Creativity is hard work

It's easy to imagine that creative people are just creative. Runners run. Accountants count. And creative people create. But if you've ever been stuck over an assignment, staring at a blank page or a blinking cursor, you know that in order to create…you've got to work at it.

Hugh posted this link earlier today. It's a great reminder that great art or writing or design doesn't just happen. It comes as a result of discipline and a commitment to the process. In her book "Bird by Bird" Anne Lamott says that the secret to writing is a [crappy] first draft. 

So true. Just start working. Get something going. Start. As Seth says…you've got to ship. It's not all about dreaming. You've got to deliver. It's like priming a pump. You've got to get the flow started. When I was much younger I would only write when I felt inspired to write. But I learned that with this outlook, I wasn't writing nearly enough to get down to the real good stuff. I was only scratching the surface.

If you are in a role in your organization where you have to write; whether letters or copy, you need to be writing more. You can't expect to write that great letter or craft compelling copy if that's the only time you sit down to write. 

If the future belongs to the storytellers (and it does), you are going to have to get better at putting your thoughts down on paper. You are going to have to get better at your craft. God gave you a voice and an opinion and a unique outlook. It's meant to share. 

You need to be journaling…even if it's only reporting on the strange happenings in your local coffee shop. You need to get comfortable with arranging the 26 letters of the alphabet into words and sentences that will instruct, motivate, rebuke, inspire, and move someone. The fact is, writers write. Stop playing around with your gift and start turning it into a real tool that will change your world.