Unleash your inner genius.
Creative Calling: Establish a Daily Practice, Infuse Your World with Meaning, and Earn a Living Doing What You Love
by Chase Jarvis
Creativity
TL;DR
This book is all about establishing a non-negotiable daily creative practice to stop waiting for inspiration and start making stuff. It pushes you to find and amplify your authentic voice, not some watered-down version of what you think others want. You'll learn to overcome the paralyzing fear of perfectionism by just shipping your work, even if it's messy. Ultimately, it's a guide to monetizing your unique creative output by treating your passion like a real business, building a community, and consistently showing up.
Action Items
Pick one creative activity you want to do, and commit to doing it for 10 minutes right after you wake up tomorrow, before anything else.
Think about something you genuinely love or hate that others might find weird. Create something small based on that raw, unfiltered feeling.
Find one creative project you've been sitting on. Do the absolute minimum to make it 'done' and share it with one person you trust.
Reach out to one person whose creative work you admire and tell them you appreciate it. See if a conversation sparks, or if they're open to a quick chat.
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Key Chapter
Chapter - The Daily Practice: Show Up, Do the Work
Ever feel like you're waiting for a lightning bolt of inspiration to strike before you start creating? Yeah, that's a trap. This chapter basically screams that consistency is king, not some mythical muse. It's like hitting the gym: you don't get ripped by thinking about working out, you get ripped by showing up daily, even if it's just for a quick session. Your creative muscle needs the same treatment. Stop waiting for the 'perfect' idea or the 'right' mood. Just show up, do the damn thing, even for 15 minutes, and watch how that small, daily effort compounds into actual progress. It's about building momentum, not waiting for a grand revelation.
Key Methods and Approaches
Your Creative Gym Membership
(AKA: Establishing a Daily Practice)
Description:
Stop waiting for inspiration to hit; just show up and do your creative thing every single day, no excuses.
Explanation:
Your creative brain is like a lazy roommate who only cleans when guests are coming over. You gotta force it into a routine. This method is about treating your creative work like a non-negotiable appointment, like brushing your teeth or scrolling TikTok. It's not about making a masterpiece daily, it's about building the habit. Think of it as tiny reps for your brain, making it stronger over time. Even five minutes counts, just get your ass in the chair.
Examples:
Write 200 words every morning before you even check your phone.
Sketch one random object during your lunch break, no matter how bad it looks.
Spend 15 minutes editing photos from last weekend, even if you only fix one.
Today's Action:
Pick one creative activity you want to do, and commit to doing it for 10 minutes right after you wake up tomorrow, before anything else.
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