Slowing Down and Being Creative in Modern Times

In our modern day world that encourages us to live fast-paced, it can be difficult to engage in creative activities. This poses an especially difficult task for artists and musicians. What does it take to be creative, and how do we allow ourselves the space for it? First, we must think about what creativity is and how we can incorporate it into our day-to-day lives.

[If you would like to watch a video on this concept instead, “Taking Time to Slow Down and Be Creative” is available on my YouTube channel and goes along with this blog post.]

What is creativity and how do we use it?

Creativity is a very human element surrounding the idea of using the imagination and deeper thinking to come up with new and valuable ideas. This not only applies to artists or musicians as anyone can use creativity to better their lives, their work, or their relationships. 

Scientists and engineers use a great deal of creativity to come up with new solutions to many problems and challenges they face. Teachers use creativity to come up with the best way to instruct their students and help them understand new topics in a way that they can comprehend. Writers and journalists must use creativity to clearly communicate a story that will capture their readers and that accurately portrays the information.You might use creativity to plan a get together for your friends and make it a special occasion that is meaningful to them. There are many situations where creativity comes into play.

How do we tap into our creativity? How is our modern day society affecting it?

In order to tap into your creativity, it requires time and the freedom to be with yourself. You must slow down and allow yourself to think deeply, ponder, and even daydream. Unfortunately, in our modern society where high productivity, constant communication, fast-paced work, and AI are present, it has become more difficult for people to use their creativity or to feel like they have the permission to do so. I am not saying that productivity is a bad way of living. Productivity and consistency in your habits and your work is important, but much of our society is promoting the wrong kind of productivity and lifestyle that leads to burnout and feeling unfulfilled. For artists, this is a dead end.

Because we live such fast-paced lives and value high productivity, there is a need for instant gratification and the amount of patience many people have left is dwindling. We feel as if we don’t have the time to be creative and to let ourselves just be in the moment. To meditate. To have fun and be playful. To put away our phones and to not look at our communications for an hour or two. To forest bathe or walk around the lake. To take that vacation time you need to reset. To go experience a 2 hour play. To learn a new activity you’ve always wanted to try. 

We are losing our playfulness and our imaginations. We cannot seem to quiet the chatter in our brains. For artists and musicians, it is crucial that we find a way to quiet this chatter and to not fall into the toxic high-productivity trap. What many people don’t realize is that you can change this lifestyle, get back to your human nature, and awaken your creativity again. The ironic thing is that when you allow yourself that time and give yourself the permission to be human and to be creative, you become MORE PRODUCTIVE. 

We are not meant to be machines or robots that are constantly working all the time. We require time to rejuvenate, time for breaks without our phones and interruptions, and time to process our thoughts and daydream. 

When we allow ourselves that time, we can start to think more clearly and do the deep work or create meaningful art that is focused and of high quality. We can regain our patience and confidence and fall in love with the process rather than focusing too much on the outcome and giving up. The truth is that we do not need more time. What we really need is the space and the lifestyle that consistently allows for creativity, deep thinking, and well-being in which we will be more productive and require in a way less time to do our work and be successful.

How can we change our lifestyle and habits to foster our creativity and well-being?

To change our lifestyle and allow ourselves to slow down, one of the first places to start is to get clear on what your life is like right now and what you want it to look like. 

For me, I was taking on typical jobs with set hours that were outside of music and I was not happy with. In my head it seemed logical. I could still make a living and then try to find the time outside of that to make my music and teach a few students. What I had to figure out was that my deep purpose and calling in life was not going to happen if I got too comfortable with staying at the day jobs I was unhappy with and if I kept up the bad habit of too much screen time, staying stuck, and not giving myself the permission to work on my art and be creative.

I convinced myself that I didn’t have enough time and that being creative or having a creative job was selfish and that maybe I wasn’t good enough. I lacked the proper clarity and boundaries that I needed to fulfill my creative time and work as a musician. That’s when I realized I needed to quit the day jobs that had a workplace that was toxic for me or that did not align with my values and I needed to rethink my routine and boundaries to allow creative time. 

I decided to apply for new jobs that fulfilled my musical calling. I took action by aiming to establish a simple morning routine that made me feel my best so I can start each day with clarity. I also made sure to leave some time for myself to recharge and think (especially if you are an introvert, this one is very important), I established clear boundaries between work and personal time, and I decided to keep it real with myself and be who I really am. This last one is a process that is never finished, but if you can be self aware and as authentic as possible, all of your decisions that you make in life will feel so much clearer and lighter. You won’t second guess yourself so much and you won’t be too afraid of taking risks and making mistakes. For artists, you must be at peace with the idea of risk taking and messing up, otherwise it is going to be a hard road and you will hinder your creativity and confidence.

With all the lessons I have learned so far in life and the changes I’ve made and I am continuing to make, I am now teaching more music lessons, freelancing, working on my Youtube channel, and blocking out time to work on my compositions and projects. I still hold a job outside of music, but it is part-time and does not drain my creativity and challenge my values like some of the past jobs I have worked. It has not been easy and sometimes I second guess myself and question how I will make things work out like I envision, but that’s when I have to remind myself to trust in the process and keep being creative. You cannot control how things will turn out, but you can control what actions you will take which will give you answers on where to go next.

If you give yourself permission and you show up consistently you will be more creative. You will resist falling into the high productivity trap that will ruin your art and creative practice, you will succeed. You do not have to be a starving artist or a part-time artist plus “insert alternative career here” your whole life if you do not wish to be.

Find Your Inspiration

There is an artist and writer that I have seen around Instagram and Youtube who has been vouching for artists and creatives and has been an inspiring voice for me. Her name is Amie McNee. If you need some more inspiration, go follow her work and read her  book “We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something”. I have yet to read the book, but she is an inspiration for artists and why it is so important to stay creative. She does not know who I am and she did not tell me to write this, I simply admire her and the outlook she has on life and creativity. I also have other forms of inspiration that I find in my family, friends, other musicians and music I discover, and books.

Your inspiration might look a little different. Maybe you can find it in an educational video on Youtube, articles, a movie you enjoyed, or maybe a simple interaction you have with a stranger on your way to work. You can find inspiration and purpose for your art and creativity in almost anything. Once you find that inspiration, do not let it dissipate with inaction. Use it to build up your courage and take action. Once you develop the courage and make changes to your lifestyle and habits, you will still be faced with creative challenges, but you will have more stability and hopefully be able to tackle those challenges efficiently and with resilience. 

Overcoming Creative Challenges

A new creative challenge I’ve had to face recently is figuring out how I want to run my YouTube channel. When I first started, I was just posting any video or short that displayed my skills and that might get me noticed as an artist. I don’t regret what I first posted because sometimes you just have to start with something and then you start to figure out the answers and what direction you want to take. 

I realized that even on my YouTube channel, I wasn’t showcasing my full self and sharing my original compositions, as that is my main calling as a musician. I was sharing short performances of old flute pieces and some improvisational videos. Those improvisations have still been a great experience for me, but if I wanted to promote authenticity on my channel, I needed to rethink my expectations. I needed to get clear on what I should be posting and how often I should post on YouTube to still allow for my creative process. I want to share my compositions and original music, arrangements, covers, and discussions that I am passionate about on YouTube.

If I really wanted to share myself playing a well-known classical flute piece, that’s great, but if I was doing it because I felt like I had to in order for my channel to be more successful, that wasn’t lining up with my goals and values. I needed to remind myself that I want to attract the right audience and that I shouldn’t be too concerned with the numbers and how many people care about my channel right now. If I want to be successful and foster creativity, I need to stay true to myself. I need to post the right videos that I think best showcases my artistry with the right timing that allows for my creative process to happen and to not be rushed. 

Whenever you are going through a creative challenge, take a moment to breathe and give yourself time to reflect. Remind yourself of your creative purpose, what you truly believe in, and what your values are. Periodically taking time to check in with yourself and reflect on who you are will always give you direction on what to do next or if you need to seek guidance from someone you trust.

Final Thoughts

Creativity is such a human element that takes time and deep thought. In our modern day world that encourages us to live fast-paced and give in to toxic high productivity and results, let’s have the courage to slow down and take the necessary time to be creative. 

Maybe you’ve been presented with some tough creative challenges lately or you have a story about how you learned to stay creative and avoid burnout as a modern artist. Please share it with other creatives and give each other the strength and wisdom to keep being creative.