Order and Creativity

Do you ever feel that your life is boring? That you don’t have anything to add to the conversation when people are talking about the latest uber-cool thing they did this weekend or how they are taking up yet another extreme hobby? No? That’s just me. Well, that’s okay. I’ll be the first to admit that to outside eyes my life looks quite boring and regular and orderly. I do the same routine everyday. I cook mostly the same meals every month and get my work done. But you know what? I’m on the same page as Gustave Flaubert:

Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work. Gustave Flaubert

Being orderly and a bit boring shouldn’t be seen as the antithesis of being creative and creating great art. You can be both and having stability in one area of your life can help give you space to be incredibly bold and daring in other areas. For me, my orderly existence helps make a place for my writing and art. If others think I’m dull, I’m okay with that because they aren’t the ones creating my art–I am.

It really doesn’t matter what others think of your life. It’s about what you think about it and what you do with it. It is between you and yourself, not them. So here’s to being regular and flying under the radar and the secret smile you have inside when someone says your life seems dull because they just became a part of a character in your book or fodder for your next art piece. There’s something wonderful about being a butterfly on the inside while everyone else sees a dull moth on the outside. It gives you the secret space to create what you want away from prying eyes.

So I hope you revel in your week and your work. Go create something wonderful and, when you’re ready, I hope you share it with the world. 🙂