Should Creativity Be Enjoyable (or Easy)?

The best thing I did for my creative practice was stop forcing it.

I’m going to answer that question straight off. I think creativity should be enjoyable, and while I won’t go so far as to say I think it should be easy, I don’t think it has to be hard. Not only that, I want creativity to be fun. Not all the time, not every single minute, but for the most part.

I didn’t used to think this way. I believed I was compelled to do creative work – in my case, writing – whether I enjoyed it or not because I’m a born writer. For years I didn’t actually enjoy writing very much. What I enjoyed was the idea of myself as a writer. But not the actual writing. Sometimes, on rare occasions, it would all come together and the writing would flow, but mostly I just felt relieved when a writing session was over. I’d been a “good” writer and done my work.

Things couldn’t be more different for me now. I enjoy writing – well, most of the time anyway! – I’m producing more than ever before, and most importantly, being creative brings me joy on a daily basis. I love the work of being creative now, not just the idea of it. I no longer have to rely on the concept of myself-as-writer to feel good about my writing. I feel good about it because I feel good doing it. So what changed for me?

I stopped trying so hard. I gave up the struggle. I realized that forcing things was working against me because it made writing joyless. Which made me not want to write. Which made me try to force things. And through all of this my writing became increasingly lifeless. It wasn’t creative work anymore, it was just work.

We live in a culture that glorifies struggle. If it’s not hard, it’s not worth it. Relationships, jobs, success…we expect everything to be really hard, and often it is. But I made an important discovery about myself. I don’t want things to be hard. I got tired, y’all. Burned out. I was ready for some easy. And if that meant I had to give up on trying to be a writer, so be it. Except something amazing happened. The less I forced myself, the more I felt drawn to writing. And the more I insisted it start to be easier, the easier it got. I realized that the thing that was making it so hard all the time was me. I had all these expectations and insecurities bound up in my creative process. Once I decided that writing wasn’t worth it anymore if it was going to feel bad, and became willing to give it up if I couldn’t find a way to enjoy it, that’s when it all changed for me. I realized it didn’t have to be hard. Challenging, sure, but challenges are fun. That’s different from hard.

When I started feeling that urge to start writing again, I knew I’d have to be careful or I’d be right back where I started. I’d burn out again. I decided that never again would I allow things to get that hard. If I am struggling to the point of having to force it, that’s a sign that I need to back off, take a new direction or take a break. I have relied on that rule since then to guide me. I never force things. Sometimes there’s resistance, and I usually work through that, but if I start to feel significant anxiety or despair, I stop right there. A hard stop. Even if it means I don’t write. Even if it means I get really lazy about it for a while.

The reason this works is because creativity originates in our intuitive, subconscious mind. And when you are forcing things, you are using your rational, conscious mind. The rational mind likes to take control of your process and keep control, and you forcing things is like its fuel. The more you force, the harder it gleefully grips the reins. Your intuitive mind is a bit of a wallflower and will gladly let your rational mind hog all the space and all your attention. Eventually your intuitive mind fades so far into the background that you cease to interact with it in any creatively constructive way. That’s creative burnout.

It’s okay to want things to not be so hard, even to want them to be easy, and to be more fun! That doesn’t mean you’re not a serious artist or serious about your craft. It actually means you understand how your brain works. It’s pretty simple. When you enjoy an activity, that activates the dopamine connection, which motivates you to continue doing it even when you encounter resistance. Think of an exercise routine. You don’t always want to do it, but when you do, you feel great. If that ceases to be true, if you have to force it, drag yourself through it, if it becomes too hard, eventually you’ll quit because human beings only possess so much willpower. Much less than we think.

Sometimes the answer really is to stop pushing ourselves so hard. Sometimes the answer is to take some time to do nothing. Sometimes it’s even learning how to waste time on purpose. Counterintuitive practices such as these can have the effect of freeing your intuitive, creative mind and setting you back on track to be more productive than ever before.