Why your creativity needs a ritual
Letting go of rigid routines and vibing a little more magically
I think we’ve established by now that I’m no fan of rigid rules.
Creativity rarely flourishes within tight structures and processes. It craves freedom, flexibility and, sometimes, utter chaos. And yet, as is so often the case in life, there is a balancing force at work - in this case, it is that habit and regularity build creative muscles and aid the flow of ideas, whilst some form of structure provides a container in which our creativity can expand.
Some of you, I know, love routine. Doing the same thing on the same days in the same place with the same tools makes you feel secure and confident and rooted. It works for you. In which case, keep doing your thing. Set yourself a firm routine for your creative practice, and stick to it. (That doesn’t mean you can’t weave ritual into that routine - you might enjoy that and find it gives you a boost - so don’t leave just yet!)
However, many of you do not love routine. For some people, words like “regularity”, “habit” and “schedule” cause a tightness in the chest and a vague feeling of nausea. Routine can feel like a cage. Restrictive, limiting, spirit-crushing. Not an ideal environment for creativity or the act of creation.
Plus, whether we want routine or not, many of us simply cannot get it. Fluctuating health and energy, demands of caring responsibilities and no end of life demands come in and rip up that weekly planner we carefully fill out every Monday morning.
So, here is an alternative to routine: the ritual.
Whereas routines are rigid, and missing a day induces feelings of shame and failure, rituals are flexible. Routines are pressuring; rituals are joyful and uplifting. Routines contain us; rituals hold space for us.
Rituals are sensory experiences, which engage our bodies in the creative process, bringing us back fully into ourselves. Stimulating the senses helps us to tap into different parts of our brain and different ways of thinking and approaching creative projects. It can also be a comforting and encouraging experience.
Also, rituals feel magical. And that’s just fun. Fun is an underrated part of the creative act. We often start our creative habits because we enjoy them, but then start to treat them like a job, turning ourselves into harsh and demanding bosses, and suck all the fun out of the project. Having fun with our practice, though, allows our imaginations to come out to play. We come up with bigger, better ideas when we’re relaxed and enjoying ourselves. We’re also more likely to show up to our creative practice regularly and stick with a project if we’re getting the dopamine hit of pleasure that tells our brains this is something we want to do.
Creativity is a kind of magic. Conjuring worlds and people out of nothing. Transporting an audience through time and space. Eliciting emotions in people you may never even meet. What’s more magical than that?! So it makes sense to lean into that sense of magic and cultivate that mindset in our creative time.
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So what is a creative ritual?
A ritual can be as simple as lighting a candle before you start work. It can be a particular playlist you listen to, or a certain way you set up your space.
It could be journaling for five minutes before you start to write, or reading a couple of poems for inspiration. It might be going for a brief walk to get your energy moving and mark the transition from previous tasks to creative time.
Below are two suggested creative rituals - one for increasing energy and focus, the other for increasing confidence and calm. Feel free to take any elements from either that appeal to you, or design your own!