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What’s in a face? Sherlock, our new puppy, expresses many faces. These let us know when he feels proud about going potty, unhappy when he’s hungry, and crazy when he’s pouncing and playful. The face of a puppy is irresistible, even through the eyes of a sleepless dog owner like me at three o’clock in the morning during a puppy potty break.
Creativity, like my puppy, has distinct faces with corresponding emotions. Three come to mind. They are faces of curiosity, dissatisfaction, and joy. While we may not feel as cute as a puppy, when we express these three faces vulnerably and honestly, we attract others to our creation. On the journey to create, our face signals growth or retreat. The hope is this. We can look more like a puppy, enthused, awake, and ready for action.
Need ideas? Be curious as a puppy.
Curiosity dramatically expresses itself, like a puppy who bounces from one item to the next, zig zagging attention from one thing to another. A puppy’s little brain can’t help it. We are similar when young, but gain a more rigid attention span as we reach adulthood. For our sake and sanity, we welcome that change. But it serves us well to revisit the puppy pounce as grownups. If we try it, we may uncover life-changing inspiration we didn’t know to even look for.
Curiosity means choosing the attention span of a puppy, even if for just a few moments or hours. Most of us settle on listening to the music of our youth by age 30. Believe it or not, musicians and artists still create amazing music. All it takes is an open mind and YouTube to find it. It feels uncomfortable, at first, to listen to a voice you’re unfamiliar with or hear sounds you find less friendly to your pallet. Then, suddenly, you realize an 80s-influenced mashup tips a hat to you. Try curiosity. You won’t regret it once you cash in on the many discoveries out there.
Feeling frustrated? Creativity thrives amid dissatisfaction.
Frustration can either paralyze or motivate us. Puppies, when they pee on momma’s special rug, feel the weight of their mistake once our disappointed face appears. They feel our disapproval, looking at us with those signature guilty eyes. They want to improve. So do we. Self-help books sell well, and everyone is looking for methods to hack life or game the system. The many problems to solve leave us as open for correction as a puppy during potty training. Like the puppy, we want to do better.
Think of it this way. Inventions come from that thing that annoys you! If you divert, distract, or delay, you defeat creativity. Boredom is underrated. It is an incredible motivator for creative inspiration. Your mind is faced with the hunger for something to keep it fixated and growing. It’s only in that state we find breakthroughs, innovations, or pure fun. Hours of Netflix, Candy Crush, or Xbox keep us from feeling the hunger pains of a starved brain or aching soul. When we choose to address our sense of dissatisfaction, we innovate.
Want to feel some joy? Pounce like a puppy!
Ultimately, to endure the emotional setbacks, institutional opposition, and a shifting learning curve, we require a generous supply of joy. Joy is the rocket fuel of creativity. So we can learn a lot from puppies. They don’t ask permission to play. They can’t help it! Create from joy and watch what happens. The shift is this. When we think of play as something we do while we work, we find strength to keep creating. While frustrations help us innovate, joy fuels the creative journey.
The praise of an audience, the payment from a client, or the endorsement of a mentor all bring some value and offer a level of motivation. But if we don’t enjoy creating on the journey, in the process, or with a community, the chances are greater that we will quit.
Don’t quit! The world needs what you have as only you can bring you to the table. Maybe you have to find a different table or build one of your own. Regardless, the effort is worth it because your place at the table matters.
Unlike our minds, puppies can’t help but grow.
Our new puppy has more than doubled in just a few weeks. Sherlock’s paws tell us he may end up an adult dog weighing over sixty pounds! His schedule includes three feedings a day, learning new things on every walk, and exploring whenever his sneaky self can escape a leash. He covertly snags a rose, later spitting it out in his crate to enjoy the smell of the flower petal’s fragrance. He stops to stare at a trail of ants on his path.
I’ve got a lot to learn. Even my puppy stops to smell the roses more than I! If I can tap into growing, opening, and expanding my mind, I am better off. Living things grow. I used to have a torn piece of paper on my desk that read, “Atrophy from apathy.” Yes, we can wither and fade, losing our way. Or we can embrace the painful joy of growth. Here’s the truth. Creativity is growth. Puppy’s can’t help but grow. For us, it’s a choice.
Keep creating!