ON LIVING AS A CREATIVE

Posted on by Billy Osogo

Billy Osogo

I love creating art as much I love consuming it. There’s something surreal about participating in the process of creation. To see the end product come from almost nothing. A blank page. A blank canvass. Plain clay. A blank sheet of music. Tabula rasa. Here are a few good words to help in your creative journey. 

Courage

“I believe this is the central question upon which all creative living hinges: Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures hidden within you? I believe this is one of the oldest tricks the universe plays on us human beings, both for its own amusement and for ours: The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them.” – Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic)

Networking and shared experiences

“Everyday, I’m reminded that what we become depends on what we make of our relationships and the experiences we share with those we meet.” – Wangari Maathai (Unbowed) 

Practice

“To master any skill, you must first choose a task; then do it over and over again until the activity becomes second nature; and finally, push through the times when you fail, exhibiting even greater focus as you repeat the action until you’ve done it right.” – Jeff Goins (The Art of Work)

Imagination

“Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fountain of all invention and innovation; in its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.” – J. K. Rowling (Very Good Lives)

Indulge me.

What words motivate you in your creative journey? 

94 thoughts on “ON LIVING AS A CREATIVE”

  1. Gianpiero Petriglieri is very insightful, in this respect.
    Work is becoming central to the way we live –


    How the GIG economy is changing careers –


    The art of career development –

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  2. A strong will can overpower the largest insecurity. And it is insecurity that stands in the way of creativity. The doubt and fear of not achieving what we expect of ourselves is nonsensical. Such expectations are undefinable. Creativity is what we make it to be. There are no standards or benchmarks.
    It’s the courage, sharing, practice, and imagination of an individual that pushes the limits of creative power. As rightly mentioned by you.
    When creating, do not cling to the comfortable or predictable. It may produce beauty. But unique credibility only comes from diving into the deep dark within, and pulling out what you find, shaping it into a form that inspires you to search even deeper.
    Thank you for sharing this! 🙂

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  7. The artist is a kind of god in that the former and the latter create something beautiful and new out of nothing. All religions and creation myths begin with god looking at a blank canvas and having a vision and then executing it, using imagination and a special kind of “talent.”

    I’ve long liked the old saying: “Creativity is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.”

    If you put these two points together, you see that creation is both “magical” and very mundane.

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  8. I like these quotes. I like that they skew to the positive. I have positive sayings and inspirational plaques posted about, but, since you asked, I’m most often inspired by negative. I have lists of ideas, it’s the execution thereof that often challenges. This is where the inside voice gets busy with attack.

    It’s not the best system and I don’t recommend it, especially as it includes vicious, post-execution criticism. I like Jeff Goins words better: I’m going to use them on my desktop for a while, though I’ll miss the picture of my first car (1981 Honda Civic station wagon).

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    1. Hey Em!

      I go through some vicious post-execution criticism myself. It’s interesting how things become a lot more lucid post-execution in lieu of pre-execution.

      Thank you for making time 😊

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  9. Failure is a lesson learned, success is a lesson applied – unknown”  I enjoy the whole process when being creative (like writing a poem) from scratch & the thought process that goes with it! Chopping & changing until it feels right.  If you’re not happy: start again and have the courage to keep going. We’re on this constant journey of growth 😉. Thanks for the post 👍

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  11. Creativity to me is a journey to a magical place, an escape from reallity. Loved the quotes you shared. Keep creating and sharing greate posts! 🙂

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  12. My favorite part of one of my favorites quotes: “It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
    talented and fabulous?
    Actually, who are you not to be?” Marianne Williamson

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  15. As Terry Pratchett wrote, “Open your eyes, then open them again.” It’s about seeing the magic in the everyday things so many take for granted

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      1. Thank you, for making me think, and remind myself again of this wonderful quote, and yes it is the greatest teacher❤

  20. Creating art is creating peace within my world that I may give it away that others may know and see with the hope that they will feel the peace the living running energy projecting forth from the blinded souls of man that art may bring to life the death and darkness, that splashes of color and love will transcend beyond what is known to human kind. I am inspired by you and art has power to heal and bring love into hurting world. That is my desire. To heal with art as art as healed me.

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  22. Creativity is my raison d’etre. When I ignore my creative voice my whole world is in disarray, from how I communicate with the people I love to how I sleep at night; it is all interconnected.

    Lovely quotes you’ve shard, thank you. 😊

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  23. What motivates me in a creative journey is “Don’t wait for an inspiration to come. Inspiration is something that you have to find”.

    Thanks for sharing, A.B.
    Have a great day 😄

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  24. Beautiful Post, Thanks for sharing.

    Creativity becomes our nature if we believe in our imaginations and dare to put our hard work and time to bring it into reality 😊

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    1. Hey Amber!

      It’s my pleasure 😊

      I couldn’t agree more! Dare to imagine! Dare to put in the time and work!

      Thank you for making time 😊

      Reply
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  32. I am reminded of Enlightenment as described by Emmanual kant.. ” Do you have the courage to use your own mind?”
    It is very important to pay attention to your mind. It’s addictive once you start. Also overwhelming. Also, Naruto taught me that “there is no point in making effort if you don’t believe in yourself”
    Thank you for sharing this 🙂

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  38. I believe that learning stops the moment your heart stops beating and sharing what you learn is what keeps you alive for eternity.

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  40. What motivates my creativity? Discovery! Creating something that did not exist before. Am I a creator? The creator? Yes. Of my stuff. And that’s pretty dang exciting. That’s what motivates me. Thanks for asking.

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  41. Creativity is a collaborative enterprise. Even if you think you’re doing it on your own, you’re building on what others before you have done. There is nothing new under the sun – it’s just turned to cast a different shadow.

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  42. Got an invitation to check you out. Courage that is the word to take away. Thank you. Just had my second book turned down for the thirtieth time. Will take courage.

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    1. Hello 😃

      I am so honored ☺️.

      Courage is a must-have quality in the quest of writing.

      What was your experience with getting your first book published? What lessons did you learn from that experience?

      Reply

  43. I signed on with a publisher whoes name I recognized from when we ran a book store. I didn’t have the contract reviewed by a lawyer. I wound up paying a lot of money I didn’t really have. It’s a good book but has not done what I had hoped because I didn’t understand marketing. Lot of lessons learned. Thanks for asking!!

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  44. Fail early and fail often. Every time we try something, we learn, whether we ‘succeed’ in the way we intended, or we gain for information about the thing.

    Another thing my sister consistently reminds me: Make. Fail. Make. Fail. Make. Fail. Make!

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