Saumirah McWoodson

Lately I’ve been thinking about creativity, content creation, and creative practice.

I’ve considered that, while we may be fortunate enough to practice our art in exchange for money or services, there are many rituals that creatives tend to include in their life that contribute to the development of their art or that open up different pathways for exploration within their art.

Specifically, I’ve been pondering the idea of content creation as a creative practice for artists who are trained or who practice an art outside of content creation.

For example, dance is my art. I am classically trained in dance, I am trained as a teacher of dance, I have worked professionally as a dance educator, and I have taken a number of classes (locally, at the graduate level, internationally, etc.) that contribute to the development of my professionalism as a dancer and dance educator.

However, I am also a content creator. I create some content for fun, for reflection, for documenting my life. I create other content for self-expression. Still, some content I create with the intent of marketing my e-commerce business. Finally, I am paid to create specific content as a freelance content creator.

So with all of the above existing within me, I’ve decided that I want to delve deeper into the idea of creating for the sake of creating when it comes to creating virtual content.

What actually defines a creative practice? Well, I’ve found a few elements of a creative practice and listed them below!

1. There is intentionality. The creative practice is done with some regularity and may even include some time constraints, such as being 30 minutes each day or once per week at a certain time. The time given to doing the creative work is prioritized and scheduled.
2. There is a focus on the process. While the creative practice in itself may indeed improve one’s skills, during the scheduled practice time, one’s focus is on the act of creating, not on the result of that creative time.
3. There is a quest for inspiration. I could alternately write that an attitude of openness is required during the creative practice time. The point is that the time is honored in the way that the individual approaches the time in a way that is prepared and ready to work, play, imagine, test, and learn.

Have you ever developed a creative practice? What was the practice and what was the experience like for you? Tell me in a comment!