#253:Life is a creative act

Founders are artists.

It’s 9am and I’m at my desk. 

I’ve had a shower, stretched, meditated, had breakfast and been for a walk. 

I’m sitting at my desk with a steaming mug of peppermint tea. I light a candle. 

The green of my neighbours garden fills the window. It’s a grey day. 

I open my laptop, click scrivener, my writing application of choice. 

I create a new page with today’s date. I start to write. 

This is called Morning Pages. I take a deep breath in, exhale and feel my feet on the floor. 

I look out the window again, a moment of stillness before I tap away. 

I start writing. I don’t even know what about, I never read them back. How I’m feeling, possibly a dream I had, my to-do list, my fears, anxieties. My thoughts jangle onto the page like coins from a jar, I see them all. Some are interesting and require more investigation, maybe tomorrow, some fall away un-noticed. 

When I’m done, when I’ve got nothing else to say. I write my to-do list. With a pen. Today’s date, “To do” and then I note down all the things I want to do today. I try and actively think, what’s important? What actually matters? What’s new?

There’s usually some standard day-to-day tasks that I do most days, but I try and write them last. What comes first, is the creative tasks. Today, “make sponsorship packages for The Knot”

I’ve never made a sponsorship package before, The Knot has never had sponsorship packages before. In fact, it’s unlikely that anybody has ever written down “make sponsorship packages for The Knot” and made them - it’s a completely novel and creative act. That’s what I’m looking for. 

Then, I’m back writing again. I start every day by writing an entry in my book “Jack the Lad”. I’m on my second draft. I’ve learned to start my days doing the things I want to do. The whole notion of “do the hardest thing first” doesn’t work for me, I do the most fun thing first and start my day with a smile. Although this is probably the hardest thing as well, I’ve never written a fiction book before. 

Now, my day begins. 

Maybe a meeting, a call, probably some emails. I drift in and out of focus, in between accidental distractions on social media and trips to the loo or kitchen for a drink. 

At some point I’ll probably find myself on canva, making a design or a logo. Almost always I’ll be writing something new. These days, I’m on Substack, understanding what can be done on that platform.

I can’t play a musical instrument. Canva, Linkedin, Capcut, Instagram, Substack - these are my instruments of choice.

The work gets done. I diligently cross items off my to-do list. I add new ones. Every now and again a creative spark will hit me and I’ll spend 2 hours working on something that was nowhere near my to-do list.

Not every day starts with such discipline, but I’m trying. 

Every day is creative.

Even in meetings, with real humans, we’re making something. Forming an idea ,together. I might be sharing what I’ve worked on - they’ve reached out with a thought. Now the creative process isn’t isolated to me behind my desk, it’s me and the other person. Sometimes we connect, sometimes we don’t. We’re riffing in the studio, no guitars - usually, phones, laptops, coffee.  

These acts. These tasks. This is my practice. This is my art. 

If I were a musician. I’d be writing music, creating album artwork, practicing, recording, performing. 

If I were a painter. I’d be setting up my canvas, painting, cleaning my brushes, adding brushstrokes, scrubbing stuff out. 

I’m not a musician or a painter. I’m kind of a writer, but not fully. Labels are hard, but I’m most closely classified as a founder.

When I look at what I do every day, I feel like an artist. I feel like a creative. 

I believe most founders are artists. Maybe most artists are founders too? 

Founders are creatives and our art-form is businesses. We create brands, communities, products or services that make people feel a certain way. 

All business exist to serve a purpose, to solve a problem, provide a service - all to improve someones life - all to make someone feel something - always to have some sort of valuable impact. 

And that’s all subjective. We believe some art is ugly, some is beautiful. All businesses and startups are the same. 

When I view myself in this creative way it helps me make sense of the messy and uncertain process that is, creating something new.

I believe many founders are artists, yet they don’t know it. They’ve lost contact with their creative source. 

We’re all creators. We create, every day. We create moments, interactions, conversations. Everything we do, is a creative act. Every moment is new ground, even if it feels like the mundane yesterday. 

How many of us feel like this? I’m not sure.

Life is a creative act.

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Book recommendation:
Rick Rubin - The Creative Act: A Way of Being.

If this newsletter resonates, read and listen to everything he has ever said.

If you’re a founder who wants to be more creative and my writing resonates, reach out. I like helping founders express themselves.