The Keys: Creativity and Discipline

Had a realisation come up recently, something that I like to call the keys: creativity and discipline.

What brought this thought out, was the fact that there are people out there who are hella creative, but have no discipline when it comes to getting shit done.

On the other hand, there are the people that are just task robots that get shit done, but it’s almost like they have no soul. They’re so boring and square, I would hate to be stuck in a lift with them.

What I realise is, you need to do both. The key to true success is both. And it’s a paradox, but that’s why it works.

In life, there are obligations that we inevitably have to complete for our survival. If you’re an entrepreneur, one day you’ll need to do the tax file. If you’re a parent, you’ll have to change a nappy. If you’re an employee, you have to turn up on time whether you like it or not.

These are the realities of life.

On the other side, there are things that we follow because it feels good. It’s a vibe. It might be a creative project, a partner, or an activity. We follow it because it feels right, and we don’t have much deeper explanation than that.

The realisation is – in life, it’s about both.

Creativity and discipline = gold.

Creativity without discipline is too chaotic and cannot come into its highest manifestation of form, because it has nothing to funnel it.

Imagine if Kanye never set his ass down to create Twisted Fantasy?

Imagine if Picasso never painted because he was too busy daydreaming?

Imagine if Walt Disney was too lazy to have the discipline to create Disneyland?

Then we wouldn’t have these beautiful pieces of work that enrich our lives today (these are just examples, and can be talked about in whatever artistic context you like).

Creativity without discipline is only potential.

It’s like you’ve got a gallon of water with no cup for it. So it just splatters to the ground – no-one can drink it anymore and there’s no practical use for it. It will just evaporate.

You had the potential for a nice refreshing glass of water, but that potential was wasted.

However, if you have a nice tall glass, you can form the water into a drinkable liquid. Now you can enjoy a glass of water.

That’s like creativity.

If you have just a glass with no water, then there’s nothing to enjoy. It’s just form and no fruits. That’s discipline without creativity. Integrating both is the key to your growth.

Be disciplined. Get shit done and follow through to completion. But also give yourself that creative space to allow things to arise naturally within you.

Give yourself the opportunity to veer off course. Because it’s off course where you’ll find new ways of doing things which can challenge your way of thinking and help you innovate.

But always have an endgame in mind that you’re aiming for.


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