Why You Aren’t Creative and What To Do About It
Take the first step
I’ve been pursuing more creative endeavors for the first time these past two years. I gave up a lucrative job to be a stay-at-home dad, hoping to make some money on the side in my “free time.” Which, as anyone with children knows, is basically never unless you don’t need to sleep yourself.
Needless to say, these past two years have been tough. Finding my “niche.” Exploring new mediums like video and photography. Failing time and again to gain traction and attract an audience that found value in my work.
There have been lots of crickets, including with this newsletter.
I’ve learned some hard truths—despite having some success writing about law and politics (true passions of mine), few people care what anyone has to say if they don’t have some preexisting authority like a big role in government or the political world. Sure, some build an audience organically, but they typically live on Twitter/X all day, ready to comment whenever news breaks.
I don’t have that kind of time.
I also don’t care to always stay in one partisan lane. Sometimes Democrats are misguided, oftentimes Republicans are anti-democratic. The internet is not kind to a centrist who advocates for capitalism with reasonable constraints.
If you don’t play for one extreme side or the other online, you play for nobody.
Still, I have asked myself: are my ideas not creative enough? Am I not original or profound enough in my thinking and writing?
The same questions have haunted me when making YouTube videos for my lifestyle and travel channel.
Was there no compelling story in that last video? Is that why only a handful of people watched it?
Was I not being creative?
Recently I understood why I didn’t consider myself creative. Why I wasn’t satisfied with my work. Why I was mentally torturing myself on what to write, what video to shoot, and what to ultimately create.
I had never permitted myself to be creative
As a writer, I was holding back from using my voice. As a novice filmmaker, I was holding back from using video to tell my own stories.
Political writing is an art. Far too often I was reporting the news. It wasn’t original. It was drab. Uninspiring.
My first few YouTube videos were hotel reviews and basic listicles. When I watch them now I cringe at their soulless, wandering scripts and haphazard narrative arcs.
Some may have found value in these creations, but they stood no chance of generating mass appeal. Lost to the ether and crowded dustbin of the internet.
I first needed to permit myself to be creative. To develop my own voice. To give my own perspective in anything I create.
Inspired by others, but never dictated by others.
As someone who has lived a conventional life up until two years ago, almost everything I ever created was dictated by someone.
My parents.
My teachers and professors.
My bosses.
So when I found myself in a world with no instructions, I was like a ship captain without maps or GPS. And I had never learned to navigate by reading the stars myself.
I needed to permit myself to try. Then I needed (and still need) to find my unique course.
Any successful creative is unique
If a creator does not have a specific niche, they at least have a worldview their audience identifies as uniquely theirs. They also give some unique form of value to their audience.
Whether it’s entertainment, education, information, or some combination.
They aren’t selfish. They don’t create for themselves. They create with their audience in mind.
What do people need? What will make their lives better? What will solve their problems?
Some of their problems, at least.
I’ve learned this by studying some of the biggest creators on YouTube and some of the best writers online. I detailed some of these lessons in this piece I wrote after hitting one year on YouTube.
First, permission. Second, developing a unique form of expression.
Consistency is crucial
I’ve consistently written this newsletter for some time. If you’ve been a longtime reader though, you probably know how all over the place it’s been.
That’s my brain.
It zings and zaps in a million different directions. Simply put: too many things interest me and I cannot settle on one thing alone.
So I could tell you that I will plan to focus only on one thing with this newsletter moving forward, but I would probably break that approach in a few weeks.
Unwavering and consistent focus is a superpower. If you know what you like. If you know what makes you tick. And if you’re willing to go to insane lengths to be the best at whatever that thing is. Then guess what? You’re going to be very successful.
So while you - or I - may be creative, if we’re not consistently on brand, nobody will care. Or they’ll just be confused even if the creation is great.
Why is Picasso playing the guitar?
Consistency in a creative pursuit is so incredibly difficult. Not only because it’s hard to stay on brand all the time, but because it’s oftentimes hard to force creativity when it’s not there.
That’s why the best creatives are the most disciplined creatives. They treat their craft like a real job. They always show up. They punch their time card, give it their all, and punch out at the end of the day feeling satisfied.
As with many things, consistency can make or break you. Fitness. Diets. Lifestyle choices.
Humans naturally crave routine.
So if you’re feeling you’re not being creative, take the first step and stay consistent, one day at a time.
Take the first step
Put your art out into the world. I know many people want to create for themselves and that makes them content. Perfectly fine, of course.
But for those who want to inspire, help, and/or share with the world, I would encourage you to take that first step. Hit publish. Press record.
You never know who you might impact.
For example, I wrote a short essay after my died passed away this past year. The last 7 months have been some of the hardest of my life, but I do best when I’m working. When I have a mission. When I’m creating.
So I wrote this article, primarily for myself - to help my grieving process - but I decided to share it with the world because everyone loses a loved one at some point. If you live long enough, it’s inevitable.
The feedback was incredible. It made me so happy to hear that people found some value in my writing. Here are a few examples:
You never know who you might impact with your work.
So if you’re feeling like you are not creative or you’re in a creative dry spell, first permit yourself to be creative. Just start typing, writing, filming, painting, cooking, whatever it may be. Just start. Don’t think.
Come inspired by others, but with your own unique voice and perspective.
Hit publish.
I can’t tell you what the future holds for this newsletter, but as of now, I plan to write more on life topics with some politics, philosophy, books, and other items of interest sprinkled in.
Because, well, I simply can’t help myself.
What I can promise, however, is a concerted effort to give you my unfiltered, original, and authentic take.
Hopefully, it will add some value to your life.
For more of my writing, see polispandit.com and medium.com/@johnny-p. For videos, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
Thank you for supporting my work!