Accepting Messiness, A Practice

“Anything that starts intellectually usually sucks.” 

I heard this a few week’s back while on a walk, listening to Bruce Springsteen talk about his creative process on a podcast. You know those moments when you feel like you’re hearing exactly what you need to hear, at exactly the right time? Well, this was that. So naturally, I went home and transcribed the whole episode, start to finish. (That’s right, “Broken Record podcast Bruce Springsteen notes” is an actual Word document on my computer. And no, I’m not sorry about it.) 

Now, whether you’re a fan of The Boss & his music or not, surely you can appreciate Springsteen’s longevity for producing music – a career spanning over five decades. He goes on to address the start of producing a new album like this: “As most creative things, it’s a non-decision. I don’t operate from deciding first. I operate from an internal hunger, and my decisions come from there.”

When it comes to creative work being unobstructed by intellect, though, what gives? I can already imagine what those of you reading this are thinking… sounds great, but how then do I bring more creativity into my life? Well, lucky for you – I held off on sharing this topic just long enough to find the principle necessary for closing the loop: your creative unconscious.

Currently halfway through a writing challenge, I’ve learned that to get in touch with your natural voice (and subsequently, creativity), you’ve got to accept messiness. Specifically, grant permission to yourself to write poorly! This means allowing ideas to stumble from pen to paper, rather than trying to assemble them. This also means writing quickly, so fast that you block intellect from getting in the way.

Look, there’s no way around it… avoiding perfectionist tendencies is uncomfortable. But like training, if you can remember that it’s all a practice, you’ll be less likely to take the bad days personally, and more likely to stay committed to the process.

As always, KEEP GOING.