What Does It Mean To Live A Creative Life

The dictionary definition for the verb "create" is: to bring into being. I love this concept - to make something that didn't exist before, be it a story, a picture, a song or a performance of a piece of music. Creativity doesn't just have to be linked to art. Creativity can be an innovative solution to a pressing problem or a design for an item which assists people in their daily lives. In fact, creativity is anything you want it to be.

If I had to describe my own creative urge I would say that it is a need to communicate the truth within my heart. This could be joy, sadness, love, pain, fear, wisdom or inspiration - whatever is going on inside me. I do this in two main ways. For me this means writing, giving talks and making music. If a period of time goes by when I haven’t done any of these activities then I can become tetchy, irritable and have a creeping sense of not being fulfilled.
Perhaps we could deduce that living creatively means to live in a way that rings true to your soul. To take this a step further, the act of creation is the communication from one soul to another.

If you wish to have a creative life, particularly in the artistic sense, do not make the assumption that you need a major life change such as quitting your day job before you can begin. In most cases this is extremely counter-productive. If you don't believe me then take a week off work and see how much of your art you actually get around to doing.

The best way to be creative is to start doing it alongside your existing life. A creative practice is best done regularly, little and often. You don't need to sit around with hours to spare waiting for the creative urge to land upon you. You just need to get on with whatever is in your mind with the time you have right now. And if you run out of time, then great - you'll be eager to return to your project and do another piece of it as soon as possible.
When I first started writing I was working as a freelance IT consultant. I was very excited about my new creative endeavour and ideas soon flowed. At the time I did consider giving up IT for a while and just writing. However, one of my colleagues urged me to consider working part time so that I could still earn sufficient money and have a bit more time to devote to writing. This proved to be a very successful formula for me and over the years it has enabled me to combine my creativity with being in business.

Being creative isn't about needing more time. It is about using the time you have. I have very fond memories writing a page of my novel every morning before going into work. There was one occasion when we were going live with three new computer systems at once and for a few weeks I was working six or seven days a week. However, I still managed to sit down and write two or three hundred words before going into work and doing a twelve hour day.

Living creatively means living to your best potential and seeking to do your best in all of your activities. Driving a taxi, working in a shop, or office work can all be done with a creative spirit. And all of these circumstances can be fuel on the fire of an artistic practice. A creative life is one where no experience is wasted and every life situation has artistic potential.