So, it's safe to say that I'm a fan of creating healthy creative habits. From discerning and shaping the environment to quantifying how much you plan on creating each time you sit down to create if at all humanly possible. And, if you've watched any TED Talks, or gotten sucked into an article on neuroscience and habits, or have done any personal growth work from StrengthsFinder to EQ, you know that the mind is an incredibly designed bio-computer ready to be shaped and molded.
However...
And this is a huge, however.
There are two pitfalls to rewiring ourselves according to the zeitgeist of the neurosciences. Pitfalls, traps, distractions, cautions... not causes to abandon growth.
First, progressively slim-focused on personal strengths, or what some call, calling, to the detriment of on-going discovery in other areas of life.
Two, the abandonment of creative whim for the routine of routine.
What do I mean?
To the first, I simply mean that when we discover where we land in the world of StrengthsFinder or Meyers-Briggs, we may very well be tempted to blow off any opportunity or adventure beyond these walls. Rightly so when we're talking about long-term careers. But maybe not so much when we ignore that inkling to create at odd hours and in unique settings simply because it isn't how we're naturally wired.
Which bleeds into the second, that is, maybe don't abandon the rare and unique and beyond your comfort zone simply because it's beyond your natural creative zone.
So that basement studio you work in for a few hours each day... yeah, maybe grab some gear to go and sit at the park, or hit a co-creator's home studio for a different vibe, or go ahead and put a little cash aside for that long-weekend writing trip in that cabin on that lake. You know, the thing only wealthy and successful and full-time creatives do. Maybe you do it. And maybe you do it simply because it's your adventure.
This isn't a call to be immature and careless and irresponsible.
I'm convinced more than ever that Creator-God has made us in His image, the Imago-Dei. The image of a thinker, doer of right and good, parent and protector, gentle shepherd and bold warrior, reliable leader and wild adventurer, speaker of truth, and curious creator.
As co-creators in this intentionally created world, let's lean into how our minds are wired to become the best version of who we're designed to be. But in doing so, let's be sure to leave room for the metaphysical, the indescribable, the mysterious, and whimsical, the miraculous, the supernatural, and the down-right Divine right here in the flesh.
Truth is, once you know how you're wired, the parameters that shape your creative movement, you'll be able to push those boundaries safely and joyfully for even more grand adventures.