Controlling the Wildfire: Passion and Purpose

Now that we’ve discussed the state of our creative fire and how to keep it burning, we need to look at how to reign in the blazing wildfire and harness that energy to work for us instead of something we have to fight with. Creativity is a force of nature, of energy, of will. It can overwhelm, distract, burn out, and consume. Passion is the wildfire, purpose is our drive to commit to a creative life. The two need each other. We cannot sacrifice purpose because we are impassioned. Nor can we forsake passion to only trudge along for the sake of finishing a project we have lost all ability to find joy in. Creativity is a way of bringing our passions purposeful focus. To do that we need to allow ourselves to feel that fire without getting burned up by it in the process. 

I want to look at what a wildfire of creativity can look like and how it affects the creative process as a whole. Once we can identify what wildfire we are dealing with we can then look at strategies to reign it in and harness that power to work for the project instead of against it. Finally, as we funnel that energy we see the character of creativity come through; an actualization of what we are building in ourselves when we stand by our wildness and allow our creative fire to grow. 

Wildfires Out of Control

Perpetual Ideation - This feels powerful. It feels abundant, life giving, like momentum that can only increase. Ideation is a delight and a necessity; abundant ideation is the crux of creativity. When ideation, that thrill of generating ideas, of creative energy flowing through us becomes all consuming we stagnant in a place of beginning, in a season of passion with no purpose. The best idea is nothing without follow through, commitment, focus. A state of perpetual ideation is gripping and dangerous because it stops us from ever truly beginning. But if we can focus our thoughts, organize our ideas, we are better able to find the thread of follow through and commit to realizing our creative ideas in purposeful steps. 

Shiny New Project Syndrome - A condition that can occur in conjunction with perpetual ideation, jumping from one project to the next feels exciting and commendable - you’ve had the idea, you started, maybe even almost finished, but then something new and wonderful pops into our brains or catches our eye and we follow that creative spark, stoking it into a new raging inferno before the last one has died. Perhaps we bounce back and forth or simply follow each and every spark until we create little fires all around us that consume our creative energy without ever actually becoming anything. 

40% Pinch Point - A symptom of the shiny new project syndrome, wildfires blaze bright and hot before smouldering for hours before reigniting or jumping to a fresh patch of ideas and energy. It looks like follow through, it feels like progress, but then we hit a wall, a hard stop, fizzling out of oxygen. 40% feels like a grasp, tangible, like something has been more than started, there is commitment, it can begin to feel like enough has been done to keep the project going, but the wildfire is in a state of burning out before it jumps ship - too hot, too bright and then gone. This pinch point is a spiral out of control. The project unravels, stalls, is consumed by itself. 

Reigning in Control

10 Minute Creative Purge - A great way to shake yourself loose and embrace the chaos of a wildfire in rage. Spend ten minutes, set a timer, and just unleash yourself to create with reckless abandon before actually beginning your practice for the day. Before you harness that creative drive, allow it to breathe. It must first flare before it can settle. The ten minute purge gives us space to burn and dial in. 

One line, One week, One hour - This is a strategy to continue to follow through on projects and stay on track with the task at hand. For me, to write and stick to it I commit to writing one line each week and dedicate one hour of time to do so. It’s minimal, simple, and keeps me thinking about the project at hand, focused on where my energy funnels. Make the smallest commitment, one that feels silly and ridiculous that has 100% chance of success. 

Out of Order - Do it backwards, do it disjointed, do the fun part first and fill the rest in later. Sometimes we get so stuck on doing it right we stop ourselves from doing it at all. That scene you envisioned before you had a thread for the story? - write it first. The colour you saw without shape or form? - mix it. To reign in the passion you have for a project, give in to the spark first; the thrill will settle and the rush will fade, but that key piece of inspiration will be captured and act as the guiding beacon for the rest of the project. 

Creative Character Development 

Accountability - Harnessing that passion and raging desire to create teaches us to hold ourselves accountable to our projects, our communities, and to ourselves. Often, the artist, the creative, the entrepreneur before they are accountable to anyone else - clients, community, shareholders - they are accountable to themselves and to their work. We are responsible for the fuel we use, the fire we stoke, and the burn that is left behind. 

Progress - This measure of a project, this temperature for our practice is what we can see being done. This is the creating. Step by step, from sparks to ashes, our fire will grow, consume, and die. Watching that change, driving that transformation throughout is what keeps the creative engaged. Without progress our creative practice loses steam, literally burning out. Taking steps to reign in control over the wildfire of our creativity allows us to clear the smoke and see how far we’ve come. 

Self Trust - All about steady control and consistent effort, building self trust in the creative practice is near impossible when the wildfires are raging. Finding the center in the chaos, drawing on small steps forward and consistently showing up to douse the flames before adding more fuel where it counts all help toward building trust in your ability to lead a creative life day in and day out. It’s not about off the charts passion or burning brightest before burning out. Self trust in the creative practice happens when we fan the flames and fuel ourselves to show up, sit down, and breathe life into our creative fires.