Constraint Breeds Creativity

I've been reflecting on a phrase my sweetheart often says. Not sure where he got it from, but it's a good one. He often says that constraint is what breeds creativity.

I think a lot of people get this hippy-dippy idea that creativity comes when one is faced with loads of free time to slowly sip your coffee, enjoy a warm muffin and sit in a quiet, relaxing environment with no interruptions, no obligations, and a full day to spend immersed in the art of painting, writing, composing, etc.

Now, before I proceed to crush these notions, let me first say that hey, who doesn't want to enjoy a nice day immersed in art and enjoying warm muffins? Go for it. Those can be refreshing moments.

There you go, a relaxing moment for you. NOW GET WRITING!

Just don't expect anything truly creative, or really any good, to come out of  it.

Creativity doesn't come from comfortable, obligation-free living or from other's "understanding" you. These are just lame excuses wanna-be writers make for themselves when they are unsuccessful in a goal.

What makes good writing is the stress, the time crunch...it's the chase of finding that idea and sweating to develop it. It's what makes NaNoWriMo so great. You've got the constraint...a novel, written in a mere 30 days. Brilliant!

Don't wait for the perfect circumstances to write. Don't sit around expecting writing to feel good, or for the inspiration to just "come to you". Take breaks as needed. Have some R and R time, but if you really care about your craft and your goals, you're going spend a lot of time with your head against wall trying to bang ideas out of it. You want to be the proud author of a brilliant novel, you've got to make it happen.

That's my plan anyway. Make. It. Happen. I write everyday now. Sometimes only a little. Sometimes it's a lot. The habit is growing though. My creativity is coming back. This recovering Finance major is going to write an awesome little book. I'm getting really excited.

I want to hear, what's your excuse you make that you need to let go? A recurring one for me is that the room isn't clean enough for me to think. It's like dirty socks make too much noise for me to think. Isn't that ridiculous? I'm learning to write through that. I clear a space for my notebook or laptop and light a candle and move on.