To Be Creative is to Be Consistent

It’s been a month of consistently showing up to write.

This may not seem like much of a feat to you but when you’re someone who dreams a big dream yet can’t seem to stay consistent long enough to make it happen… this is massive.

I can start the thing, ideate the process, map out the steps, visualize exactly how I want to feel, and get excited about the limitless possibilities. But I tend to fall short when it comes to the follow-through (if you read my essay on taking action you know this reaction is tethered to an unregulated nervous system). Don’t get me wrong there are some areas of my life that I’m consistently killing — daily journalling, meditation and spiritual practices, regulation walks, fitness routine, and making time for friends and family.

However, my writing and creativity always seem to be the areas where I’m consistently inconsistent.

I’ve come to understand that creativity is inconsistent, but it’s your job to show up consistently anyway.

For as long as I can remember I’d only engage with my creativity if it aggressively knocked at my front door. It’d usually come to me in a wave of inspiration with the power of a tsunami that drove me straight to my notes app or laptop where I ferociously channelled the idea as fast as my fingers allowed me. It’s a feeling that tingles the tip of my nose down to my toes.

Then poof, it’d disappear.

The magical feeling vanishes as quickly as it strikes and I convince myself it’s lost forever. So I wait around twiddling my thumbs anticipating the next spark to ignite. And when it doesn’t come I tightly scrunch my forehead and stare at the channelled concepts I captured during that fit of magic to try to force myself back into that otherwordly state.

Nothing ever happens.

Somewhere along the way, I learned that without a rush of inspiration, you shouldn’t bother trying to squeeze out any of your creative juices.

Even if you promised yourself you’d write for at least an hour every single day.

This phenomenon still happens to me on occasion, the unpredictability of these moments is what makes the process of creation so sacred.

But what about the 99.9% of the time when these moments of inspiration don’t occur?

This is where consistency comes in.

I carve out an afternoon every single week to write these essays. I pack my favourite tote with my laptop, charger, wallet, and AirPods and head to my local cafe to order my wildly overpriced iced matcha latte with a soggy straw. The first 30 minutes to an hour usually involve a blinking cursor and a blank screen quietly urging me to call it quits and postpone this week’s essay until next Friday. But slowly, I find my groove. I think about what the heck I’ve been moving through over the past seven days or any mind-altering quotes I’ve heard, usually from Mark Groves, and I start to messily jot things down. I forcefully push any fears that I’ve lost my creative touch aside and assemble my thoughts. Word by word it comes together in a somewhat cohesive and flowy manner that always surprises me. When I’m done it ends up being better than good enough for me to publish and send straight to your inbox.

With the exception of my first essay (I was in a state of utter enchantment and fully blacked out), there’s never a big magical moment of inspiration.

I simply decide to show up each week, get writing, and the creativity follows.

I’m not saying it’s always easy. I’m saying that when you commit to showing up for yourself, you’ll be rewarded with new insights, perspectives, and a deeper connection to your own creative reservoir.

Sometimes I show up to write and my mind is as vacant as an empty room echoing in silence. But I still grit my teeth and reluctantly weave my words into sentences until they resemble a creative thought. And sometimes I completely miss the mark. This happened last week when I wrote a full essay and then pulled it up the next day to review what I’d written only to hate the entire thing. So I begrudgingly highlighted every last word, pressed the delete button, and spent the next five hours rewriting the whole piece.

I trusted the process, managed to get the job done, and was proud of the final product even if the process looked different than usual.

When we commit to showing up regularly, even in the absence of inspiration, we develop discipline and resilience.

These qualities not only enhance our creative output but also spill over into every aspect of our lives, fostering a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Showing up on this platform consistently each week over the past month has significantly elevated numerous aspects of my life. I feel like I can accomplish so much more than I was giving myself credit for. It’s in these consistent efforts that we find real growth and expansion.

Each essay, each session of dedicated writing, becomes a testament to my commitment to self-expression and personal evolution.

Consistency isn’t just about achieving a specific goal, it’s about cultivating a mindset that values the process as much as the outcome. It’s about honouring the journey of creation, embracing the moments of inspiration, and choosing to continuously show up in its absence.

So, whether you’re writing essays, pursuing a creative project, or simply striving to be more present in your daily life, remember that showing up consistently is where the magic truly happens.

How will you consistently show up to honour your creativity?