Making Space for Creativity

Welcome to Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter written by Alexa Phillips about navigating creativity in the 21st century. It inspires, encourages, and empowers readers to take back their creative power.

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As a society, we are obsessed with productivity.

There is no greater dopamine hit than crossing something off our to-do lists. The art of being productive has fueled industries for products we never knew we needed, from planners to project management software to daily planning apps. It's fueled the success of creators like Ali Abdaal and Tiago Forte, who've built empires teaching people to be more productive.

Most of us (myself included) judge ourselves on our productivity on a daily basis. We judge how productive we are based on how many tasks we got done that day and feel guilty about what we didn’t get to. 

We fill our days to the brim to the point where our brains and bodies feel like they don't have time to breathe. We're on this constant hamster wheel, heading straight for burnout. 

And when we get busy, time for creativity tends to get put on the back burner. 

We don't give ourselves the time or mental space to slow down or play. We know how to play, but I think the biggest thing that prevents us from creating is the guilt of wasting time.

We forget to let ourselves follow our passions and interests because they must be worth our time. Time is our most precious commodity, and we want to use it wisely. That’s why we’re drawn to productivity and want to learn to become more productive—because we want to do more in less time (and why just about every third video on my YouTube home page has the word “productivity” in the title).

But with creativity, it’s the opposite. You need to slow down to create; it’s not something you can do in the five-minute gap between meetings. You need the time and mental space otherwise, it feels like another item on your to-do list. 

Moreover, most of the time, we don’t see ROI from creativity. We’re not gaining anything from it like we do from productivity. Creativity isn’t a goal we can achieve or an action item we can check off our list. It’s a practice that requires us to slow down, not speed up. That’s why we’re not searching “how to be creative.”     

But so many of us have grown tired of that narrative. We're tired of not having the time to pursue our passions or pick up our hobbies. We're tired of constantly feeling burned out. This forces us to take a hard look at what we choose to prioritize. 

We’re obsessed with doing more in less time, but what if we just became obsessed with doing less?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a shift away from hustle culture and towards slower living. We're yearning to get off the hamster wheel, slow down, and let ourselves tap back into our creativity. 

We want to fall back in love with the part of ourselves that wants to create for the sake of creating, not worrying about whether or not we need to share our creations on social media or generate sales. Rather, we create to satisfy our curiosity, experiment, and find a new way to view and understand the world.                                                                      

There is a way to balance productivity with creativity. The secret lies in our mindset.

We can prioritize creativity if we want to. We can make time for our hobbies and projects. 

We just need to put a little less on our to-do lists so we have a little more time to create. 

Hobbies and creativity are crucial for revitalizing our minds and sparking new ideas. We need to step away from the grind to get reinspired. I know I notice a huge jump in my actual productivity and creative momentum when I spend time nourishing my creativity.

There’s no greater high than pressing publish, signing your canvas, or writing the last line of a verse. 

CREATIVE CORNER

• 🎞️ Media I’m consuming: Off the Grid: Leaving Social Media Without Losing All Your Clients podcast (especially this recent episode with Jay Acunzo)

• 💡 Idea I’m loving: I’m thinking about trying out the 12 Week Year for goal setting—I tend to do better with goals in shorter chunks of time. This write-up got me interested in it in the first place.

• 🎨 Current creative project: I’ve pulled my novel WIP from its dusty drawer and started messing with it again. Hopefully, this part of the newsletter will keep me accountable!

• 💭 Weekly musing:

If you liked this newsletter, please share it with your friends, family, and community!

Thank you so much for everyone’s support 💕 I’m so grateful for you all!

P.S. — I’m looking for some creative entrepreneurs to help me co-create a new business offer. If you want to join the beta, apply to join here.