1. They have a routine.

Effective creatives make routines a part of their life.

Routines keep people responsible.

Think differently about routine. It doesn’t have to mean you get up at 6am each day and read the Bible for 30 minutes then pray for 30 minutes then work out for 30 minutes then drink a green smoothie for 15 minutes then stretch for 15 minutes.

Your routine could simply be each morning you read your Bible, pray and workout. You don’t have to do it the same way everyday. You just need to do it.

The DO is more important than the HOW.

You need a routine of constantly learning. That could mean reading articles or books or listening to podcasts or watching You Tube videos. When you do it or how you do it isn’t what’s important. What’s important is that you have a routine of learning.

Having a routine lowers your stress levels and makes decisions easier. This will give you more time to relax and focus on things you enjoy.

2. They set timelines.

Any effective creator needs timelines to be successful. A timeline holds you accountable to the work.

Sometimes in work environments your employer may set the timelines, but if you’re a freelance creator (which could mean graphic designers, musicians, videographers, speakers, writers, etc.) you have to give yourself a deadline. If you’re writing a song pick an end date that you want it completed. If you don’t you will spend hours and hours trying to perfect it.

Remember, done is often better than well done.

When I go back and read some of the blogs I write on here I wonder why didn’t I change this or that, but the reality is if I wouldn’t have hit publish I would be constantly trying to perfect these blogs instead of sharing them.

No matter what you’re working on if it is a one off project like a graphic or video or even a long term project like a website rebuild you have to set timelines. Sometimes it’s best to put the end date of when you need the final product done and then work backwards to set timelines of the benchmarks you need to hit along the way to complete the project.

3. They maintain good personal relationships.

My background is in college basketball coaching so I’ve always worked with a team. Often in the creative world creatives end up working and creating in silos because it’s more effective and often times produces better work.

Although that may work for your job it doesn’t work for your life.

It’s so easy to get caught up in your work and not maintain personal relationships with friends and family. You have to be intentional to reach out and initiate those relationships instead of waiting for people to invite you into them.

Being with people helps develop your creativity and even deepens your empathy for people which allows you to create with a different perspective. Also, maintaining relationships are a great source of life and encouragement. It’s refreshing and rewarding. No matter how tired you are at the end of the day when you think you just want to go home and turn on Netflix make a decision to go and spend time with people over dinner or coffee instead.

Netflix can’t refresh you, but people can.

It’s work to maintain relationships over a long time, but it’s worth it.

4. They create white space.

I live 3 minutes from Central Park and so each morning I try and go on a walk in the park (except when it’s freezing outside.) This is a great place for me to charge for the day and clear my head. I get some of my best ideas on these walks. I have to build that white space into my calendar or it won’t happen. For you it may be just scheduling a thirty minute block on your calendar in the afternoon to play on the internet. Maybe you’re just googling things that interest you or reading something that interest you.

Many of us are addicted to being busy. White space allows your busy brain to rest.

In this white space where we think we’re doing nothing and not being productive, often times that’s where the magic happens. That’s when we get the good idea. Or that’s when we hear from God.

Often I find when I create white space for a walk and I’m thinking of nothing something will come to my mind that I had completely forgotten about and I will immediately connect it to a different problem I’m trying to solve or a different situation.

That’s what creativity is, it’s connecting all of the seemingly meaningless activities and ideas in our mind and lives and creating something beautiful out of it. That can happen in the white space.

5. They pay attention to mental health.

Over the last few years mental health has taken it’s rightful place in society as a real problem. Unfortunately more creatives than those who would care to admit it have suffered from some type of mental health issue. It could be depression, anxiety, an eating disorder or something even more severe. Or for some of us like myself it could be OCD kicking in at work or in other areas of my life.

Just because you may have symptoms of mental health it doesn’t mean you’re messed up or you need to take a leave of absense of work but you do need to pay attention to it and be aware of it.

Depending on your symptoms you should take the appropriate action. For some of you it may be as simple as telling a coworker hey I’m extra sensitive today and I’m not sure why but will you pray for me? Or it could be talking to your pastor or boss and saying I’m having these symptoms of depression and I know I need to spend more time exercising or hanging out with people will you hold me accountable to that? For some of you it means you need to go see a counselor or doctor.

There’s no one size fits all prescription for mental health. But the bottom line is it’s real and you need to pay attention to it.

6. They are curious.

The most creative people are the most curious people. Some of Leonardo Davinci’s hobbies included nature, mechanics, anatomy, physics, architecture, and weaponry. He even studied aviation at one time and talked about the possibly of air travel. 

If you want new ideas and inspiration be curious about everything. There’s stories and ideas all around us if we pay attention. The most curious people I know are also the best question askers I know. And often they are great listeners as well. Curious people often say “I don’t know. Can you help me?” When you do that you are opening yourself up to learn and grow.

Curious people also are always in the moment. When they talk to the doorman in a building or a waiter at a restaurant they talk and engage with them with a genuine curiosity to learn from that person and that moment. They’re not thinking of what’s coming next or what they have to do later.

Pick your head up from your phone and look at the people you walk by on the streets. Look at systems in department stores or banks or restaurants or wherever you are. And then ask questions why is that logo like that? Why do the workers say that instead of this? Why does this restaurant use QR codes for the menu but that one still uses paper menus?

The more curious you are, the more creative you will become.