The Conscious Creative's Manifesto
You weren’t born creative.
It sounds obvious, yet that doesn’t stop us from associating creativity with words like genius, inspiration, natural, and talent.
We think of creativity like a tiny mosquito buzzing in the air around us: we know it’s there, but no matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to catch it. And only when we least expect it does it bite us smack in the face.
The good news is that we’ve been wrong all along. Creativity isn’t something that happens to us, it’s something we make happen.
Creativity is a process.
Processes can be learned. They can be practiced and perfected. And if we do it right, we can have as much love for the creative process and we do for the finished creation.
HeartTheProcess is a collection of tools, techniques, and ideas to help you learn, practice, and perfect your own creative process.
It’s like a pantry that’s filled with the best ingredients. You select the ones you like and combine them into dishes that satisfy your creative cravings.
It takes guts to be creative.
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a novel, doing a photo shoot, or starting a business. Or maybe you don’t know what you want to do…
Creativity means trying something new. It means facing failure head on. It means missing out on movies and parties and time with friends.
Maybe you’ve said the following:
- I don’t feel inspired right now
- I’m too exhausted to be creative
- If only I could quit my job, I’d have time to do what I really want
- I’ll get to it someday…
These excuses might bring temporary relief, but deep down we know they don’t work. Because no matter how much we ignore it, there’s still that little voice in the back of heads. It’s the voice that says, “you have a higher purpose. You’re meant for more than this.”
Here’s the secret
- Inspiration will never force you to action.
- There will never be enough time.
- You will never have enough energy.
- Someday will never come.
If you want to work on (and accomplish) your creative goals, you’ve got to make them happen. Nothing will force you to do it.
We might ignore the little voice for a while. It might even grow quieter and quieter, but it will never go away. Until one day, you will look back on your life and realize that you didn’t achieve your life’s purpose.
It’s worth stating again: It take guts to be creative.
It will be scary. It will take effort. You will experience failure. But it’s okay…that’s all part of the process.
We understand. We’ve been there.
Creativity isn’t a feeling, it’s something that you do. It’s not something that happens to you; it’s something you make happen.
We know what it’s like to dream of a creative life: we ignored those dreams for nearly a decade.
After graduating from college with degrees in English and Art, my wife and I entered the real world and asked the question that people had been asking us for four years: “what are we going to do with these degrees?”
After many failed attempts and false starts to make a life of writing and of art, we woke up one morning and suddenly (and ironically) realized that we didn’t need to wait for inspiration. We didn’t need permission to do what we loved.
We had only been creating when we felt creative. But creativity isn’t a feeling, it’s something that you do. It’s not something that happens to you; it’s something you make happen.
Creativity is a process.
Like any other process, creativity can be learned. It can be practiced and mastered.
We’ve set out to learn everything we can about the science and philosophy of the creative process from some of the smartest and most creative people out there.
Along the way, we’re writing down what we learn in the hopes that it will help you overcome your roadblocks, tackle your creative projects, and build the creative life you’ve always wanted.