Are the details of your post-pandemic life taking a little more effort than you thought they would? You could be thinking, I thought I’d get a one and done download. What’s taking so long?!
Here’s a secret creative people live but rarely share: Iterating is not only part of the creative process—it’s essential. But don’t panic! The good news is that imagination isn’t limited to a single session. There are more ideas right behind your initial breakthrough. As Maya Angelou famously said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Pushing past your a-ha moment can be painstaking and exasperating. However, shift feeling stuck by thinking of your progression the way jewels are made. After mining, gems must be tumbled to remove dirt and other impurities. With the right amount of diligence and attention, the gem transforms from a raw stone into a beautiful jewel. Your post-pandemic life is undergoing the same transformation.
Let me tell you how a popular songwriter learned that refining a masterpiece is an investment worth making.
Country singer Vince Gill was excited to show his wife his latest track. A master guitarist, Vince had followed his instincts that this song was better suited to the piano. He plucked out a chart, choosing each chord with care.
Amy Grant listened thoughtfully to his heartfelt lyric in “When My Amy Prays,” dedicated to her. She gave Vince a smile as he looked up from the keyboard. And then the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter suggested that the third verse needed a little work!
Luckily, Vince laughs as he tells the story. Even though he’s won dozens of music industry awards, he’s modest enough to admit that she was right. Looking back at his evolution as an artist, he says, “You learn the value of patience. You learn the value of not taking the first thing you think of as to be the greatest thing that’s ever been written. You have to work it. You have to milk it. You have to see it. You have to say, ‘This could be better.’ I still have ways to get better—to sing better, play better, and write better.”
In the June series, Five Lessons to Prime Your Creativity, we’re looking at important learnings from creative people and how you can make those lessons personal. Vince Gill’s story shows that forcing your first idea just because it’s the first is a misuse of creative energy. The better option is to combine creativity with the soft skill of healthy self-esteem.
Healthy self-esteem has a wider span than confidence—it also includes humility and courage. So, the next time you hit a creativity roadblock, maintain your self-esteem by replacing the thought of I’m terrible with After a second look, this idea needs more work!
With a little refining, your post-pandemic life can be a masterpiece. Here are three ways to practice:
In the past, you may have felt you failed if everything didn’t come in an instant. But don’t let that concept be the boss of you. Contrary to what you may have heard, being creative isn’t a straight-line equation of “Get a download–>instantly hit publish–>then move on to your next brilliant download.”
Refining is a natural and necessary step of the creative process. So, take your gem of an idea and keep polishing it until you turn it into a priceless jewel. Prime your creativity by pushing past the download.