The joy of creativity is in the process.
Doing something again and again, with no guarantee that people are going to like the end product.
And doing it some more anyway, regardless of the end result.
Trying new things, testing the boundaries.
There is no end.
Magic eventually happens.
Doesn't matter whether it's music, writing, acting, painting, sculpting, architecture, designing websites, or testing business workflows. It's all creative practice.
But...
Creativity struggles in a world that worships outcomes.
School doesn't grade students based on the effort or thought processes involved. School grades students based on whether they got the right answers. Whether they followed the instructions.
A board of directors throws a parade if the bottom line has met its targets. It doesn't matter if half of the employees were mistreated to get there.
When judges select the next American Idol, they only see the product in the form of an audition.
It all sounds so limiting, doesn't it?
Let me give you an analogy.
Learning to juggle.
If you focus on the dropped balls, the outcomes, you aren't going to learn to juggle.
But, if you enjoy the practice...the journey to get there...then things become so much more interesting. A world of possibility.
Throwing one ball in one hand 15 times.
Throwing that ball in the other hand 15 times.
Throwing it from hand to hand 15 times.
Adding a second ball. Throw-throw, catch-catch.
Sounds much more fun than focusing on every dropped ball, right?
Learning music can be the same. As can writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, or anything you can imagine.
The beauty lies in the day-to-day. The adjustments and the experimenting. All without being very attached to the outcome, because the process is where the fun is.
But, it starts with making a decision.
A decision to cast aside outcomes and focus on the joy of the process.
So, which are you going to choose today?