How to Form New Habits with Creativity

Note: As with many of my journal entries, the main topic—in this case habits and creativity—can sometimes take a little while to get to. This is due to the actual creative process. Many times you're sorting things out as you write. That's part of the fun of it.

At the same time, the internal voices of doubt and "logic" creep in with thoughts like "You'll never make a career out of just playing. You've got to grind—research the market, do what successful people do, find as many role models as possible and emulate them, etc.," and so on.

On the one hand, the role model and emulation thing make sense. I mean, Jesus wasn't a music sensation, so how can I use Him for ideas in that area. On the other hand, we have the awesome privilege of the Holy Spirit to "guide us into all truth (John 16:13; 1 Jn. 2:27)." That includes success principles and strategies.

I love watching YouTube and social media for actually learning music, course building, mixing, marketing, etc., but I also watch it to look for ideas on how to present my own content. Maybe I'm taking it too literally, though.

Instead of thinking I should be following every "guru" and doing exactly what they do, how can I look at these ideas and say, "How can I apply these tactics and come up with my own strategies in a way that best represents my personality, beliefs, values, etc.?"

I've been contemplating a "digital fast" lately. What if I took the time—let's say on my next vacation or even for a weekend—to ignore social media, take a digital fast, and focus on bettering myself and coming up with my own strategies?

If I develop a solid foundation of my own that's strong enough, I won't be tempted to be swayed by "every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14)" from other "experts." I'll be able to pick and choose what lines up with my own ideas and leave the rest without the feelings of guilt and missing out.

Most of my social media consumption can be contributed to one thing: curiosity. In the age we live, we can satisfy all our curiosities immediately and easily with the click of a button or the use of a simple search phrase. All I have to do is put my curiosity under subjection; not let my mind run away with itself.

In part, curiosity is a habit that must be redirected. In the book The Power of Focus, habits are seen as the underlying culprit of all actions. So when you detect an unproductive, unhealthy habit, it's time to exercise your dominion over the choices you make that feed such habits. Starve bad habits and nurture newborn good habits.

It's a constant struggle, mostly because old habits creep in subtly, always in the back of your mind. It's what you've always done in the past; that's why it's so hard to change. Habits seem to have a pull equivalent to emotional gravity; you can't escape it.

Or can you?

How would I create an anti-gravity chamber for old habits? Can Morning Pages or freewriting or mind-mapping serve this purpose somehow? All three feel like a kind of "reset button" for seeing a fresh perspective on things. Maybe the act of creation itself is an anti-gravity device. When in the flow state, you are seemingly floating through time and space.

In this way, creativity can be the impetus for change.

When we create, we are developing and birthing new ideas. New habits can then be cultivated and formed to replace old habits. But the concept of a habit itself must not be overlooked—or underestimated. Habits require repetition. Again, persistent consistence. A task repeated over and over again, every day, preferably at the same time each day, is the way to develop a new habit.

When you think about it, habits are the ultimate productivity tool. Why? Because once you fully engrain them, habits become automatic, with little to no thought or effort on your part.

So when you want to create new habits or abandon old ones, press the "reset button"—write about it, draw it out, give your mind something visual to focus on. Most importantly, get creative!