The Context
Every creator needs an on ramp. A ritual that prompts a work mindset, a moment that merges you into the creative process, an environment that sets a tone that says work happens here, a practice that ensures cadence and rhythm, and a routine that gets you in the mood, in the flow and in the zone, so that by the time you actually hit the highway of life, you’re traveling at the same speed as traffic, and you can navigate the road effectively. It’s actually quite scientific. The brain takes cues from the body. Whatever on ramp behavior we practice, it activates the creative subroutine in our head, brings up our energy and snaps us into the appropriate state of mind to do our work. That’s why so many artists start every day of their lives in exactly same way. Because they don’t want to have to wake up and look for options of what to do first. That’s a decision-making process that’s exhaustive and stressful and wastes valuable energy they should be dedicating to making things.
The Tool
On Ramp
ON RAMP -- A creative subroutine that brings up your energy and snaps you into the appropriate state of mind to do your work.
Most daily routines work this way. The discipline becomes a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of a range of limited resources, be it time, space, money or relationships. It becomes the key that unlocks the door to creativity. Francis Spufford, author of the book Unapologetic, found the same to be true in the church world. Her thesis was that religion, irrational as it may be, could still make surprising emotional sense to people. In her research, she found that reciting the same prayers again and again, pacing her body again and again through the set movements of faith, somehow kept the door ajar through which the divine could enter. Repetition, she said, was not the enemy of spontaneity, but maybe even its enabler. And by holding onto the deep grooves of holy habit, carved into her life over and over by repetition, whenever she sat down, whatever she needed would be there.
The Rest
Creativity works on faith. It's not being in the light, it’s being there before it arrives. All you have to do is activate the creative subroutine in your head. What daily ritual will be your on ramp?
The Benefits
Get immediate access to creative energy
Overcoming inertia, build momentum
Keep the flow from closing down
Save time by snap into work mode faster