Is Creativity a Muscle? If So, How do You Build It?

Does this process ever get any easier?

Is there a way to systemize the creative process?

How can I optimize writing so it feels more effortless?

It sounds like an oxymoron, to systemize the creative process - creativity as a thing can be a messy, open-ended, multi-track road which we just have to walk down to unlock and un-stifle the thoughts we've got in our heads.

Here Is What Helped Me Train My Creativity Muscle:

• Separate my writing brain from my editing brain. Mental fatigue is caused from context switching between these two modes of thinking. Also, it’s hard to be truly creative and come up with original ideas when our editor is turned on, as he tends to be too critical for creativity to really flourish.

• Systemize ideas. Prioritize getting thoughts down on paper or record random ideas in my notes app. This way, I never have to stare at a blank page.

• Transform writing into a habit. Consistency builds value and quantity leads to quality. Figure out a good cue, response, and reward for writing. It will compound over time.

• Set up a creative environment. The better I'm able to have my writing environment mimic that of a child at play, the better the writing session tends to go.

Showing Up + Sharing Your Work = Putting in the Reps

Just 'showing up' is massively important. Building up that routine and developing a habit for getting words onto a page is the place to begin. While it doesn't happen every day outside of my current 30 day challenge, I strive for 30 minutes of writing (just words on a theme, whatever's in my head) and then walking away.

I'll come back to it later, review and edit for around 10 minutes and then post it to my blog, include it as an essay in my newsletter or share it on a social media channel.

This last part is really important; if we don't share our work we can never improve because we are constantly working in a silo.

A few question for you to help kick-start a routine:

• When do you write?

• Where do you do it?

• What is your platform for sharing?

When I don’t feel like writing…

When I'm in a writing funk I try to pay attention to my environment and my inner world:

• Are there interruptions to my creative process?

• Do I have internal or external stressors?

• Where am I at in my menstrual cycle?

As they say, "putting in the reps," even when you're not feeling it, helps to build the creative muscle.

Doing it every day helps to build it.

Setting up a system makes it easier to be more efficient.

Sharing our writing supports us in building confidence.

Building a muscle takes time and it needs to be worked out regularly. Once you stop, it starts to shrink again. Being a creator, a writer is a way of being, a way of living.

Make writing your lifestyle and you won’t ever have to worry about building your creative muscles every again.

(This is atomic essay #20, which is part of 30 Days of Writing #Ship30for30)