the missing link to creativity.

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No one actually understands creativity.

At least, not in the way it should be understood.

The longer I’ve been in the creative sphere, the more I’m confused by how its presented.

Dip your foot into the world of creativity, and you’ll hear a wide variety of thoughts about the best creatives, that’ll sound something like this.

“It’s really hard to measure creativity.”

“He’s just got that rare gift… everything he puts out is amazing.”

“It must’ve just been a stroke of inspiration.”

I think there’s often a bit of survivorship bias… the people who make it to the top often like to look back and pat themselves on the back a little. Make themselves sound just a little more… gifted, perhaps.

And don’t get me wrong - there are always people with natural gifts in certain disciplines.

But the root of the matter is this.

The most successful creatives the world has ever seen - Picasso, Beethoven, Disney, Dali, even Taylor Swift - all have one main thing in common.

They were all relentlessly prolific.

In other words, they were never not creating.

Let’s look at a few stats.

Over his 91 years of life, Picasso published over 147,800 pieces of work - from paintings, to prints, to sculptures. (That’s over 4 finished pieces of work per day.)

Beethoven produced over 722 complete works, 9 of which were full-length orchestral symphonies.

Even in our generation, Taylor Swift… seven studio albums, 48 singles, 10 Grammys, and countless other awards - and she’s just barely into her 30s.

(Let’s be real, T-Swift might not be in the same category as Beethoven - but the lesson still stands.)

You see, I think most people think the the essence of creativity is to come up with something new.

To sit for hours, alone in your room, and to finally happen upon a stroke of genius that brings you to your best work yet.

But the truth is, the greatest creatives of all time really aren’t obsessed with creating something new.

What they do understand, however, is this.

All creative work is built on what came before.

To get to your best work, the 10% - you have to go through the 90% that is discarded.

So many people - myself included - struggle with this crippling sense of perfectionism.

You don’t want to put out something that doesn’t feel 100% finished, or 100% quality.

But the reality is, done is better than perfect. Finishing something allows you to move on to the next project, and leads to a constant cycle of improvement.

If you only create when you feel like creating, you’ll never create your best work.

So here’s what I’m learning (and what I wish I had learned sooner).

To be creative is not a born talent. It’s not something people stumble across.

Creativity is the product of relentless iteration. The more you create, the more you can create.

The greatest artists of all time simply didn’t stop. They didn’t create for the money, or the fame, or the prestige.

They created to create.

And that’s why they were able to keep creating, day after day, for their entire lives.

So in short - if you want to be a great creative, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Don’t go sit in your room and stare at the wall and wait for inspiration to strike. Don’t even ask others what you should create.

Find something that you can do for years. And never stop. The great work will come, probably when you least expect it.