Create Every Day: Growing Your Creative Muscle

Author: Julianna Cooper, Challenge America Program Coordinator

Have you ever thought about your creativity as a “supply,” something you have to be sparing with in order to not run out?  I have to admit, this is the way I’ve conceptualized the act of creating at times; often using it as an excuse to not sit down and exercise my ability to create.

The more I create, even when I might not feel the motivation to, the more I realize creativity is a muscle, one that must be exercised.  

What happens to muscles when we don’t use them?   

They atrophy - meaning they shrink.

The more we create, the stronger (and better) we become at creating.  

Lauren Sauder  puts it this way: 

“If you take a moment to think about muscle memory, it’s something your body can do without thinking about it. Take for example unlocking your phone and entering your passcode. Your fingers effortlessly type through your pattern of numbers without hesitation. It’s a motion you don’t need to think about because you have trained your muscles to know exactly where to go.

This same motion can come in your creative work. Imagine creating work, without hesitation, in the same mindset you use when opening your phone. You can enter your work without the distraction of questioning, there will not be fear or hesitation to hold you back. Ideas will flow to you and your muscles will know what to do with them. They will move naturally throughout your body and out into the world.”

I don’t know about you, but I’d love creativity to feel like muscle memory!  Reading about the creative process of artists, musicians, writers, and makers of all kinds has made the path to this goal clear:

Create something every single day.

The act of sitting down to create something, most times  something imperfect, again and again and again - builds muscle memory.  In a fantastic blog post, Stef Lewandowski shares about why he decided to make creating something every day one of his “rules for living.  One of his biggest takeaways from this journey was this: 

“When things might not be perfect, you can still find beauty and purpose there nonetheless.”

So, I challenge us all here in CAVARTS to try creating something small every day.  Whether this is creating a piece of art in your own specialty, or trying something completely different –  cooking a new meal, writing a poem for the first time, re-decorating a space in your home, or learning new chords on the guitar – exercising your creative muscle will result in growth.

I can’t wait to see how we all grow in 2024!

Have you ever tried creating something every day?  Share your thoughts in the comments below! 👇