Approaching Life As A Creative Work

[Personal mastery] means approaching one’s life as creative work, living life from a creative as opposed to a reactive viewpoint.

— Peter M. Senge

Approaching Life As A Creative Work

Living a creative life is no small feat. It necessitates dedication and sharp focus.

Austin Kleon emphasizes the necessity of financial freedom when approaching creative work; rather than treating it as an end, strive to use your creations as a vehicle to improve life.

What is a creative life?

A creative life is an approach to life that emphasizes what you enjoy and avoids those things that sap your energy. It’s a life of curiosity, exploration, and discovery, where you pay attention to your intuition, joy, and dreams while taking small steps.

Many people associate creativity with a feeling of well-being. Indeed, research has demonstrated that creative activities are linked to various dimensions of eudaimonia – or happiness.

Researchers distinguish between the Pleasant Life, which prioritizes pleasure and reward, and the Meaningful Life, which emphasizes self-expression and service to others. Though this latter path may not always be enjoyable, it can ultimately lead to a deeper and more meaningful sense of well-being.

In the Meaningful Life, creative activity is often an expression or service to society – which is fundamental to human existence. It can also bring us deep satisfaction and help us cope with negative emotions such as sadness or anger.

Establishing a routine is essential for living an artistic life and is easier than you might think. A schedule helps prioritize your tasks and prevents them from getting overlooked.

As a general guideline, spend more time engaging in creative work than watching TV or playing video games. Starting your day off right can make all the difference in making progress on an artistic venture.

Another essential aspect of living a creative lifestyle is making time to relax and de-stress. Spending quality time outdoors, connecting with friends and family, or taking a nature walk can all be great ways to clear your head and inspire inspiration.

At these moments, it’s beneficial to switch off your phone, TV, and computer and focus on something else. Even something as simple as solving a puzzle or crossword can help you reflect and develop new ideas.

Life’s inevitable that you may hit a wall occasionally; when this occurs, it’s essential to be kind to yourself. Patience is key in creative living – remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint!

How to live a creative lifestyle

Creativity isn’t just for artists, writers, or creative entrepreneurs – anyone with an imagination can practice it! Whether you are a stay-at-home parent, business owner, or creative individual with no spare time for hobbies, living a creative life may be easier!

To live a more creative life, you must approach daily with the right mindset. Adopting some simple guidelines and habits allows you to easily transform your daily routine into one filled with creativity and inspiration!

1. Never Stop Learning

Keeping your mind stimulated and ideas fresh is the key to living a creative lifestyle. To do this, try to learn something new every week – this could be as simple as reading a book about a creative legend or taking an intensive course in another field entirely.

2. Get Out And Explore What You Love

Living a creative lifestyle means connecting to the world around you, whether watching movies, attending plays or just taking walks outside. Spending time outside not only inspires creative thought but it also pushes you to take more risks. Getting outside will help spark your imagination and open up new avenues for exploration.

3. Foster Curiosity

Curiosity is the basis of creativity, and if you don’t stay curious about what’s going on around you, it will be difficult to develop your imagination. By exploring new things, you will gain new perspectives on common topics and be able to view things differently. This curiosity can lead to great discoveries!

4. Share Your Work With Others

It can be tempting to keep your ideas and thoughts private. But you must share your work with those who can offer valuable feedback and insights. Doing this will allow for more creative ways of expressing yourself and supporting fellow creatives.

5. Resist Becoming Enraged when Criticised

Being creative can often lead to frustration when others offer criticism. While this can be an uphill battle, you must learn to accept and value criticism as part of the creative process.

How to start a creative lifestyle

Do you have difficulty sparking inspiration in your daily life? Perhaps you feel stuck, bored, or resentful at the current state of the world. If so, these may be signs that inspiration is lacking from within yourself.

Creativity has been an integral part of our world for centuries, and it remains a valuable skill that can be taught to those without it. Creative individuals should view life as an opportunity to express themselves creatively, finding ways to incorporate it into everyday life.

Start the creative process today by setting aside time each day for creativity. Don’t feel pressured into something big – even a sketch or piece of writing you haven’t done before can help ignite your creative energy.

Another way to be creative is by spending time outdoors. This doesn’t need to be an extensive day out; just stroll around your neighborhood and observe what surrounds you. You might discover new perspectives on familiar sights. You might even get inspired to jot down thoughts in a journal or compose a poem about cracks on your sidewalk!

Spending time with other creative individuals can be beneficial. This could include friends, colleagues, or a group dedicated to this pursuit. You could even start your own group at your local library or coffee shop – or keep it online!

To become more creative, reflect on why you want to be creative. What stories are you trying to tell? What emotions do you hope to elicit? How will your creations impact people’s lives?

Next, create a mantra or rallying cry that constantly reminds you of why you’re doing this and can help keep you on track when things get challenging. Post it somewhere visible such as on your studio wall, screensaver, or wherever it might catch your eye.

How to measure a creative lifestyle

Achieving success as a creative is by viewing life as an art form. That means using creative skills daily, accepting challenges, and finding innovative solutions. Furthermore, creating sustainable environments that enable you to thrive even during times of uncertainty or transition is essential.

Researchers have used a range of tests to measure creativity at an individual level. They evaluated personality traits such as independence of judgment, self-confidence, attraction to complexity, and aesthetic orientation which can help determine whether someone is more or less creative. Furthermore, they measured risk-taking through roulette-based exercises and questionnaires.

Researchers have also devised simple tests that measure how quickly people generate ideas. For instance, divergent association tasks involve asking respondents to list many distantly related nouns in an ordered list.

Another test to assess creative personality is the Creative Personality Scale (CPS), developed by Gough (1979). This assessment provides participants with 30 adjectives and asks them to select the best describe them.

Tests that measure creativity can be helpful but tend to be too subjective to accurately predict artistic output.

Measure creativity more accurately through productivity. Since creativity requires much thought, it can be challenging to quantify how much work you produce as an artist.

However, a successful productivity measurement system should be tailored to your creative career needs. It may involve writing pages, meeting word counts, or editing photographs. Furthermore, consider how many hours you spend working on creative projects by looking at your calendar.