In The Power of Creativity, Bryan Collins offers “a three-part series for writers, artists, musicians, and anyone [else] in search of great ideas.” In his latest book, this is what he suggests in order to cultivate habits that can change your life:
o Sacrifice the Non Essentials: “When you sacrifice the non-essential parts of your day, you’ll gain the momentum you need to progress your big ideas.”
o Tame Your Environment: “Remove anything from your environment that has nothing to do with your big ideas.”
o Ease Yourself into It: “To cultivate lasting creative habits, prepare your work in advance.”
o Create Space: “Working on your big ideas can be messy, but you’ll need a clear [uncluttered] space to create the mess in the first place.”
o Become More Efficient: “Anticipate what you need and then arrange everything so it’s to hand…in one place that you can easily access.”
o Become More Effective: “Open up your calendar, seta deadline for [completion of] your creative project and, working backwards, block out time on your calendar to create.”
o Nudge Yourself Along: “You will make steady determined progress towards your goal if you nudge your big ideas along in [at least] some small way each day.”
o Feed Your Subconscious: Whatever you think about just before you fall asleep will probably be what you soon dream about. “When I wake the next morning, I try to remember what I dreamt. I write this down quickly before it disappears from my mind.”
o Reward Yourself: “Creative masters feel motivated to continue even if working alone or progress is small.” Celebrate small victories with a brief break (e.g. a short walk in the woods or on a beach) “to build a link between your new creative routine and positive experiences.”
o Commit to Your Ideas: Be wholly committed to a process that may take months and even years to prepare yourself so that, when an idea arrives in a dream or when inspiration strikes, you’ll have the resources to recognize it and act on it.” Henri Matisse was once asked if he painted all the time. “Oh no, but when my muse visits me, I better have a brush in my hand.”
All of these key points are explained in greater detail within Collins’ lively narrative (Pages 4-19) and well-worth your attention.
Warren Buffett once observed, “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” Good habits need consistent nourishment; bad habits are usually tyrants. Fortunately, you can control both.
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