You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.- Jack London
Many of us find ourselves repeatedly waiting for some future moment to claim our creative self. We think we need things to be perfect, our circumstances just right. We need more time, more money, more experience before we begin. We think we need to feel inspired.
Waiting is a form of resistance that keeps us from diving into the unknown or facing our fear of failure. The truth of being creative is that you have to be willing to embrace the unknown. You never really know what’s going to happen or if something is going to work out until you give it a go. The real pleasure in engaging our creativity comes from playing with the process without concern for the outcome.
So pick up a pen, paintbrush, cookbook, camera, lump of clay, musical instrument or sketch pad. There are countless ways to engage your creativity. What calls to you in this moment. Try something new. Have it be okay that you are not very good at first. Everything takes practice and a willingness to discover what works and what doesn’t.
Be like a child who could care less if something works out or if it is messy. Young children, until they are taught otherwise, revel in the mess of the creative process. They have no concerns about making mistakes. They simply enjoy of experience of creative forces moving through them.
So give it a try. Take one faltering step forward that can lead you to a new perspective, where possibilities are actually waiting for you. Have it be okay if it feels uncomfortable and uninspired at first. You find inspiration through the doing. As we enter a new year, a new decade what do you want to create. Take a deep breath. What are you waiting for?