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Living the Prolific Life: A How-to Guide

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Clay Collins of The Growing Life.

Pro·lif·ic (\prə-li-fik\) : Marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity.

–Merriam Webster Online

The prolific life has been characterized by abundant inventiveness and limitless creativity. Prolificacy has also been unnecessarily enshrouded in a veil of mystery and the sources of artistic inventiveness are too often viewed as out-of-reach for the average person. Perhaps it’s for this reason that artistic inspiration has frequently been attributed to muses, the channeling of spirits, beelzebub, etc.

In spite of perceptions surrounding prolific creativity, there are several documented commonalities that consistently appear in the lives of prolific people. Indeed, the psychological literature has some definite insights into commonalities of the prolific. My investigation into this literature has yielded these . . .

7 Common Characteristics of Prolific People

Highly prolific people tend to:

Be firmly settled in their creative identities. Prolific artists don’t question their artistic identities. They own the title of artist, writer, musician, etc. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important. Prolific people aren’t shy about what they do, or about their love of art. When they have corporate jobs they tend to view themselves as writers with desk jobs rather than a corporate employees who also write.
Operate from a bedrock of stability. Despite the stereotypical image of the mercurial and whimsical artist, most highly prolific people have managed to pin down a lot of variables in their life; they aren’t constantly rearranging the logistics of life and reconfiguring their life situations. As a result, they can bring their full attention to bear upon the creation process.
Get “adopted” early by mentors or sponsors. Prolific artists tend of have received significant artistic mentorships at the beginning of their creative careers.
Get an early start: Prolific artists tend of have developed the rapid production habit early in their careers. They tend to have developed the production habit very shortly after beginning their artistic endeavors.
Be well adjusted. Prolific people tend to be sensitive, confident, open-minded, curious, intellectually flexible, willing to work very hard, and have a sense of humor.
Have a habit of writing. Highly prolific people tend to work even when they’re not inspired. They’ve developed the production habit.
Intrinsic interest. Prolific people are intrinsically motivated, almost without exception. They love their work and, in general, would do it (in some form or another) even if it paid much less or not at all.

[Note: Not all of these characteristics are present among all prolific people. These characteristics simply appear at a high frequency among prolific persons].

With these characteristics in mind, here are some tips for developing a prolific life:

Ruthlessly guard your mind. Prolific people often purposefully take on mindless jobs because it allows them to devote their thoughts entirely to art. Prolific people own their own minds, and they’re often found stocking shelves or parking cars, but all the while scribbling down notes during every free moment. They manage to engineer situations that allow their minds to be constantly creative even when they’re not actively producing art. (People who engage in cognitively taxing jobs are often too mentally exhausted at the end of the day to be creative).
Unabashedly take on your artistic identity. As Leo said in an earlier post, don’t be afraid to call yourself an artist. Can you imagine a prolific artist who’s afraid to claim an artistic identity? I can’t. Don’t be timid about telling yourself and others what you do. If you create art, then you’re an artist. The dedication and seriousness required to consistently produce inspired art requires a singularity of purpose that can’t be present unless you’ve come to own your own creativity.
Realize the gestation period of creative ideas. Prolific people might be producing at regular intervals, but the gestation period for their “products” is often long. You must be giving birth to a steady stream of new ideas in order for those ideas to bear fruit in a year or two down the road. Realize that prolific people don’t always have a shortened creative cycle; they often just have more creative cycles going on simultaneously.
Keep your creative inertia going. Do whatever it takes to make sure that your creative inertia doesn’t die. Require small outputs from yourself on a frequent basis and make artistic production a habit. Once you’ve strengthened this habit the floodgates of creativity are likely to open. One prolific writer I know has a timer that goes off every 40 minutes; with each alarm he writes down an idea.
Create stability where it counts. If you’re moving all the time and changing your life situation, the single-minded focus required for prolific output can be hard to obtain. Take care of as many external variables as possible in order to allow you to focus on your art.
Attend to your mental and physical health. While there are some very visible cases of clinically insane but nevertheless prolific people, these people are the exception rather than the rule. Less stress = greater prolificacy.
Get adopted by a mentor. Leverage any and all angles or opportunities available to find a mentor who’s done what you want to do. If you want to be a bestselling non-fiction author then don’t talk to the convenience store clerk, talk to a bestselling non-fiction author.

Clay Collins blogs at The Growing Life and is the author of Quitting Things and Flakiness: The #1 Productivity Anti-Hack and The James Dean Guide to Being a Body Language Bad*ss.

—

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Living the Prolific Life: A How-to Guide

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Clay Collins of The Growing Life.

Pro·lif·ic (\prə-li-fik\) : Marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity.

–Merriam Webster Online

7 Common Characteristics of Prolific People

Highly prolific people tend to:

Be firmly settled in their creative identities. Prolific artists don’t question their artistic identities. They own the title of artist, writer, musician, etc. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important. Prolific people aren’t shy about what they do, or about their love of art. When they have corporate jobs they tend to view themselves as writers with desk jobs rather than a corporate employees who also write.
Operate from a bedrock of stability. Despite the stereotypical image of the mercurial and whimsical artist, most highly prolific people have managed to pin down a lot of variables in their life; they aren’t constantly rearranging the logistics of life and reconfiguring their life situations. As a result, they can bring their full attention to bear upon the creation process.
Get “adopted” early by mentors or sponsors. Prolific artists tend of have received significant artistic mentorships at the beginning of their creative careers.
Get an early start: Prolific artists tend of have developed the rapid production habit early in their careers. They tend to have developed the production habit very shortly after beginning their artistic endeavors.
Be well adjusted. Prolific people tend to be sensitive, confident, open-minded, curious, intellectually flexible, willing to work very hard, and have a sense of humor.
Have a habit of writing. Highly prolific people tend to work even when they’re not inspired. They’ve developed the production habit.
Intrinsic interest. Prolific people are intrinsically motivated, almost without exception. They love their work and, in general, would do it (in some form or another) even if it paid much less or not at all.

[Note: Not all of these characteristics are present among all prolific people. These characteristics simply appear at a high frequency among prolific persons].

With these characteristics in mind, here are some tips for developing a prolific life:

Ruthlessly guard your mind. Prolific people often purposefully take on mindless jobs because it allows them to devote their thoughts entirely to art. Prolific people own their own minds, and they’re often found stocking shelves or parking cars, but all the while scribbling down notes during every free moment. They manage to engineer situations that allow their minds to be constantly creative even when they’re not actively producing art. (People who engage in cognitively taxing jobs are often too mentally exhausted at the end of the day to be creative).
Unabashedly take on your artistic identity. As Leo said in an earlier post, don’t be afraid to call yourself an artist. Can you imagine a prolific artist who’s afraid to claim an artistic identity? I can’t. Don’t be timid about telling yourself and others what you do. If you create art, then you’re an artist. The dedication and seriousness required to consistently produce inspired art requires a singularity of purpose that can’t be present unless you’ve come to own your own creativity.
Realize the gestation period of creative ideas. Prolific people might be producing at regular intervals, but the gestation period for their “products” is often long. You must be giving birth to a steady stream of new ideas in order for those ideas to bear fruit in a year or two down the road. Realize that prolific people don’t always have a shortened creative cycle; they often just have more creative cycles going on simultaneously.
Keep your creative inertia going. Do whatever it takes to make sure that your creative inertia doesn’t die. Require small outputs from yourself on a frequent basis and make artistic production a habit. Once you’ve strengthened this habit the floodgates of creativity are likely to open. One prolific writer I know has a timer that goes off every 40 minutes; with each alarm he writes down an idea.
Create stability where it counts. If you’re moving all the time and changing your life situation, the single-minded focus required for prolific output can be hard to obtain. Take care of as many external variables as possible in order to allow you to focus on your art.
Attend to your mental and physical health. While there are some very visible cases of clinically insane but nevertheless prolific people, these people are the exception rather than the rule. Less stress = greater prolificacy.
Get adopted by a mentor. Leverage any and all angles or opportunities available to find a mentor who’s done what you want to do. If you want to be a bestselling non-fiction author then don’t talk to the convenience store clerk, talk to a bestselling non-fiction author.

Clay Collins blogs at The Growing Life and is the author of Quitting Things and Flakiness: The #1 Productivity Anti-Hack and The James Dean Guide to Being a Body Language Bad*ss.

—

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Posted on 14 May 2008 in Habits, Productivity & Organization |
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Comments (70)

SpaceAgeSage Says:

May 14th, 2008, 21:31 pm

Clay, awesome and motivational overview. Thanks. The tough areas for me are those pesky “external variables.”

Vered - MomGrind Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:00 pm

“When they have corporate jobs they tend to view themselves as writers with desk jobs rather than a corporate employees who also write.”

I never thought about it this way. I do tend to think about myself as “also” a writer, or as someone who “writes as a hobby” etc. I am going to try and re-think this attitude.

Elle Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:07 pm

I have found The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron to be a great resource on my journey to becoming a prolific artist. She is best known for her teachings on creative unblocking.

chris Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:08 pm

Clay with regards to your tips, I really need to do #6 so that I can do #3 and #4 and I’m still in search for #7.

Mark - Creative Journey Cafe Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:16 pm

On my blog I recently interviewed Duane Keiser, the painter who started the trend-setting blog “A Painting A Day”. Talk about prolific.

He has made (and sold) a painting a day for 4 years.

He found his discipline through…well, I’ll let you discover that for yourself if you can find my interview. ;)

sarah Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:19 pm

Hi Clay, I like this post. These tips are a nice twist to the usual writing advice. Several hit home for me. Thanks.

Jeff@MySuperChargedLife Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:21 pm

Clay - I love what you say here about embracing your artistic identity. You are right that all great artists have truly done this. I can’t think of one that hasn’t.

This is a very good article. I read it just now, but I am going to come back and read it again tomorrow. I think there is much more for me to absorb. Thanks!

Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:24 pm

Clay -

Great article. #3 is the key for most successful artists. They know their life purpose early in their life and they find a mentor to shape their destiny.

Shilpan

John A Arkansawyer Says:

May 14th, 2008, 22:30 pm

It’s worth considering the counter-examples. Consider Jack Kerouac and his outrageously large shelf of books. #2 and #5 are clearly not about him, and I’d say his peer mentorship wasn’t exactly what #3 means.

On the other hand, those other four fit him like a glove!

Elaine Swindell Says:

May 14th, 2008, 23:14 pm

Clay Collins is a godless atheist who idolizes himself and leads others to blaspheme and transgress. You shouldn’t post anything from him, Leo. He’s not like us.

He’s not like, or into, anybody but himself. Avoid him.

Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:

May 14th, 2008, 23:17 pm

Great info here Clay. I am just now beginning to feel comfortable referring to myself as a writer. It only gets easier the more I think of myself that way.

Jay Says:

May 14th, 2008, 23:46 pm

All great points Clay, especially number 3 in the first set. Speaking of, would you be my mentor? The godless blasphemer thing is of no issue to me.

Leo Says:

May 14th, 2008, 23:58 pm

@Elaine: I can’t speak to your description of Clay, except to say that he has been unfailingly kind to me in all of our interactions. He seems like a really nice guy!

I won’t take you to task for being insulting, but I find that it’s much better to focus on the positive aspects of others … and if there aren’t any that you can find, then focus on other people you enjoy more, rather than attacking those you don’t like. Life is much more enjoyable that way, in my experience.

Clay Collins | The Growing Life Says:

May 14th, 2008, 23:59 pm

@Everyone: glad you like the article :-). There was a lot of good research out there on being prolific and I enjoyed writing this article a lot.

@Elaine Swindell: I actually consider myself an agnostic. There’s definitely something beautiful, wonderful, and bigger than myself out there in the universe, but I just don’t feel the need to name it. I’d like to think that I’m into people other than myself. These people, for example, are pretty cool:

http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/03/dedication/

Apologies if I’ve offended you at some point, Elaine. I have no clue what I could have done.

Warm regards,
Clay

Serendipity Says:

May 15th, 2008, 0:14 am

I appreciate the idea that being prolific and truly artistic aren’t mutually exclusive. It doesn’t work for all people, but it can valuable to just work and produce instead of worrying about being perfect. Sometimes perfection is a happy accident!

Marc and Angel Says:

May 15th, 2008, 0:32 am

Highly prolific people tend to work even when they’re not inspired.

Now that is good advice… easily the single greatest point in the article. Thanks. :-)

Andre Kibbe Says:

May 15th, 2008, 0:49 am

Great post. A good antidote to tortured artist stereotypes. I spent a few years doing McJobs to guard my mind, but it’s not enough. Professionals are typically too preoccupied to develop artistically. Workers in service industries typically lack the strategic vision to market their art, and have trouble transitioning. Like you said, finding mentors is essential.

Becky Says:

May 15th, 2008, 2:07 am

I wonder if you can “unabashedly take on your artistic identity” if you’re living with/in a relationship with someone who is most-definitely a prolific artist.

Especially if, for the best of reasons and out of genuine love and concern, they try to act as a mentor.

Hmm. This has the wheels a-turnin’

Kelly@SHE-POWER Says:

May 15th, 2008, 2:50 am

Clay

Great post. I took years to call myself a writer because I was “just” a paid copywriter and communication consultant. Even though words were my living and creative writing my passion I thought a “writer” was only a paid and published novelist/book author. So I would definitely support # 2 as a major determiner for how prolifific a creator you are. How can you produce a lot if you spend half your time resisting your identity and the time you spend on this “silly hobby”. I know so many painters and writers like this, and it’s sad.

I also agree with # 1 because in the years I did the “corporate thing”, I produced a lot less creative writing of my own. All those hours churning out advertising copy and working 12 hour days is not conducive to the peace and quite you need to create somethign magical, the best that you have in you.

Congratulations on being published here at Zen Habits and I think you’ve really outdone yourself here.

By the way, there is no need to apologize to rude people like Elaine Swindell. What a comment to leave. She should be ashamed of herself for saying such things about someone she doesn’t know.

There’s many of us who love you, so never you mind,
:) Kelly

J.D. Meier Says:

May 15th, 2008, 4:24 am

Nice distinctions and they resonate.

> People who engage in cognitively taxing jobs are often too mentally exhausted at the end of the day to be creative
I’m researching here. I do know that it’s easy to burn out your prefontal cortex throughout the day. I also know that people in jobs where they are “always on”, such as teaching all day, tend to end up drained. Apparently, there’s some keys:
1. Find your personal catalysts (this could be people or types of activities)
2. Turn your routines into checklists (this is how the Air Force does it)
3. Find your boundaries and take breaks when you hit them

> Operate from a bedrock of stability
I originally learned the “operate from a bedrock of stability” from one of my mentors — He mastered his day job to get more playtime. How did you come to recognize this particular insight and how has it influenced you?

The Daily Minder Says:

May 15th, 2008, 4:58 am

Elaine - buddhism (Zen) is also godless. Why are you here?

Don’t sweat it Clay. You do a good job!

TDM

Amanda Linehan Says:

May 15th, 2008, 7:25 am

Operating from a bedrock of stability, at first glance, seems almost contradictory to the “creative life,” but it definitely makes sense when you think about it. I think it points to the idea that creativity requires a certain peace and calmness (especially internally) in order to access that creative idea or project.

John A Arkansawyer Says:

May 15th, 2008, 7:26 am

I want to thank Elaine for her comment. It’s what triggered me to check out Clay’s site and then subscribe.

The Financial Philosopher Says:

May 15th, 2008, 9:02 am

Elaine:

People who have a high level of self-awareness and apply themselves to their passions often appear to be quite self-indulgent. This is called being “an artist.”

In my world, it’s called being a philosopher…

“Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself.” ~ Michel de Montaigne

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” ~ Lau-tzu

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” ~ Confucius

I could go on. Visit my blog for more. In the mean time, here’s one more to consider…

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ~ Viktor Frankl

B Smith @ Wealth and Wisdom Says:

May 15th, 2008, 9:02 am

Clay-I like the post. I may have to come back in a few days and absorb it again.

Your list doesn’t just apply to artists. Creative ability is a critical skill in all walks of life: engineers, inventors, business men, sales men, investigators, etc… In my own life I know engineers who are incredibly creative (myself included). They just apply it to solving problems or writing code instead of a paintbrush.

If you think back to some of our greatest scientists, these traits apply:
-Einstein and Newton had firm identities.
-They had set routines. Heck, Einstein bought identical clothing so he would not have to think about matching cloths.
-They worked closely with peers.
-Most found their stride early.
-They were open minded.
-They were consistently working on their ideas.
-They had a passion for their work.

Adam Sicinski - Study Matrix Art Says:

May 15th, 2008, 9:09 am

Personally my main area of focus is creating life coaching tools and mind maps on subjects that can potentially accelerate a person’s learning potential and improve various aspects of their lives. What really struck me was the fact that we should always be guarding our minds from external sources.

I have found through my experience that if I absorb my mind on other unrelated topics and aspects of my life for long periods of time, that my creativity of thought suffers as a result. Yet, on the other hand, at other times, I can likewise find inspiration in other topics that do lead me in new and unexpected directions that I could never have imagined were possible.

Given this, I suppose you just never know. The key for me is to be open to new possibilities yet at the same time aware to the dangers of following this way of thinking. Can anyone else relate to this way of thinking?

B Smith @ Wealth and Wisdom Says:

May 15th, 2008, 9:10 am

One other thought…Most truly great people lead very focused lives. There is little (if any) balance. Einstein was a genius and changed science. His personal life was a train wreck. The CEO who never sees his family because he works 70 hours a week and is always on the road. The stereotype of scientists and engineers is mostly correct as they sacrifice social development to better hone their technical skills.

As a mentor once told me…

“You are at a fork in your career. If you want to further your career it needs to become the most important thing in your life.”

I personally chose the fork that heads to family and balance. I have friends franticly following the other path.

Daniel Says:

May 15th, 2008, 10:10 am

Great post. The tip about mindless jobs is an excellent one that I’d not thought of. The past few days I’ve been thinking about goals, and setting good goals, so you’ve given me a new direction to take that idea in my own life. Thanks!

Brian Clark Says:

May 15th, 2008, 10:18 am

You just described my whole existence. :-)

It’s the thinking that matters… lots of thinking.

Marelisa Says:

May 15th, 2008, 10:20 am

Great post Clay (I love your writing style). I think another characteristic of prolific people is that they’re always “marinating themselves” in art (listening to music, going to art exhibits, reading, taking a dance class, attending a creativity workshop, and so on).

Tom Stine | Living from Consciousness Says:

May 15th, 2008, 10:23 am

Well done, Clay. I notice you mention a mentor several times. Who are yours? I’ve personally benefited from having an “old hand” help me out.

Ann at One Bag Nation Says:

May 15th, 2008, 10:47 am

I definitely need to work on embracing my identity, as a writer (my day job) and a new blogger (my whenever I can job).

I enjoyed this post and the controversy in the comments!

Jonathan Says:

May 15th, 2008, 11:17 am

Having worked at both mindless jobs and on jobs that require lots of creative energy, I have to say that working on mindless jobs left me empty and unispired at the end of the day.

The mind like any muscle needs to be exercised.

This isn’t to say, i didn’t like the article. I enjoyed it and found it inspiring.

Evan Meagher Says:

May 15th, 2008, 11:51 am

Great article and concept, Leo. I hope that in 20 years I can look back and think of myself as having been prolific.

iamlandlocked Says:

May 15th, 2008, 11:55 am

Leo,

Great post. I went to see one of my favorite authors read last night, and she says a lot of the same things in her book on writing. It’s always nice to hear the same message twice in the same week–it’s like the Universe telling me, “OK, you really need to be hearing this.”

I have struggled with several of the issues you mention, especially juggling life logistics (I’m a single parent), but that one is slowly getting better.

The one I still have trouble with is finding a balance between having enough energy to write and burning out because of work. I have a sales job and work from home, but when I do the job at 100%, it leaves me with nothing left for anything else. I find myself “phoning it in” just to be able to have a life outside of work. I used to feel guilty about it, but I have discovered that I could work 24/7 and still not meet the demands of this job.

I wish I could afford to do something else, but everything
I’ve looked at pays about 1/3 of what I’m making now. While I can make some economies in my lifestyle, I have a child starting college in a year. I keep feeling like I need to be making MORE money, not less.

I’m thinking you had the right idea–get a blog going and use that as a source of income until I can make a living exclusively as a writer. Thanks for the inspiration!

Stephan Miller Says:

May 15th, 2008, 12:19 pm

Awsome post. Ruthlessly guard your mind. I love it. It one of my rules and in our society, it is not a widely held belief. I will use this post as a set of rules to disarm what the public school system is trying to do to our daughter. I was home schooled. Most of these rules I picked up naturally. Not so for someone who is in the system. Thanks for validating some of the ideas that were hard to guard.

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

May 15th, 2008, 12:24 pm

“If you work and study in order to get a reward, the work will seem hard to you; but when you work, if you love the work, you will find your reward in that.” – Leo Tolstoy

Clay Collins | The Growing Life Says:

May 15th, 2008, 12:44 pm

@Leo: I’m truly grateful for your words. Thank you.

@Tom: My mentors have been my grandfather and my mother. But also people like David Weissbrodt, Louise Robbins, and Rudy Rauben.

People like Leo have also been good examples. While our blogs are somewhat different. He has, by example, shown me the value of authentic blogging but also how to handle negative comments with class, stand up for guest posters, and generally be an upstanding citizen of this blogosphere (I’m striving for that at least).

The Oracle Says:

May 15th, 2008, 13:01 pm

Being artistic is a state that anyone can “jump” into. There are several meditation techniques to enter this state,but a simple one from the NLP community -which isn’t even that meditative- is to just study the modalities of someone who is artistic.

When they’re creating what images do they see in their head? What sounds or voices do they hear? What are they feeling? Once you ascertain these answers in their correct order you may simply act out these modalities in the same order…this is a process known as “modeling”. Of course there’s a bit more detail to it,but when you find out the internal things going on you can easily adopt it as your own.

MCL Says:

May 15th, 2008, 13:21 pm

Picasso was quoted as saying “everyone has the same energy potential. The average person wastes his in a dozen little ways. I bring mine to bear on one thing only: my painting…” This may not excuse some of his behaviors, but goes a long way to explain his prolific output of painting, sculpture, pottery, etc.

Stu | Improved Lives Says:

May 15th, 2008, 13:45 pm

Clay,

Although I’m not calling bullshit, like Chakra (comment #5) I would like to know what your sources are. You do mention psychological literature and that this post is the result of your investigations into that literature.

The thing is I write about how to use psychology for personal growth, so while it’s nice to see posts like this I’m very interested in the psychological research behind them.

Herdi Says:

May 15th, 2008, 14:19 pm

I agree, lots of thinking that matters..

Lauren | Leet Tech Says:

May 15th, 2008, 14:26 pm

I must agree with the others, Clay, this is a snazzy post. Creativity is a funny thing; hard to pin down. It’s nice to physically see this concrete tips.

@John A Arkansawyer:
Ditto.

“I want to thank Elaine for her comment. It’s what triggered me to check out Clay’s site and then subscribe.”

I’m sure I don’t even need to say anything about the “godless” comment; I don’t feel the need to defend atheism/agnosticism. After all, that’s a personal and spiritual choice. It would seem that that kind of intolerance doesn’t exactly fit here.

Nonetheless. Clay, your writing style is very fluid and pleasing. Excellent work.

Malorie Says:

May 15th, 2008, 14:55 pm

Wow. I didn’t realize my fiance was a “type.” You seemed to describe him to a “T”.

RJ - Ramoney Says:

May 15th, 2008, 15:52 pm

Great article Clay, as always. The “idea timer” to force you to think is a fantastic idea. I may give that a try over the weekend:)

Clay Collins | The Growing Life Says:

May 15th, 2008, 16:52 pm

A couple of people have asked about sources. No problem. Shoot me an email at thegrowinglife {at} gmail {dot} com and I’ll get you a full bibliography.

Torley Says:

May 15th, 2008, 19:40 pm

Leo & Clay join forces on Zen Habits! Or at least, guest blogging… but still, kewl. :)

Amram Jochabed Says:

May 15th, 2008, 20:50 pm

All one or none! Moral ABC’s are 1-2-3, none more to be!

One! All one for all for all for one, or none! One or none or done! All one! All one!

Code 2 blue for you! All two, or we’re through! Two Blue, True Blue. All one for two!

allena Says:

May 15th, 2008, 21:03 pm

yes, um, I’m here for the atheist convention? Hmm? Wrong post? Sorry.

It’s hard to be a prolific anything without so much funny distraction available in the Internet-o-verse.

Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map Says:

May 15th, 2008, 22:39 pm

Clay, well written! I sure like point #4. It’s easy to lose the momentum of creativity. Then again, creativity should never be forced. Nevertheless, it will be nice to have a habitual free flow of ideas.

Thanks for sharing,
Evelyn

Duff Says:

May 16th, 2008, 0:17 am

(People who engage in cognitively taxing jobs are often too mentally exhausted at the end of the day to be creative).

Totally. One of the best jobs I ever had was dishwashing at my college’s cafeteria.

Indigene Says:

May 16th, 2008, 0:34 am

Ruthlessly guard your mind. This also means not allowing others or society to dictate who you are based on your desk job.

Our society often labels individuals by what they do, so that if you’re a wait person, or garbage collector, they are dismissive without knowing or letting this person share information about themselves. It would be nice if we could move beyond, “who or where do you work”" to genuinely listening and not ready to listen with a defense in mind to their thoughts. I’ve found the older I get, the more interested I am in people’s hearts and their ability to share truthfully, warts and all.

Thanks for sharing thoughts, Clay and remember you can’t please everyone, just go for the ones who your words resonate with. Keep up the good work.

Urraca Says:

May 16th, 2008, 12:24 pm

Clay, I can’t stress how timely your blog post was. I keep a blog that chronicles my own fiction writing, and I often talk about many of these factors you mention for any creative person’s life. However, you really summed them up nicely. I blogged on your article a bit today. Your post was very helpful and dare I say, inspirational. My full post is at http://cesartorres.net/blog/?p=110

George Donnelly Says:

May 16th, 2008, 12:37 pm

> Keep your creative inertia going

Did you mean ‘momentum’ instead of ‘inertia’? :)

zoom Says:

May 16th, 2008, 13:04 pm

Inertia means stagnation - why would you want to nurture your creative stagnation?

good doggy Says:

May 17th, 2008, 13:15 pm

The author confused the terms “inertia” and “momentum”. In physics, Newton’s First Law of Motion says: “An object that is not subject to any outside forces moves at a constant velocity, covering equal distances in equal times along a straight-line path.” In even simpler terms, inertia means “A body in motion tends to remain in motion, a body at rest tends to remain at rest.” So technically there is a link to momentum, but they are different both from a scientific and semantic perspective. Simply put inertia has come to mean the tendency to remain at rest or resist acceleration and change, while momentum is understood to be an object’s tendency to remain in motion and resist change and deceleration.

Miss Gisele B. Says:

May 17th, 2008, 18:08 pm

I’ve adopted this strategy from the beginning: ” Have a habit of writing. Highly prolific people tend to work even when they’re not inspired. They’ve developed the production habit”. This has helped me a lot in writing even when I’m “not in the mood”. If you wait to be “in the mood” you might not be able to write enought content and that’s a disadvantage to bloggers.

Great food for thought Leo!

Miss Gisele B.

Skeptic Says:

May 17th, 2008, 23:36 pm

Great, great! I have a corporate job and I always thougth that I am a writer with desk job, instead of a worker who also writes. Kaflka was a great writer with a desk job (at an insurance company).

Now I feel great. Thanks.

Chris Bonney Says:

May 18th, 2008, 6:44 am

Great post. My hang up on ruthlessly guard your mind is this: (and I say this from experience). As a musician I took on mindless jobs because I didn’t want to bogart the creative flow, but I found myself with low self-esteem to boot. Success breeds success. If you have the capacity to do more than pump gas, then you should should. The inertia from succeeding in one area of your life carries over to other areas and the same applies to failure.

Creole Carmichael Says:

May 18th, 2008, 23:51 pm

Discribes me to a T!

Pageturners Says:

May 19th, 2008, 4:51 am

Poor Mozart. What he could have done if only he’d taken this advice.

Ibrahim Says:

May 19th, 2008, 11:23 am

Hey Leo, excellent article. I’m using it for my weekly focus at ZenCollegeLife.com. Thanks for all of your writing. You keep me motivated to continue writing myself!

oakling Says:

May 19th, 2008, 17:21 pm

I thought “prolificacy? is that a word?” (it’s not) and went to the google search box to look it up… only to be met by the last thing I looked up: the Simpsons line where Kent Brockman “strong, bewildering words.”

I’ll say!

Clay Collins | The Growing Life Says:

May 19th, 2008, 17:24 pm

@Oakling: Prolificacy certainly is a word. Please see:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prolificacy

–Clay

Jeanne Rhea Says:

May 19th, 2008, 18:40 pm

Excellent post! I am going to put a link on my blog.

shann Says:

May 20th, 2008, 20:53 pm

Clay,

Great post. I teach Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way workshops and inspire people to rekindle their creativity every day.

Prolific creation is what makes me tick.

Calming Corners Says:

May 21st, 2008, 8:23 am

Thank you so much for this post. I really needed to read this, I was in a strong battle with the next step in life regarding my writing. With a lot of prayer and meditation I know I need to continue because I am living my life mission and dream. I declared myself as a writer two years ago, since then I have been writing along with working my regular 9-5. Many times I feel we get caught up on whats not working and forget to give thanks for the things that are. I am realizing that the seed I planted two years ago is growing at a steady pace and that gives me comfort to know it is for sure!

Peace and Blessings,
CC

madeline matz Says:

May 23rd, 2008, 18:29 pm

I thought this was a great and insightful article but could you please edit the word inertia out and replace with what the author probably meant - momentum?
It smacked me like a brick wall and also confused me.
I think what was written is too powerful and useful to let it remained posted with this error.With synonyms listed for inertia listed as passivity, indolence, inactivity and laziness, I think its use here obscures the point.

Peter Says:

May 25th, 2008, 6:27 am

To be honest I used to think all this self-improvement business was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. Then someone left a copy of Bob and Mel Blanchard’s book, Live What Your Love in my cab and in between fares I would browse through it, mostly out of boredom.

Surprisingly I found parts of it rang true with me and when I finally finished the book I was actually inspired to get out of my lousy job and make a better life for myself. Now, it seems, I can’t get enough of improving myself and I love finding sites like this one that help inspire me and help me to choose where to go next.

Todd Henry Says:

May 27th, 2008, 5:43 am

This is very helpful. I love the idea of creating stability where it counts. Many people long for “freedom” and think that the solution is to “toss everything up in the air” but realistically it’s much easier to start from a firm foundation and have established boundaries. Brilliant point.