The Pressure to Create Isn't Creative
Last week, I wrote about the concept of pressure, exploring how we often misinterpret it and create an anxiety loop between our mind and body, pushing us to constantly "do." Today, I want to expand on this idea by examining the balance between work & creation —both are equally important, and finding harmony between them is key to personal and professional growth.
We often find ourselves perpetually in motion, always doing something. The challenge lies in discerning when to act and when to be still, creating a harmonious rhythm that fosters growth. But how do we achieve this balance?
This is why many burnout, because they think they are being creative when in actual fact they are working.
The Liberating Realization: "I Don’t Want to Work"
Recently, I had a revelation that profoundly impacted my perspective on work. I found myself saying, "I don’t want to work." This wasn't just a fleeting sentiment for that particular day—it was a statement about my entire life. Whereas before whenever I felt that urge to say “I have no desire to go and work” I felt immediate judgment that’s akin to a father saying “In life, you have to do things you don’t want to do”.
I fantasized about being born into a wealthy family, free to lounge about and engage in whatever activities I felt like at the moment, never forced to do something out of obligation. This aversion to traditional work led me to question the very nature of work itself.
Image Credit: Marc Szeglat with my creative spin :)
Rethinking Work and Creativity
Is it the word "work" and its societal connotations that create such resistance, or is it the framework within which work operates? By conventional standards, I haven't "worked" in the past ten months. I've been unemployed, yet incredibly productive. Did I earn money from my activities? Occasionally. But the intrinsic motivation and creativity driving my actions didn't feel like work.
In these months of not working, I experienced a blend of survival pressure and creative pressure. I allowed these forces to guide me naturally, showing up in ways that benefited my business and personal life.
There is natural pressure to express but the pressure to create is actually pressure to doing - to work.
Escaping Work Through Purpose
This experience led me to ponder whether the widespread search for purpose stems from a collective desire to escape work, but then adopting the working way that feels exhausting still. Is our drive to find purpose fueled by a resistance to work? Can this resistance propel us toward pure creation, or does genuine creation require a selfless, intrinsic motivation?
The Distinction Between Working and Creating
We all have a notion of what work feels, looks, smells, and tastes like. But what about creativity? Do you consider yourself creative? Reflecting on my past, I didn't initially see myself as creative, which is funny because I’ve been a dancer since the age of four. But I viewed my dancing as following choreography - and I followed it so well that we won Swiss & World championships with it. But I didn’t choreograph the dances back then.
In 2017 I got into the startup world - but for work. To understand the mechanisms of startup land: talking to customers, solving a problem, building an MVP, go to market strategy etc.
It didn’t feel creative at all - until it did.
It struck me that creativity emerges when you allow your strategies and actions to flow from nothingsness, rather than merely replicating others' methods. Following a pre-defined strategy might get the job done, but it doesn't spark true creativity.
There is natural pressure to express but the pressure to create is actually pressure to doing - to work. This is why many burnout, because they think they are being creative when in actual fact they are working.
Image Credit: Tim Johnson with my creative spin :)
Balancing Strategy and Creativity
How often do you get to be creative in your work, business, or life? While creativity isn't necessary all the time, there's an ebb and flow. It's essential to recognize if you're skewed towards the side of strategy and work, and find ways to integrate creativity and play!
Some Call It Flow State
After years of choreographed dancing, I yearned to move freely, guided by the music without premeditated steps. This creative flow is one of the most exhilarating experiences. Not knowing how my body will move in the moment but I can trust i’ve had enough training and bodycontrol that whatever will come out will be the natural thing.
Similarly, in life and business, we must find moments to move in flow, trusting our instincts and training to guide us.
Effortless Creativity in Practice
A very special soul connection of mine is a Producer & Creative Director, it’s his title. He exemplifies this balance beautifully. He operates within a structured framework that allows him the freedom to be incredibly creative. His methodical approach ensures that while he is working, he is also nurturing his creativity.
The end results, that we label as being creative is actually an outcome from the structured framework that he has in place to guide him through the creative journeying. Never too lost or too boxed in.
Image Credit: Buzz Andersen with my creative spin :)
No Failure In Creation
Failure doesn’t exist - it’s part of the natural process. There are so many unreleased songs, paintings & dances that have never seen the light of day. So many product features, programs and online courses that have never been exposed to people. Not everything that has been created needs to be out in the world for it to be “of value”. It’s a stepping stone, a method, a whisper that gets to indirectly affect creations that get to be experienced by others someday.
Children create all the time: We call it playing and these kids explore endlessly, unaware of the process of creation. They don’t even know they are creating or how - otherwise we’d have kids writing motivational LiknedIn posts, but all they are doing is playing.
As adults, we can learn from this uninhibited approach.
The Only Strategy You Need
The key strategy is to discern when to harness the energy of working and when to embrace the pressure to create. Establish structures that support your work, allowing you the freedom to be fully creative without the burden of forced creativity.