Creativity is a Habit
American choreographer Twyla Tharp once said that “creativity is a habit.” Many non-creatives believe the opposite. That creativity is something the muses just drop in front of us is an overly romantic notion many hope is true. Stories of authors creating novels in a ravenous flurry or artists producing entire albums over the course of two weeks do pop up throughout artistic history. However, they are few and far between. For the most part, it is the artists who make creativity a habit that produce our finest works.
Pablo Picasso is one artist whose prolific artistic practices served him well. Throughout his life Picasso produced 50,000 artistic works comprising thousands of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and drawings. The sheer quantity of works is astronomical. Not every work is recognized as a master piece; however, over time, several pieces were denoted as such: 1907’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and 1937’s Guernica are two such works. In the thirty years between these pieces, Picasso experimented with medium and style and created a treasure trove of work that is considered among the best in the western cannon. Quantity is an obvious side affect of creative habit. But, so too is quality.
The music industry is inclined toward similar notions of creative habit. Published writers are in so many sessions that they end the year with 200 new songs in their catalogues. Producers will spend tens of hours pouring over a single track to fine tune the sounds. Performers in the 21st century have longer and longer tours playing 100's of shows over the course of year. The greatest among us live the idea that creativity is a habit.
We can look toward both Mozart and Prince as prolific creators who treated their art as a daily practice. Mozart's incredible output of over 600 works showcases the power of cultivating creativity as a habit. Hundreds of years after his heyday, his music is treated as near religious text by the music community. Similarly, Prince, known for his innovation and musical prowess, was dedicated to his craft, spending countless hours in the studio refining his sound. It is widely known that Prince has a vault of completely produced unreleased albums and music videos. In order to get to his best material, he created regularly and earnestly.
When creativity becomes a daily exercise your font of inspiration multiplies. You’ll have more ideas to tackle and a greater ability to bring them into fruition. I encourage all of you to create as much as possible. Create as a habit and then create with abandon. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll even eclipse Picasso in his prolificness!
