Creativity Isn't a Gift — It's a Practice

Written by Joy Bliss

Creativity is as much a practice as it is a talent.

One of my favorite things is talking with people about their creative process. I love hearing why they make art, where they feel most at ease creating, what they gain from the act of making, what helps them connect to creativity and enter that much sought after flow state, and what helps them move through creative ruts.

I enjoy these conversations with established artists who have built studios and art businesses just as much as I do with a new student picking up a paintbrush for the first time in years. Every conversation is different, and I always walk away having learned something.

What continues to surprise me is how many paths there are to the top of Mount Creativity.

One of my biggest takeaways is this: while creating with intention and focus is important, creating through play and exploration matters just as much. These things do not always happen at the same time.

When I feel stuck, frustrated, or uninspired by a work in progress, I try not to force my way through it. Instead, I switch gears and do something creatively adjacent. I might draw in charcoal, knit, weave, fold origami, cut origami, or simply make something without expectations attached to it.

When we are wound tight and waiting for brilliance to appear on demand, it can be a huge ask of ourselves to suddenly produce meaningful work. Sometimes all we need is to pull gently on the creative thread instead of demanding that it unravel all at once.

In a world of social media and AI generated imagery, it has become easier than ever to feel discouraged by our own attempts at creativity. We see videos of paintings coming together in minutes or seconds. They are beautiful and inspiring to watch, but they rarely show the full picture.

They leave out the frustrating parts. The awkward stages most paintings move through. The long stretches spent staring at the canvas planning the next move. The artwork that gets turned toward the wall for a month, or four, before the artist feels ready to return to it.

Creating is a process that looks different for every person and often different each time we begin something new.

Creativity, to me, feels a lot like water.

Sometimes it is a river and we are carried effortlessly in its current. Sometimes our emotions are the river and creativity becomes the rudder helping us navigate through life. Other times creativity feels like well water buried deep beneath layers of ourselves, requiring patience, courage, and persistence to reach.

And sometimes it feels like rain. Fleeting, intermittent, arriving unexpectedly.

But even when it feels absent, creativity has not disappeared. Creativity is as much a practice as it is a talent.

It helps to remember that creativity is not reserved for artists or people who consider themselves naturally talented. It is something we practice. Something we return to. Something we make space for.

The goal is not always to make something brilliant.

Sometimes the goal is simply to begin.