How to Embrace Your Creative State as a Thought Leader & Why You Should
Rick Rubin is an incredibly accomplished music producer, and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings and former co-president of Columbia Records. He’s worked with world-famous bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Public Enemy and LL Cool J, and in his book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” book he talks about how we can tap into the best version of our creative selves. He says that it's not about a creative act – it’s a way of being.
I found this to be an incredibly powerful way of looking at creativity and equally applicable to thought leadership as to music producing.
So, what does Rubin mean?
Well Rubin’s point is that creativity isn’t so much about what you’re doing as it is about who you’re being. This is echoed by other famous creatives, particularly Robert Henri, American painter, who says, ‘The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.’
As thought leaders, experts and speakers we are constantly creating. We are creating our IP, we are creating content, we are creating presentations and keynotes. But the act of creating can be difficult when we have to pull ourselves out of the business of our practice – sales calls, admin, managing the team – and suddenly do something creative. And that’s where putting yourself into a creative state can be the answer.
How to put yourself in the creative state
If you want to put yourself in the creative state there are some steps you can take.
Carve out the time
Rather than working creativity into your day-to-day business, find a larger space of time that will allow you to truly get into a creative state.
Content Creation Bootcamp is the way that many in our community do this, because it allows them a space of time to get into a creative state without distractions. And because of this they’re able to create 52 pieces of content – a year’s worth of content – over a two-day period.
Of course, you might find that you can get into your own creative state in just half a day, or maybe for a couple of hours early in the morning. Determine where and when you are at your most creative, then build that into your practice. Whatever works for you, just ensure that you’re in a state where creativity becomes inevitable rather than forced.
Consider your environment
If you’re struggling to get the space and rhythm in your practice, consider whether you need to change your environment. You might find that it’s easier to get into the creative state if you go to a coffee shop or to a co-working space, for example. For me, I struggle to write creatively at my desk – so I often have to change venues when I’m working on books or content or even my own IP.
Research has shown that there are environments that are simply better at supporting creativity. Some types of spatial layouts, architectural details, locations, ambient conditions (light and heat or coolness) as well as physical attributes like furniture, plants, colours, views and more, can all impact our creative performance. Find an environment that works for you.
Get the right people around you
There are some people that will help you increase your creative state. These might be people who challenge your existing ideas, who help you test your theories or who are just in a creative state themselves. Make sure you gather these people around you. Have regular meet ups with them so you can chat about new and interesting ideas. And encourage them in their own creativity.
Things that might hold you back from the creative state
Of course, there are some things that can hold you back from truly embracing the creative state.
You have the wrong people around you
Just like it’s important to have the right people around you, it’s also important not to have the wrong people around you. These are people who pull you out of your creative state.
Sometimes this can’t be helped – children and family will always need you, for example. But sometimes these are just people who simply don’t offer you the support you need or who challenge your ideas and creativity in a negative way. Don’t give them this opportunity. If you need to create boundaries to support your creative state, do so.
You’re not at the right stage in your practice
I recently met with a thought leader, Amy who works with CEOs to help them increase productivity in their teams. In our first meeting we spent nearly 90 minutes just working through what she loved about her work – what motivated and drove her forward.
We went through everything, even going back to her childhood, to find all the things that have been life changing for her and that served as her source of inspiration.
I think of this work as being like an onion – we pull back all the layers to get right back to the creative state that really is the fount of inspiration for each individual’s practice. It’s like a spring of water right under the surface that we need to tap into to get into the creative space. And the reason we could do this is because she was already commercial. Her business was keeping a roof over her head, she was paying the bills and was seeing some growth. So now she was able to work to really tap into her creative state.
It's important to recognise that all your creativity does not have to be business related. When you’re in your creative state you may find yourself doing other kinds of creating. I often write just for the sheer pleasure of it. This is great. And you shouldn’t try to limit yourself to business-related work or this might hold you back from getting into the creative state. But you have to be at a certain stage in your growth where you can do this – otherwise you still just need to be focusing on the commercial work.
You don’t think you’re very creative
I spent my entire childhood thinking that I wasn’t very creative. In fact, I used to say that ‘I didn’t get the creative gene’, and over the years that became my story. My sister was the artistic one, and could paint and draw beautifully, while I was focused on languages and sciences like English, French and maths.
I’m not the only one. Research shows that about 75% of people don’t believe they’re living up to their creative potential. But we all have creative genius inside of us. We just have to revamp what we think of as creative work. For example, modeling is a very creative process. Your stories and metaphors are also creative work. And the solutions that you’re conceptualising for your clients’ problems – creative work too!
Benefits of getting into the creative state
You’ll become more prolific
You’ll get better ideas
You’ll have better solutions
You’ll have a larger volume of ideas to choose from
You’ll find your voice and recognise you have more to say
You’ll see more opportunities
On the other hand, if you aren’t able to get into a creative state:
You might not grow
Your ideas will get stale
You have no new solutions to help people
You lose relevance because you have nothing to contribute or say
What do you do to get into your own creative space? What benefits do you see? I’d love to know your thoughts….