact him at lee@leehudspeth.com.
Copyright © 2020 by Lee Hudspeth. All Rights Reserved.
Very good stuff, my man…sound advice from someone who did press “send” and shared his art with the world…..keep it coming!