Creativity
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Produce a volume of work to close the gap between your taste and your early output.
Early work is often disappointing despite having ambition; volume helps you catch up.
- Applies to the first couple of years of making stuff.
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Commit to doing creative work for just five minutes.
The act of doing it is the point.
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Use 'The Artist's Way' exercises to get back on track with creative and personal habits.
One person reported it brought them back on track.
- Slipping into less-than-best life sometimes is okay.
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Push one or two ideas to fruition rather than trying to succeed with many simultaneously.
It is simpler to complete a few projects than to fail at juggling eight.
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Work hard and put in significant effort to get better at your craft.
Hard work pays off.
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creative, work, often, projects51
Read 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield to understand the struggle against resistance.
Maintain strict routines to form better habits until you feel secure in them.
These routines let you 'be better'.
- Only venture out of routines when you feel secure in your habits
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If your brain is overloaded with information, let it rest and return to problems after a couple of hours when fresh and clear.
This technique always worked for one person to avoid stressing their brain further.
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Identify the thing you don't want to do but know you should as 'resistance' and do it anyway.
Resistance is often the most important thing you should do.
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Watch the movie 'About Time'.
It may change your perspective on life questions.
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Walk alone without a phone or music to let your mind wander and boost creativity.
This is when one person reported being at their most creative.
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Read 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron and practice morning pages to get unstuck.
These activities may help overcome creative blocks.
- Described as a short-term solution.
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Confront the resistance you feel toward tasks you are putting off.
Resistance points to true North, and one person feels way better after confronting it.
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Start creating art today and continue consistently, regardless of skill level or external validation.
To experience becoming, find out what is inside you, and make your soul grow.
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Do not delete projects immediately because they are not perfect or do not sound how you want them to.
The problem is often thinking you aren't allowed to be bad, rather than being bad.
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Make something tangible, such as writing or woodworking, focusing on the act of creation rather than the quality of the result.
It keeps your hands busy and your head quiet.
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Recognize that talent is often the result of hard work rather than a natural gift, and commit to putting in the necessary effort.
People often give up because they prefer to blame a lack of 'gift' rather than admit they lack the willpower to match the crazy amount of work professionals put in.
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Write regularly to better understand your thoughts, even if no one reads it.
Creating output helps you understand what you are thinking and working on.
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If you are working on a large creative project, focus on small, immediate tasks rather than the entire scope to maintain speed.
Focusing on the whole project causes a lack of direction, while focusing on little things gets them done quickly.
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Cull lower-quality pieces from your portfolio to ensure you only offer work you are proud of.
Artists must work quite a lot to cull away lower quality pieces.
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Use cooking as a creative outlet if visual arts are difficult.
It provides the high of creating something.
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Dive deep into unknown areas like creativity or entrepreneurship without expecting an obvious path.
There is no clear route to take in these fields.
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Tell yourself that you are creative and capable of generating ideas.
This ensures you do not put psychological barriers in your way.
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Proceed with creative endeavors without knowing if they will be successful beforehand.
You never know what success looks like before you try.
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Work on throwaway projects that you absolutely do not care about to hone skills and build confidence.
Doing them until they become boring helps desensitize fear.
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Read 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield to understand the struggle against resistance.
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Start small and grow gradually rather than going all in immediately.
It'll be worth it
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Perform mundane tasks like mowing the lawn or showering without playing music or podcasts to create space for ideas.
Constant background noise eliminates quiet times where great ideas emerge.
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Focus on functionality over aesthetics in repairs; if a solution works, consider it fixed.
If it looks stupid but works, it ain't stupid.
- Using inappropriate materials may cause damage to surroundings like grass lines.
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Take ideas from cookbooks, repair manuals, or self-help guides and improve them.
It serves as creative exercise.
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Work consistently regardless of your mood; do not wait for inspiration.
Waiting for the mood without effort leads to indolence and apathy.
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If you are seeking creativity, look at elements in nature and everyday items rather than other created works to avoid making clones.
Looking at other created works may lead to clone tweaks.
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Treat creativity like a muscle: use it intensively to improve it, but recognize it can degrade if unused for long periods.
It degrades when not used for long periods and improves with intensive use.
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Change your mindset to draw to get better rather than to produce a fantastic result.
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Approach creative activities with a carefree mind to reduce pressure.
It can be liberating.
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Take up activities that seem outwardly pointless to strengthen yourself from the inside.
Such acts are very important for internal strengthening.
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Work on a project until you feel a rough draft is 'good enough' to show someone, then remember that criticism of the work is not a criticism of you as a person.
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Recall shower thoughts as they are often insightful.
They're often insightful.
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If you want to understand yourself, try engaging in activities that require imagination, such as song-writing, meditation, or studying history.
Studying history can make you feel less alone and improve your self-image.
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Reduce your clothing collection to feel better when opening your closet.
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Eyeball dimensions and relax strict tolerances when speed or enjoyment is the priority.
Tolerances have their place but are not always needed.
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Simplify problems into their basic components when having trouble solving them.
Confusion rests in complexity.
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Place motivational reminders on your smartphone lock screen.
This helps connect the dots regarding discipline.
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Take frequent breaks and stop working periodically, as continuous effort without pauses is ineffective.
Working on stop isn't good.
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Create on a regular schedule rather than waiting for inspiration.
Amateurs wait for inspiration; professionals adhere to a schedule.
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Go outside and engage in active physical activities to balance rest with brain activity.
It helps boost creativity.
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Create an environment conducive to creativity and record ideas when they spontaneously occur, acknowledging that you cannot control when inspiration strikes.
Creativity often arrives unexpectedly rather than on command.
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Do not offer unsolicited criticism; only provide feedback if explicitly asked.
People often share because they are excited; criticizing someone rejoicing is being a tool unless asked.
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Finish creative projects instead of endlessly reworking early parts due to dissatisfaction.
Constantly reworking prevents finishing.
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Choose creative partners by weighing complementary personalities for innovation against similar personalities for harmony.
Different personalities can produce great results but may not last due to conflicting opinions, while similar personalities get along better but may lack out-of-the-box ideas.
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Maintain consistent art styles and scales in animations to avoid visual clutter.
Using totally different styles and scales for every bit of art creates trouble for the viewer.
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Encourage friends' artistic endeavors even when realistic advice suggests otherwise.
Very few people offer pure encouragement while the whole world tells them to be realistic.
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Trust in yourself and the 'muses' to accompany you, accepting that this trust promises company but not specific outcomes or fate.
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Pursue your own projects and stop looking for external validation after deleting social media apps.
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Reject the view that projects are either total successes or failures; recognize that everything is subjective and improvable.
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Stop trying to replicate originality, as aspiring to be an original thinker prevents you from becoming one.
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Practice your craft daily, accepting that initial stages may be boring or repetitive.
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Blend all ingredients except oil, then slowly drizzle in the oil while blending to emulsify vinaigrette.
It will emulsify much better.
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