Bridget McNulty

When is the last time you did something creative…

// November 10th, 2008 // Life (and the living of it), Time, Writing

… just for the hell of it? Not to create something specific, or to make money, or to prove you know how to do it, but just for the joy of creating?

I speak about this a lot with my friends – about the pressure of creating. Especially when you’re in a creative field, as I am. Sometimes I feel that if I’ve been writing all day, then I’ve fulfilled my creative quota. But unless the writing is free and open and not work- or novel-related, it’s actually not that pure, delicious form of creativity. And the problem is that once you get out of touch with that creative deliciousness, it’s very difficult to train yourself to get back into it.

So I have a challenge for you! This week, create something just for the hell of it. Buy some crayons and draw a picture (no matter how bad – I still draw like a six-year-old!) Cook a really beautiful meal, for no reason other than the pleasure of it. Try your hand at patchwork. Experiment with twenty minutes of free writing – just getting words down on the page. Paint! Whatever it is that unblocks that core of overflowing creativity in you, give it some time to breathe, and live, and explore. I guarantee you’ll feel better!

As for me, I’m going to rediscover the joy of random writing – crazy characters who pop in and out for a few brief paragraphs. I’m also going to hunt out that box of crayons I have lying around somewhere, and see if the six-year-old Bridget inside me doesn’t feel like drawing something… Happy creating, everyone!