January 6

When was the last time you made something that wasn’t going to be judged, poked, prodded, tweaked, and implemented by someone else? Something that you weren’t trying to squeeze into a budget or certain time frame? Something that wasn’t on demand?

An easy trap to fall into as a talented creative professional is only doing work for other people. Many creative pros get into their line of work because they love the nature of the work and soon realize that they are only doing work that is on demand. When this happens, it can drain much of the joy out of your experience of practicing your craft.

I encourage you to have some kind of “back burner creating” in your life. This is work that you do on your own time, with no pressure from others, and that no one but you will ever see. This kind of work allows you to take risks you may not otherwise be comfortable taking, experiment, stretch, and grow in your skills. It allows you to practice being creative without the eyes of the world (or your manager!) on you 24/7.

Build some time in your life this week to make something for yourself.

Why?

Because you should also create for yourself, not just for others.

Question:

What will you create for yourself this week? When will you do it, or how will you make the time?