Creativity as a ritual

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I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of treating my creative projects like tasks. 

Often, I’ll group a creative project, such as “memory keep” or “edit photos,” with life admin tasks, like “go to Costco” or “wash blankets.” 

And even worse, when I sit down to work on said creative project, I find myself speeding through it so that I can get it off my list. I don’t take the time to enjoy the creative process or let myself wander down rabbit holes and play the “what if” game of experimentation. The goal is always to see how quickly I can complete the project. 

It’s hard to slow down and create when all society seems to tell us to speed up. We need to produce work more efficiently (which often results in lower quality) so we can accomplish more in less time. 

I also notice that when I approach any creative project as a task, the end product isn’t my best or most innovative. In other words, I half-ass it. 

But creativity isn’t a chore or a task; it’s a ritual. 

It’s something we need to carve out time, space, and energy for. It’s not something we can force ourselves to do—we have to feel energetically up to it. 

When we treat creativity like a task, it loses its enjoyment. And creating should be enjoyable. 

We create because we want to feel something. We create because it gives us an outlet to play. We create because we want to express our innermost thoughts. 

And creating good work takes time. 

The reality struck me when I took an art class earlier this year. For each class, we had three uninterrupted hours to complete that week’s assignment. Initially, I thought that I wouldn’t need all that time, but as the course progressed, I found myself using every second to finesse my piece. 

What it ultimately taught me was how to slow down and lean into the process. To put away the distractions for three hours and just focus on the work. It felt uncomfortable at first, but after a while, I found myself in a deep work flow state (thank you, gamma brain waves!) and was fully immersed in my project. 

Now, it’s easier said than done. Most of us don’t have three uninterrupted hours every week to immerse ourselves in one of our many creative projects. Creativity often takes a back seat to our never-ending to-do list and unavoidable adulting responsibilities. 

That said, you can’t put your brain in a state of play if it’s constantly stressed, tired, or overworked. Our brains need breathing space so we can do our best creative work. It’s like freeing up RAM in a computer. 

That’s why we need to create rituals to protect our brain space and creative time. 

Rituals are boundaries that you can set up for yourself to help foster your creativity. They aren’t hard and fast rules, but rather guidelines to follow. The idea is to use them to create time, space, and energy for creativity. 

I’ve set up a few creative rituals of my own over the years to help support my creative work: 

1. I never force myself to work on a project. I always follow the vibes and my mood to see what I feel like working on. If I’m not feeling up for working on a particular project, I put it off until I’m ready to tackle it.

2. I ensure I have sufficient time and mental capacity to work on a creative project. If my brain is fried or I’m short on time, I don’t dive into a project. My brain needs to crave working on that specific project, and I have to give myself enough time to let myself fall down rabbit holes.

3. I set up my workspace to foster a sense of play. I remove all distractions from my workspace to get myself in a flow state. I put on a good playlist, light a candle, and put my phone on DND or away so I can allow myself to focus on creating. 

These creative rituals allow me to do my best creative work. When I follow them, I feel more energetically aligned with the work I’m doing. Rituals give me the time and space to slow down and enter a flow state, allowing me to be fully immersed in the creative process. 

What rituals do you have for your creative work?

Thank you to Alyssa for letting me share my thoughts this week on Time Intentional! ICYMI, she wrote a post for my newsletter, Creatives Anonymous, this week, all about the importance of creative spontaneity. Check it out here.

Time Well Spent: Weekly Roundup (Alexa’s Version)

1. Keeping up with long-distance friends is HARD, especially over text, so I try my best to talk on the phone with them to catch up regularly. With one friend, we have a weekly yap sesh booked in both of our Google Calendars, and with other friends, I love habit-stacking catch-up phone calls with something like a walk, doing chores, or driving (especially when you’re stuck in traffic). 

2. I recently saw F1 The Movie and it got me thinking about how it’s a fantastic case study in content marketing for Apple—product placement in the film, and how it built a custom camera based on iPhone 15 technology to film the racing scenes—all to position AppleTV+ to be the front runner to secure the streaming rights for the sport in the U.S. next year. 

3. For the last five years, I’ve kept a one-line-a-day journal. I just finished my first one and started a new one. It’s so crazy to see what you were doing on that day, the years before, and just how much your life has changed during that time. It’s also a great place to mark just a single memory from that day, so you have it to look back on. Of all the journals I keep, that one is only of my favorites.

The Takeaways

• All it takes is a small gesture to let people know you’re thinking of them (the term for this is pebbling). Don’t be afraid to DM posts on Instagram, send a card in the mail, or a photo from throughout your day. It’s more appreciated than you know. 

• Connecting your passions and hobbies with your areas of expertise gives you a competitive edge, helping you stand out because it shows how you think differently. How can you connect the dots between your passions and your work? 

• Take the time to document your life! Take photos. Keep ephemera. Journal. You’re going to wish you did.

Alexa Phillips is a brand marketing and content strategist, creator, educator & multi-passionate creative. She is the founder of Bright Eyes Creative, a brand consultancy and media company specializing in creating content-driven brand experiences for founder-led SaaS brands and creatives. She is also the author of Creatives Anonymous, a weekly newsletter that explores what it means to be a modern-day creative. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram.