Behind Every Great Creator Is The Practices They Keep

I fell headfirst into Austin Kleons books on the weekend.

It was wholly by accident. They were just sitting idly in my Kindle library for months. And yet on Saturday afternoon in a random moment, I opened Show Your Work and I couldn't put it down.

I read it in one sitting. And then I devoured the other two.

My mind has been racing ever since. Not because I learned something new (although I was reminded of some long-forgotten things), but because it resonated SO MUCH with my thoughts on being a creator, and the practices I've been cultivating quite by accident.

Here are five practices of the daily creator that I've been thinking about over the weekend:

👉 Daily creators are collectors. They collect stuff that inspires them. Bookshelves of books, a library of old records, articles, bookmarks, magazines.

👉 Daily creators are insanely curious. They are the ones watching every behind the scene feature on a DVD. Reading about the rituals of their favourite author. They ask questions, they want to know EVERYTHING about everything.

👉 Daily creators mine for gems. They are masters at taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. They love the remix of ideas and they live at the intersection of things waiting for the gems to reveal themself.

👉 Daily creators show their work. They show up every day with a generosity that is unmatched. They are just so excited by what they are learning and discovering that they can't help but share it with anyone who will listen.

👉 Daily creators listen for signals. They watch and observe everything that is happening. They learn by watching. They connect dots. They learn quickly what works and what doesn't.

I'm not sure, but I might have just penned a manifesto.