It’s been said you need to work at something for 10,000 hours to master it. Whilst I could easily say I have worked hard in the arena of vocals for that length of time. There are many areas in my life like, writing and creating I want to master.
I want to encourage you to use the time you would’ve read a blog post, got lost in the abyss of reddit, scrolled endlessly on instagram; all in the vain of searching to fill {insert your void here}. So here’s the deal. You have permission to get up, look up, work up the courage to do more than just consume online.
Go. Create. Be.
Go sit at your instrument and be still, let the creative juices flow. Pause and try to not “make” something for any agenda, purpose or reason; just sit and revel in having a moment to enjoy your craft. Cultivate time in your day to day to build into the gift you want to see fruit in.
Some of the ways I try to foster creating in my day to day:
- write in a journal
- write poetry
- sing someone else songs
- subscribe to a social media “word of the day” and somehow incorporate that into a project
- draw or colour in with the kids
- read – I believe some of the best writers are in fact readers.
- sing a song of nothing: look around you and sing about it.
- sit and dream – ignite your imagination
- start a project – 100 days of creative, 5 days of songwriting, 1 month of photos, 40 days of musings – pick a time frame that’s realistic to your season and pursue your joy through a new lens
- write a blog post to no one
- have a dance party – even if you are incredibly unco like me! (No one is watching anyway right?)
- go for a walk, get amongst nature and breathe it in – let His creation wash over you.
You need creative infill to be able to overflow creativity… not every moment requires of you the pouring out of a masterpiece. And in fact, some of my worst and most embarrassingly frustrating creative moments have been the very ones to fuel the masterpiece moment I enjoy and might be willing to share!
Every minute counts, and every moment contributes to the bigger picture of mastering your craft. But know that not everything has to be shared with everyone, nor does it have to be a masterpiece instantaneously. So go on, just create, I dare you!