From Ideas to Flames

Mar 14, 2023

Everyone is creative. There I’ve said it and my guess is half of you just scoffed and thought “not me”. But it’s true. Creativity means using our imagination to cultivate original ideas. Even if you aren’t picking up a brush or a hammer to make something, you problem solve at work or think outside of the box in your life. We are creative without thinking about it. It’s in our nature.

You are creative.

Still we love to say we’re not.

Oh that’s not me.
I don’t have time.
I don’t know what I’m doing.
I will be bad at it.
It’s too scary.
It’s too personal.

The list of reasons we stifle ourselves is long.

But we need creative moments to step away from the routine, to do things outside of our norm, and to let the high stress analytical parts of our brain air out. Creating isn’t about feeding the ego or having some meaningful message to share. It’s about making space to stretch our minds. Without it we are limited, destined to live in one dimension.

There is more to life than being afraid to create.

Big Magic

Years ago I read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and it has stuck with me. The book is a thought provoking collection of essays about creativity. Each take only a few minutes to read and as a whole shifted my perspective on how I show up creatively.

One of my favorite bits is the notion that ideas are not something we birth from inside. Rather they exist as their own entities. They come freely and if you make the space, you will hear them. Maybe you’ve noticed coincidences that keep giving you pause or had a random thought while driving and that you can’t forget. These are examples of an idea trying to take hold.

When that spark of creativity comes, it’s up to us to either nurture it into something bigger or let it go. There is no pressure here, only a choice. I love this visual. It allows ideas to feel like a partner. I don’t need to own or manipulate them, but rather we can work together to create something bigger.

Chasing Dust came to me in whispers.

It started with textiles. I was enamored by the geometric patterns of the American Southwest. I would notice them everywhere and along with them was an energy that piqued my curiosity. It felt like an echo of a time and a place that I needed to learn more about.

The more research I did on the Southwest, the more connected I became. I read articles about landmarks and history in the area. I watched shows set in the desert and fell in love with the costumes. I picked up memoirs set in the early 1900’s to learn about the way of life a hundred years ago. Then in all of these pieces, I started to see what my own characters would look like set in such a harsh and beautiful landscape.

I was getting inspired.

So how did this floating swirl of inspiration become a story? Through brainstorming.

When it comes to writing, the brainstorming stage is hands down my favorite. It feels like standing in a wide open field, full of possibilities, and I don’t want to rush it. I will take months letting new ideas come to me, marinate in them, then collect them in a mind map. As I start to build it out, I let my thoughts travel in whatever direction they want. Mostly it’s a maze of my scribblings but good ideas will come through and when they do, I circle them so they aren’t lost.

To me, brainstorming isn’t about designing a road map for the “perfect” book. It’s about creating space to explore. What will my characters do? Where will they go? Who will they be deep down? By having dedicated time for daydreaming, my passion for the story grows. Then little by little these jewels start to link themselves together and I have the loose structure for my story. That’s when the spark has really caught flame.

Trust the Process

The biggest lesson for me when cultivating a new creative project is to trust the process. It can’t be rushed or pressured. I need to ride the ride.

Sometimes I can only see a few pieces in the story and get tempted to throw the whole thing out. That’s when I have to remember ideas need time to reveal themselves. I will let it sit for a couple days and work on something else, then out of nowhere the gaps will fill in.

Sometimes I will have an idea I think is gold, then I’ll forget it. It’s maddening. Then I remind myself that the good ideas, the REALLY good ones, always stick. It’s okay to let go of the rest. Those lost bits can float off and inspire someone else.

But mostly I’ve learned when it comes to creativity, it grows where I water. If I want to nurture this part of myself, then I have to give it my energy.

I challenge you to dedicate time in the next week for creativity. Maybe it’s starting to build those quiet moments to listen for it. Maybe it’s spending time on an idea you already have. Or maybe it’s just declaring you want more creativity in your life. That alone is a huge step.

Whatever it is, give it some oxygen so it can catch flame.

You have ideas worth creating.

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