Creative practice: fuel for challenging times
Dear Reader
As 2026 kicks off in earnest, I’ve been hearing a different tune than January normally brings.
In meetups and chats, on LinkedIn and newsletters, and in different ways, the conversation has been shifting towards authenticity and personal creative exploration - crafting, music, writing, visual arts - you name it.
For me, this is how most holidays start - it’s not the stuff of New Year ‘resolutions’.
The notable absence of goal hype feels like a good shift. And it makes sense.
It’s a strange time, when international events are not only beyond our control but possibly beyond any control; AI is everywhere - a spectre and a saviour; our news sources and personalised streams bombard us with content - facts and fakes, expertise and slop - and competitive visibility drowns quality.
Cutting through the noise and navigating a path to where we want to be, can be both overwhelming and exhausting.
How does a creative focus help us?
Following a creative pursuit is not simple work. New or complicated techniques pose challenges, outcomes are unpredictable; we face down inner criticism long before we hear external opinions.
We may even start to wonder why we do this to ourselves - and voluntarily!
So here are a lot of the whys:
- Being present
Exploring a practice or technique forces us to focus on the present moment: the resources we need, the steps we’ll follow, and whatever we’re making as it emerges.
For that moment, the rest of the world fades away.
- Personal decision making
Creative exercise goes beyond technique and process, to options and preferences. When we’re making micro-decisions about how we’ll follow process, which resources we’d like to include and exclude, and what our preferences are - we land up hearing our own thoughts quite clearly.
- It’s not always about achieving goals
Sometimes we’ll get to a tangible ‘end result’ but mostly these explorations aren’t driving towards an outcome: they’re giving us learning, insight, and reflection. And repeating a practice over and over can become meditative in itself, leading to a flow state where self-consciousness collapses, and reward is found simply in the activity.
Here, ‘being’ and ‘doing’ are about as close as they can get.
- Finding fun
One of the nicest things about creative practice is bringing whimsy to our decisions.
“What if I tried…” “You know what we could do…” “Ooh, maybe I’ll…”
These explorations bring learning without repercussions, and satisfy a curious and playful part of ourselves.
- Finding our voice
All of these micro-decisions combine to make a process absolutely unique to us - embodying our thoughts, preferences, skill level and learning, that develops as we go. More than creating any end product, the process connects us with our own voice and what matters to us. This is incredibly valuable when we need to go back and navigate the noise outside of our personal bubbles - we are anchored in our own perspective and far less likely to be blown about by the winds of change.
Fuel to keep going
And between the mindful practice, flow state, and quirky fun decisions, something more lasting arises. Some accomplishments here, some self-indulgence there, some relinquishing control for chance - and in small moments, we find joy.
And joy an energy that nourishes us and spills over into the rest of our world, allowing us to return to our messy, confusing, demanding and overwhelming places - refueled and refreshed.
And when we have both joy and a clear, centred, authentic voice, we start from a truly resilient place: ready to orient ourselves and start to walk the many challenging paths we face.
*And if a whole practice feels like too much, even five minutes of random doodling or listening actively to music can be a start!
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Wishing you many moments for refueling and refreshment as you move into the year ahead.
And once you're ready to explore what an authentic innovation strategy might look like for you, Four steps to a resilient innovation strategy is a good place to start.
Have questions or ideas to share?
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I coach organisations across industries in innovation, leadership and agile practice.
If you're looking to introduce innovation culture in your organisation, I'd love to chat!
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