The "Secret" to Creativity. 2.12.2022

 

    Do the work. There are times when the creative juices just won’t flow. Like a tree whose sap is slowed by the freezing temperatures of winter, there are times when you will sit at your desk in your study, and nothing moves. Your mind will be numbed by the weather or perhaps other issues have claimed some of your prime brain cells. 

    Last week I was working mostly at home. I cleared little snow and spent a couple of hours at my desk in my study tidying up the week’s work. My sermon was done, and I was putting the final touches on Sunday School. I put myself under a time budget. I was going to relax Friday evening. (I sort of watched some old movies that evening).

    Here it is Friday morning again, a week later, and I am behind. I’m just starting my blog. Sunday School is untouched. Monday was so busy that I did not complete my sermon till Tuesday. Then I needed to prepare for a funeral, for which I will depart in the next 90 minutes. Time is short and a deadline looms. I have just a few moments to compose this preliminary draft of this week’s blog. There are several factors that help make this brief amount of time fruitful. 

1. Working from a plan. I did not begin with a blank sheet the title and date are right in front of me. 

2. Resolution to grind.  I have, right now, 40 minutes to devote to this 1st draft.  If I did not come up with an idea, if something did not slip into my mind I was not going to stop until I had at least done a little preliminary research. If you can’t plant seeds, turn over the dirt. If you can’t lay bricks, mix mortar. If you can’t finish, then at least start!

3. A clear understanding of my limitations. I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know. I realized many years ago that you don’t have to rely on flashes of genius if you are willing to work hard. Much of what is thought of as creativity is actually determination.

4. The first word and the final word should not be the last word. Draft. Review. Revise. Edit. Clarify. Shorten. Expand. Contract. Eliminate. Add. Most of us are not Mozart. Be Bach. Arrive early, be flexible. Incorporate variety into your routine. 

    The point I am trying to drive home is that quality often arises from quantity, and creative work is first completed work. You must be extremely gifted to rely on the first thing you think, write, or say being brilliant. It may not seem like a creative act but working diligently at your craft is, in fact, the first creative act. 

    There is an entire tool shed filled with tools to help us work more effectively and creatively. We read books not only for information but to generate an artistic feel. Reading the words of others helps us to find our personal rhythms and voice. We have reference tools because we want our words spelled correctly, defined accurately, selected carefully, and ordered grammatically. Because what we say and write is on behalf of Christ and in service of His Church, we are realists. We don’t write impressionist sermons. We don’t generally produce stream-of-consciousness articles or lessons. We are not just writing or speaking to be heard or read. Our goal is life-change, and our creative impulse is driven by a desire to communicate clearly and accurately what the Scriptures teach. Creativity requires taking the abiding Word and addressing the ever-shifting cultural currents which surround us. We didn’t invent the cultural water or create the overwhelming social swells; we are just teaching people to swim. 

    There will be times when you do not feel like it. There will be times that your brain is thought out. At these times you can at least prepare the tools. Oil and sharpen the blades that you will need to cut straight and accurately. If you cannot create--at least work. The longer you do this the less you will rely upon the muse arriving at a whim and the more focused you will be in showing up, clocking in, and doing the work. 

    A concluding thought: for most of us, there is no secret to creativity. The secret is that it takes hard work to become a master craftsman at any craft. I have preached many sermons in 40 years that were great first drafts that should never have been preached. Some of my creative impulses have been wrong. The cure for bad first drafts is second drafts. The cure for poor creative impulse control is discipline. It is no secret what God can do if you and I are willing to work diligently to be sound workmen.