the hard truth about creativity
Being creative is a full-time job.
One of my biggest failures as a creative was trying to separate my creative work from the rest of my life. I would set aside a few hours a week to make progress on my creative projects and then push it out of my mind until the next session. My progress was consistent but painfully slow.
I didn’t want to become the cliché artist who sacrificed their life in pursuit of success. Then I accepted the hard truth:
The best creatives are obsessed.
So for two years, I became obsessed. My whole life became about my creative work and I accomplished more in those two years than I ever imagined possible. But I became exactly the person I feared and my body, relationships, and mental health were all a reflection of the sacrifices I made.
My obsession had gone too far.
Today, I understand the secret to having the best of both worlds. I can make significant progress on my creative projects without sacrificing my life. The secret is building habits and systems that support your creative work.
Creativity is a habit.
Systems allow us to maximize our creative output.