Have you noticed that most creative people are not very productive? A lot of people have a lot of great ideas, but never take the time to execute them. Creative people often make excuses for their failure to produce by saying one day I will . . . And this excuse is often followed by a when . . . I’ll write my book when I get more time . . . I’ll start my new business when I get more money . . .
When there’s a when there’s a wait. And this is typically the position that most creative people find themselves in: the waiting position. We’re always waiting for the right set of circumstances to present themselves before we move forward with our big ideas.
But we sure do like to talk about them! We can tell you all about what we are going to do . . . one day. The books we will write, the degrees we’ll earn, the businesses we’ll start . . . It’s all going to happen one day, when . . . the perfect set of circumstances converge to produce an irresistible wind of momentum that will blow us inexorably into our destiny!
Any of this sound familiar?
I call this the myth of environmental productivity. At the heart of this myth is the idea that I could be so much more productive if I could get into the right environment. If I’m at the office, I tend to think that I could work better if I were at Starbucks. If I’m at Starbucks I think I need to be home. If I’m at home I think I need to be at the office. This is a subtle means by which I convince myself that I cannot produce anything…at least not right now. But later, later I’ll be able to write some great stuff!
This translates into a lot of different areas of my life. I often tell my wife, “I’ll do it later.” What I mean by that is that I don’t feel capable of doing it now. There is some obstacle in the way, some lion in the street. But tomorrow that lion will not be there anymore.
In the right environment, with the right surroundings, and the right noise-level, and the right aesthetics, in the presence of the right people, at the right temperature, and the perfect humidity level, under the right spiritual conditions, and with the right amount of physical energy, and with the right amount of encouragement from my wife, affirmation from my peers, cooperation from my subordinates, and instruction from my superiors . . . I’m great at getting things done!
Subscribing to this myth is what paralyzes your creativity. Your creativity is begging to become productivity, but you must give it an outlet!
You must begin to believe that you are excellent in any weather and that you can work under any conditions. You must take your place of authority and determine to stop submitting your calling to conditions that are beyond your control. If the day calls for writing, you can write! If the day calls for preaching, you can preach! If the day calls for leading, you can lead!
Your creativity does not need time to lay dormant in your mind and heart; it needs the space to unfold itself. You don’t need another time or another space. You can begin to express your creativity right where you are!
Creative space is created when you begin to unleash your creativity within your current space. Don’t let another day go by without making your current space your creative space. You are not waiting for a creative moment; your creative moment is waiting for you!
