Creativity Isn't a Divine Spirit. It's an Untrained Racehorse.

If you’re reading this, you probably have plenty of motivation to write, but you don’t have anything to write about. I know the feeling. However, it doesn’t need to last.

I’ve read lots of ways people attempt to stir up their creativity. Most of the techniques have one thing in common — they perceive it as some free spirit. Sure, there will be moments of inspiration and times you’re not feeling incredibly creative. But creativity is like any muscle. Once it’s trained enough, it becomes more robust and more efficient.

Think of it as an untrained racehorse. Sure, it possesses some raw talent, but it will only lead to sparse moments of brilliance without training. In the content world, that’s not sustainable. To get your name out there, you need consistent, high-quality output. That requires reliable creativity.

Why We View Creativity as a Free Spirit

You may refer to moments of creative brilliance as “genius.” People such as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Picasso, Mozart, and Einstein are historical figures often labeled as such. They have a “genius-level IQ.” However, it wasn’t always like this.

Before the Renaissance, society didn’t label individuals as geniuses. The Romans instead believed a “genius” was a divine, creative spirit that swept through them. It was a gift. While people are now called geniuses, there is still a similar belief regarding creativity.

In her TED talk, Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat Pray Love, talks about an interview she did with Ruth Stone, an American poet. Stone describes creativity as barreling towards her. Once it falls upon her, she “runs like hell” to grab her notepad and write. If she’s not quick enough, she says the creativity will move on to the next artist.

While I can understand what she means — the Notes app on my phone is filled with impromptu ideas — a creative person’s life shouldn’t need to be that difficult. With a mindset like that, you’re leaving creativity to chance. Before you know it, the tapestry will dry up and you’ll lay the blame at fate’s door.

How You Can Make Your Creativity Work for You

For as long as I’ve been writing, I am guilty of neglecting my creativity. Despite heavily relying on it day in, day out, I have never taken the time to nurture it. Until now.

I don’t know if you have ever watched any horse racing, but the horse’s hoof is the last thing you think of. Yet, it’s vital to its wellbeing. Behind the scenes, a trainer will clean and change a horse’s hoof regularly. Similarly, as a creative person, your creativity needs training.

If something isn’t working, chances are you need to switch it up. After all, the cliche definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Let’s say you’re writing about gardening. You’re writing basic but informative facts, but you are getting little traction. You need to switch things up. Try adding in something personal — perhaps a success or failure story. Something for the reader to connect with. Getting into this habit whenever you plateau will be useful, as staying ahead of the competition is vital in reaching more people.

Here are some other practical ways you can train your creativity into a champion:

Regular practice

One of the significant problems with viewing creativity as a divine spirit is the unfathomable aura surrounding it. If it’s floating around out of our grasp, how are we supposed to train it?

Well, it isn’t as difficult as you might think. As a writer, I create ten article headlines every day. Some are good, and a lot are terrible. Eventually, there will be hundreds to choose from — some of which are bound to be worthwhile.

Whatever it is you do — or want to do — training is the only way you will get better. Even if your ideas suck, they are still ideas. Put one hoof in front of the other.

Crack the whip

In a horse race, you’ll see a jockey whip the horse he/she is riding. While it may seem cruel, it spurs the horse to run faster and finish quicker. When it comes to creativity, you may find you will need to crack the whip now and again.

There are moments when I have complete meltdowns and wonder if I’ve drained my creative supplies. “What if my best article is already behind me?” I ponder. It takes a firm piece of encouragement to snap myself out of it. Just remember that you can tether your creativity down. It doesn’t dictate when you produce high-quality work.

Get an accountability partner

Whenever I have a mini-breakdown, I’ll have my girlfriend there to snap me out of it. It’s strange, whenever she convinces me I’m being stupid, I always appear to have a moment of success.

James Clear says that having an accountability partner creates a “cost for inaction.” He suggests creating an accountability contract. In this instance, you could do something like this:

“I, _________, will pay ________ $10 every day I fail to write ten headline ideas.”

Sometimes, all you need is a nudge to keep going. The more you train, the better you will be.

Life Is Full of Ways To Train Your Creativity

Now, when people ask me where I come up with my article ideas, the simple answer is: “Life.” I take the smallest moments — such as a conversation with friends — and see if I can use them creatively.

The best way to train creativity is from within. Your life is full of experiences and memories to use. The more you train it, the easier it will be. Before you know it, your creativity is a fully trained horserace tearing down the back straight.

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