Ideation, Innovation, Creativity. What is the key to living the creative life?

I’m not sure I can answer that question but it’s at the heart of what I’m curious about today.

The other day in my quiet time I came across a quote by creative wonder Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. ” A sustained artistic career is made of two variables- talent and character…. A creative career requires discipline-the courage to evict what does not serve the goal of excellence. This is what it means to have character.”

A lack of character. Could that be the root killer of all creativity?

Character it’s critical. Just the other day, I heard a story about a married man with a young child and twins on the way whose contemplating an affair. And then a little later I was privy to another story about a young girl who was in the midst of embezzling funds from her employer. Character. Without it we can’t keep our commitments. With it, we can change our world.

Courageous character. Sustainable character. It might just be the antidote to life’s creativity killers and to so much else that ails us…

Unwise energy expenditures deplete our creativity stores. Unwise, incongruent life investments negatively impact our character. The people and activities you and I invest in, inform our becoming. They have impact. Each creator is designed uniquely. Creation begins as thought then manifests through action. Want to create anew? Think and do anew.

We decide to invest or we don’t. We choose to fall down the rabbit hole or we don’t. We pursue the idea, the affair, the greed the opportunity or we don’t. Creating is choosing. Creation, innovation, manifesting is nothing more than the result of our life investments; thoughts and actions.

Want to kill your creative energy, your ability to innovate, create and manifest that which is good, desirable and congruent with your hopes and dreams? Then by all means go into energy debt, over share your ideas, under nurture your spirit, involve yourself with chronic energy drains, surround yourself with critical naysayers, insist on playing God, Jesus or Santa, hang around with people and invest in activities that feed you for a moment and starve you for a lifetime, invest your precious time, talent and resources in things that are incongruent with your hopes, dreams and commitments.

Yes, all of what you and I are creating, or not creating is ultimately a reflection of our character.

You want to see your creative energy soar? Be true to who you are, what you believe and are committed to. Show up, clear that you’re here on planet earth to steward yourself, decisions and time in such a way as to manifest the art that only you can create.

So how is your character? Are their tests and temptations you continue to fall prey to that hinder you from showing up the person you want to, congruent with what you believe, consistent with your promises and commitments, purpose and values?

And if you are an artist, creator, innovator how are your creative energy stores? Do you have the courage to say no? Do you contain your creations long enough for them to become? Are you a good steward of your time, talent and call?

Character. Habits. False Beliefs. Socialization. Over investing. Under being. Incongruent investments. They all kill creativity.

And when you kill creativity…ultimately you kill creation.

So what do you need to evict today – to create what you want?

I’d love to hear your insights and what you are learning about creating.

Pam Hoelzle 425 218 5846

Seattle Business Coach