The Myth of One-size-fits-all Creativity

Written By Travis Hinkle

The Creative Rebellion • Dispatch #012 • 3.5 min. read

Don't let anyone tell you their way is the only way to create.

Some people are up at 5am, creating in the silence of the early morning, done before anyone else even wakes for the day. Some light a candle late at night, play the perfect playlist, and write every draft by hand. Neither way is right (or wrong). But if they tell you their way is the way, ignore them.

We all have our own best way of working and how we work best is as unique as the work we create.

If you don't know how you work best, then experiment. Find out what works for others and try it for yourself, but with zero pressure to use it if it doesn't feel right to you. Try creating in the morning, midday, in the evening, or late at night. Try it with music and without. It won't take long to figure out what works and what doesn't.

(And when in doubt, go for when you have the most energy).

Your creative routine should set you up to create. It should get you into the right frame of mind where ideas have the chance to come to life.

Don't get me wrong, it's still going to require work. We can't live in a marvelous state of flow every time we sit down to create. But your job is to create the most conducive environment for your creativity. If you work best listening to Hans Zimmer, great. If Japanese LoFi beats do the trick, go LoFi. If you need white noise, or coffee house din, or perfect silence, just figure out what works best. (And know that it might change). If the mood strikes you to jam out to the Beastie Boys, just go with it. You might be surprised what you create when you create the right environment.

Now, it's about to sound like I'm contradicting myself, but there is one non-negotiable thing you have to do if you want to be a prolific creator:

Follow a structure.

Because if you only create when you're inspired, then you won't create much. Trust me, I've tried writing a book only when the inspiration strikes. I've been writing that book for about 9 years...

It's an ecstatic experience when inspiration strikes like lightning and an idea is borne from above on a bolt of electricity. But it isn't an easily controlled, repeatable event.

So your job is to do the work.

Sit your butt in the seat and face the blank page.

Start digging.

Move some dirt around.

See what happens.

If inspiration strikes, wonderful.

If not, put in the work anyway.

There's a great quote from Jason Bagley, the Creative Director behind the iconic ​commercial​ that rejuvenated Old Spice a few years ago. He says,

Stop focusing on something you can’t control—the quality of ideas, and start focusing on what you can control—the quantity of ideas. Your job isn’t to come up with great ideas, it's to come up with tons of ideas. Even if they're all terrible. Because something magical happens when you focus on quantity instead of quality; the creative process becomes 10x more playful and fun. And in this state of prolific playfulness, you will accidentally come up with more and better ideas even though you weren’t trying to.

Do you have a perfect creative environment?

Stay rebellious,

Travis

P.S. If you found this helpful, please share it with a friend.

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Quick Inspiration

Deeper Inspiration

​The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick Rubin​

I just finished reading this. It's a wonderfully short book for being 432 pages because it's arranged in a way that it can be read in pieces. It's got great bits of inspiration and reminders of the importance of creativity. Whether creativity is your full-time job or a hobby, this book will encourage you to keep creating and to view all of life through a creative lens. Most importantly, it will make you want to put it down and create something yourself. ​I rated it 4/5 on Goodreads​.

Travis Hinkle
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