Opening the Aperture
One creative thing. That is all.
An apple a day, take your vitamins, floss, exercise, create. As has long been known, a life of creative action - of ideas explored, passion pursued, and expression shared - is among the most significant investments anyone can make in their own health and happiness. A key challenge lies in the willingness to remain creative over time. Like consuming the recommended daily allowance of Omega-3s, being creative isn’t always easy. But the quest yields immeasurable rewards.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of balancing daily demands alongside the necessity of staying creatively engaged. And that investing in creativity for its own sake makes everything I do better. My approach is simple, time-honored, imminently doable: one creative thing each day. No excuses. Just select your category and run.
I’m not a professional creative. Not a painter or illustrator; neither do I cook (beyond breakfast and grilling), record music, or work at an advertising agency. My professional life has at times centered on creative expression though revolves mostly around strategy and get-it-done business decisions. Creative, sure; but not as an end unto itself. For this I turn to pictures.
Simple, at times provocative, and occasionally transcendent, photography has become the primary (though not exclusive) vehicle for my one creative thing. Beauty and theater previously captured only in memory or my mind’s eye have become raw material for a lifetime of photo-led stories. From first steps, airborne peas, and Lego collections to cityscapes and action shots, the world has never been so colorful.
Some days an opportunity for this one creative thing is obvious: I visit an interesting place, the kids dress as superheroes while playing soccer in the yard, the garden is in full bloom, the list goes on. And some days are no picnic: commute to the office, back-to-back-to-back meetings, drive home, and continue working into the night. The pursuit of a daily frame nonetheless remains. And in this pursuit I am the protagonist, narrator, editor, adventurer, chronicler.
Whatever your habitat, it’s action that exposes character and fuels creativity. In the words of Jack London, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.“ Luckily, cameras and keyboards are useful alternatives.
Write a story, shoot a video, jot an article, curate your collections, make animal pancakes, or perhaps simply take more photos. One thing, every day. All upside.
