10 Commandments of Creativity

I was born in January -- International Creativity Month! Can you just imagine how excited I was when I found out I was born in a month dedicated to CREATIVITY!? (... I'm a Creativity Coach, in case you're new to my Vocal articles.)

A few months ago, I shared my personal Commandments of Creativity on Instagram -- I talked about them in my story, as part of a 30-Day Story Challenge I participated in. I wanted to go more in-depth here about each one -- why they're important to me and how I live these Commandments in my daily life.

#1: Thou shalt have at least one creative outlet in life

Writing has always been a constant in my life -- even if I’m not working on a book or blog, I find myself writing fun lists almost daily, and lately I catch the journal bug more and more. I often think about what I would do in a day if I didn’t write (or have any other creative outlet) … and to be honest I think I would just watch movies all day. Or maybe I would be somewhat productive, but I certainly don’t think I would be enjoying life as much as I do now.

As a multi-passionate individual, I’ve also been dabbling in other creative outlets over the last few years: baking, singing, watercolour painting, trying out basic design skills on Canva, and making TikTok videos. While I believe having one main outlet is a key to living, I also believe in the importance of trying new things. (See #5.)

#2: Thou shalt not compare your creativity to the creativity of others

I’m not perfect; I catch myself comparing my creative progress to the progress of others on occasion. “Omg, that author published her book at 21 ... I’m almost 27!” Age is a big trigger for me for some reason … maybe because I’ve been writing for more than half my life, and I wonder why I haven’t finished a major writing project yet. (I did get published recently in someone else's book, but I haven't finished one of my books.)

In moments like this, I try to remind myself that I was a different person at 21 than I am now, and a different person at 18 than I was at 21, and I was especially different at 13 (the age I decided I wanted to become an author). In other words, I’m constantly evolving, and the me I am now is in a much better place and position in life to be creative. I have more confidence, more life experience, more support, more knowledge. This is huge progress for me, and I am proud of how far I’ve come! The only creative I should be comparing myself to … is myself.

#3: Thou shalt encourage and support other creatives

Some people believe creativity is a competition … which probably stems from comparison. I am of the belief that we should be collaborating instead of competing -- could you imagine all the cool things that could be created if we put two creatives together? But even as individuals, we are all unique, and thus whatever we create is unique. And as consumers, our interests are all unique as well, meaning we’re not going to buy every painting we see, or every album we hear. So the idea of there not being room enough for ALL the creatives doesn’t make sense to me.

To take this one step further, we should be supporting creatives every chance we get. Social media makes it so easy nowadays: like, comment, share -- things that take no more than a minute, and cost nothing financially! People put their heart and soul into their creative works, and even if a piece doesn’t speak to us personally, we may have someone in our social circle/community who would love it. If we don’t share it, we are depriving someone else of potential joy!

#4: Thou shalt not let perfectionism or fear or any other obstacle stop you from sharing your creativity with the world

I know, it’s hard -- I say this as a perfectionist myself. It’s probably one of the main obstacles that’s held me back from publishing a novel. (But obviously I’ve made improvements -- look at me sharing my writing with the world, here on Vocal and in a collaboration piece!)

You don’t have to share your work with the entire world to start with; take baby steps. For me, with my writing, I know I have a few trusted people I could share my works-in-progress. That’s the key with this though: you need to trust them. Trust that they will be good to your ego, but also trust that they’ll be honest. “Wow, Kaitlyn, I love this chapter! I just don’t understand this one part -- could you elaborate with a little more detail here?” … that kind of feedback. So these fair few people would give me feedback, I would make some changes … and once those changes are made, then I could share with a few more people (publishers!). I know, I’m using writing here as an example, but this can be said for any outlet ... the point is, start small and only share your work with your trusted few. Your inner critic, as a perfectionist, is too harsh -- these selected few individuals are here to be your guide: “yes, you’re good to go” or “make a few tweaks, then share more”. (I speak more about the support you need as a creative here.) (I also shared some incredible words of wisdom about "combatting creative enemies" here.)

#5: Thou shalt be willing to go out of your comfort zone and try new things

One of the reasons my writing suffered for the first 5 years (my teen years) was because I had zero life experience. I went to school, came home and did homework (and/or puttered around on the computer), and that’s it. I rarely went out with friends ... to be honest, I’d rather be at home 99% of the time. But I knew I wasn’t living life; I was merely existing.

When I graduated high school, I moved across the country for my post-secondary education. This forced me out of my shell in a big way. I made new friends, I got a part-time jobs, I joined a sorority, I didn’t have the influence of my parents ... I was exploring who I was as a person.

This is a drastic change; I’m not suggesting you move across the country, or anywhere for that matter. My point is, forcing myself out of my comfort zone, experiencing new things ... this not only boosted my confidence, it got my creative juices flowing as well. My writing vastly improved in my 20s, without taking any writing courses. So, like I was telling you earlier, about all the different creative outlets I’ve tried, this is just one way you can go out of your comfort zone. You can take a new route to work, you can cook a new meal, you can read a book in a genre you normally avoid … anything that exposes your mind to new inspiration is MAJOR.

#6: Thou shalt create the things YOU want to create

I had years of doubt -- “No one would read this, it’s a stupid idea for a novel anyways.” (This thought hasn’t completely gone away, but it has certainly decreased.)

And yet, despite deleting my notes (multiple times!) for a book idea I’ve had since I was 13 because of this same thought, I seem to keep coming back to the idea. It’s had to evolve over the years -- without my notes, I forget some pieces, plus new inspiration is constantly occurring. But why does it keep coming back? Because I want to read it. Me. It’s nothing like any book I’ve read so far. Right now, the pieces aren’t all there -- I still have to fill in some gaps -- but the fully-formed ideas I do have are exciting to me (intriguing even). I’m proud of what I have so far for this one novel. That’s the only thing that should matter. I know it’s hard … but isn’t it better to release all your ideas onto the page (or canvas, or whatever medium you use for creativity) to satisfy your inner creative, versus trying to people-please and produce something you’re not excited by? How would you rather spend your time?

#7: Thou shalt make time for creativity every day

This is a biggie. All of my clients right now have come to me with TIME being a key issue: their work drains their energy because the work day is so long; they’re wanting to find the balance between work and play; they can’t fathom trying to find time for something as frivolous as creativity.

Let me ask you -- and this is with no judgment, because I am guilty of this -- how much time do you spend on social media? Are you someone who checks their Facebook first thing in the morning, or scrolls through Instagram before bed? Yeah, a lot of us do this!

That hour I spend in bed while my boyfriend is getting ready for work, I could be journaling or reading (or both) … instead, I’m scrolling through TikTok, I’m watching Instagram stories, I’m checking my Facebook messages and my emails. All the things I tell myself I won’t do anymore in the morning (at least not until my boyfriend leaves for work), because I know what you ingest (mentally) in the first 20 minutes after waking up is SO crucial to the rest of your day ... and yet here I am, doing them anyways. Social media can easily throw me off, depending on who posts what.

So, take stock of how you’re spending your time. What can you cut down on? What tasks can you delegate? Where can you squeeze in 5 minutes of idea generating, 10 minutes of reading about your craft, or 15 minutes of practicing your craft? Can you possibly even set a boundary and tell your loved ones “Hey, I want to take an hour every Saturday for myself, for my creativity -- please don’t disturb me during this time”?

#8: Thou shalt carry a notebook with you everywhere

This is a life-saving creativity tip! How many times have you had an idea, but forgot it because you didn’t write it down? I realized this happened to me a lot at night, so I got myself a lamp for my nightstand and would turn it on to write in my ideas notebook. And, as a frequent purse user, I’m also lucky I have a bag that makes it easy for me to take a notebook with me when I leave the house (for that is often a time when more ideas come!).

Technically, I suppose you can type your ideas into your phone … but personally, I love having an ideas notebook. (I even wrote a Vocal article about the value of an ideas notebook!) My phone gets cluttered with so many random notes to myself -- songs I heard at the mall that I want to remember to add to my playlist; things I need to remember to do the next day that I’ll forget if I don’t write them down; my boyfriend’s sandwich order for Subway because it’s more complicated than mine ... I’d rather not lose my ideas in that mess of random information.

Extra tip, that may be kind of weird but I’ve heard of other people doing this so I would like to try it: have a notebook in your bathroom, for when you get out of the shower. I don’t know why I don’t already do this -- I have SO MANY ideas in the shower!

#9: Thou shalt take breaks when needed, to avoid burnout

I know, there are some people who barely have time for 5 minutes of creativity, and I’m here talking about taking breaks from it. I have a home-based business, I make my own hours, I set my priorities to have a work-play balance ... I make creativity a priority in my daily life. There are others in this position, so to you I say take breaks when needed.

For me, this could mean switching creative outlets -- no writing for a day, but instead baking. Or, it could mean taking a day off from physically creating, and instead doing activities that spark inspiration (such as reading). If I were to write and write and write and write … well, I’d probably stop writing for a month, resenting the activity and seeing it as a chore instead of a joy. (Did you know there's something called "positive boredom"?)

and finally ...

#10: Thou shalt always remember, EVERYONE is creative

This means YOU! YOU are a creative being … and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise! (But also remember that everyone else is creative too … so go back to #3 if you need a reminder.)

I’d love to know which of these commandments resonated most with you … I’d also really love to know if you have your own personal commandments for creativity. (Let me know!)