Quit Killing Creativity — Take Your Crayons Back

This post is inspired by the following quote from How to be Creative by Hugh Mac Leod

Naturally you ask yourself, if and when you finally come up with The Big Idea, after years of toil, struggle and doubt, how do you know whether or not it is “The One?” Answer: You donʼt. Thereʼs no glorious swelling of existential triumph. Thatʼs not what happens. All you get is this rather kvetchy voice inside you that seems to say, “This is totally stupid. This is utterly moronic. This is a complete waste of time. Iʼm going to do it anyway.” And you go do it anyway…Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with books on algebra etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, “Iʼd like my crayons back, please.”

You know what? First of all, I’m mad at the public school system for taking our crayons! But this post is not about modern day education. I’ve got plenty of posts like that already.

This post is about being ballsy.

Being creative is scary, man. If you disagree with that statement, you’re not creative. To be creative is to be different and to be different is to be an outcast and to be an outcast is to risk having no friends and to have no friends is to be uncool and to be uncool is to be a loser and to be a loser is to go nowhere in life and to go nowher — STOP. STOP THIS VICIOUS CYCLE OF WEAK, UNBRAVE SELF DOUBT. Maybe you are weird as hell. I know I am. But once upon a time I embraced my differentness, and I’m happier because of it.

Don’t be afraid of your ideas.

I know once upon a time a teacher told you what to learn, and society told you how to act, and your self-doubt told you to ignore your creative ideas, but I’m telling you that if you do those things, you’re gonna lose your spark. You’ve got to embrace your ideas. Take your crayons back and start on that website you’ve been wanting to start on. Take your crayons back and write that book you’ve been wanting to write. Take your crayons back and scribble all over the people telling you to be normal, and have normal ideas. Take your crayons back and do not be ashamed of your creativity.

Email me at dianazitting@gmail.com to tell me a creative idea you’ve had. I’ll tell you about a few of my own. We’ll celebrate our weirdness. I’d love to chat and help however I can.

Originally published at dianazitting.com on December 11, 2015.