Breaking Down Writing & Creativity Myths
Do you know what really pisses me off? People who perpetuate insidious, unhelpful, and damaging writing and creativity myths. These “myths” are not only untrue most of the time, but they’re also downright dangerous to a creative soul. If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you’ll know that I LOVE to rebel against almost anything that belongs in a “should” category. We do enough “shoulding” on ourselves day-to-day that we really don’t need the external world to force it on us, too. So I’m hoping to break down some of these common myths so you can reclaim your power as a creative and/or writer. Let’s get started.
Quick disclaimer here! Some of these myths you may actually believe and adhere to... and that’s great! If it works for you, then this piece wasn’t written for you. But if you have struggled or currently struggle with some of these myths, then you are who I’m writing this for.
General Creativity Myths
The Myth of Being a “Creative”
“What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” — Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
There is something uniquely irritating about people’s assumption that being creative means being only one or two things. Like those that assume when you say you’re creative — you mean that you paint and therefore are an artist. Or those who follow up with your statement of being creative with, “So you scrapbook or do crafts and stuff?”
Being creative, to me, is not a matter of doing something — it’s a state of being. As in, it doesn’t matter which activity or project you’re working on — you can always be creative. And I actually believe, deep down in my soul, that everyone IS creative. It’s not something one has to learn... it’s inherent. We all have it inside of us. How we choose to wield that creativity is what makes us all different and amazing.
#Truthbomb — I don’t think being creative is all that impressive or noteworthy precisely because we all are inherently creative. I think how people choose to incorporate their creativity into their lives is more impressive and interesting. I love to see how others embed creativity into their lives in often the most mundane of situations. How we make meaning out of creativity is what inspires me. How we use creativity to heal or empower us — that’s what I find compelling.
The Myth of “Always be Creating”
This myth is very much akin to the hustle culture mentality that has become so prevalent in today’s world. There’s this assumption that someone who is creative is always working on a creative project or somehow involved with a creative endeavor every single day. And that’s just not true. You are still a creative person if you are not producing creative works. You are still a creative if you’re not working toward a creative end goal every day. You are STILL a creative, even if you don’t do your “creative project of choice” for weeks, months, or years.
As my friend, mentor, and business coach, Alisha Wielfaert says, “there are always seasons of creative hibernation.” I love that because it feels so true to life. Sometimes, being creative means conserving your mental, emotional and physical energy in certain seasons of your life. Sometimes it means there’s a creative project so near and dear to you that it requires solitude, introspection, and rest to percolate and come to the surface.
And lastly, this myth doesn’t take into account the energy we have to put into dealing with both our internal seasons and the external complexities of the world. It’s hard to be creative when you’re fighting for literal life and death in a war. It’s hard to be creative when a global pandemic knocks the world off course. It’s hard to be creative when you are in a season of depression (another myth we’ll talk about) or reeling from other health issues. Not being creative for a span of time does not equate to “not being a creative person.” And it doesn’t mean what, when, or how you create is any less valuable or worthwhile.
The Myth of “Mental Illness is Good for Creativity.”
While studies have linked mental illness to creativity, there is somehow this viewpoint that in order to create these magnificent and amazing creative works — one must be engaged with their mental illness. Sure, there are stories about creatives who thrived in their creativity while dealing with mental illness... it’s a great coping mechanism. But some have turned that connection into a myth that the only way TO be creative is to therefore be mentally ill. And I disagree. A lot of people disagree actually. My own experience (and the experience of many creatives I work with on a daily basis) have said that it’s actually harder to be creative when you’re dealing with mental illness.
In fact, at the worst points in my mental illness, I’m unable to be creative. It’s as if it zaps every creative thread holding me together and I usually end up not creating anything at all. However, when I’m able to manage and treat my mental illness, I’m more creative. And I’m more holistically creative — meaning I’m able to be creative not just in my “art” but in my life, in general.
The Myth of the “Starving Artist”
This is another myth that really grinds my gears because today, it’s more likely than ever that creatives can be paid (and paid well) for what they’re creating. This myth may have been true decades ago, but I don’t believe it stands up today. With technology and the advancement of ways in which creative people can release their work and get paid for it has never been higher. And a large portion of creators have a dual working relationship with their art — they secure income elsewhere that helps sustain their creative projects. Is it easy to make a living from your creative projects? No, I won’t say that it’s easy but I will say that there are more opportunities to make a living from creative projects than there ever have been before.
The Myth of “Everyone Wants to/Should Share Their Creativity”
If you could see me right now, you’d see the steam coming from my ears. I loathe this myth because it is presumptuous and wrong. As if we all create in order to give it to others. That the only reason one should create is to “share it” or “sell it.” There’s this idea that it’s our duty as creatives to create for the masses. We shouldn’t “hide” our talents or keep them for ourselves.
Which leads me to...
The Myth of “Art Should Be Free”
Why? Please oh please, someone tell me why art should be free? Like, give me a good reason that I can’t refute... because every single argument I’ve seen for this can be rendered irrelevant. I don’t even have anything else to say about this myth because I find it incredibly ridiculous.
The Myth of “Suffering for our Art”
This is a myth that does have roots in reality. Sometimes, we do suffer for our art or creative projects. Sometimes, it’s very painful. But, that’s not true for creating every time. And this idea that in order for whatever we’re creating to be worthwhile or useful, we must have had to suffer for it is ridiculous. For example — these articles. Every month, I put my time, energy, and soul into writing articles for people but have I suffered for it? Has it been a slog? Absolutely not. It’s actually a highlight of my month, writing these articles. I look forward to it. I never feel like I have to “cut open a vein and bleed” onto the keyboard to produce something useful and worthwhile. And this idea is perpetuated by a lot of people who tout mainstream method approaches to creativity. But when you find an entry point into your creative projects that feels right for you, the suffering is not there a majority of the time.
I like to tell my students and clients, “if it feels like you’re suffering for your art, then you might not be doing it right.” Because the truth is, even as hard as it may be to bring a creative project to life, it certainly doesn’t hinge on how much you “suffered” to get there.
The Myth of “Educated Artists”
You knew I was going to bring this one up at some point, didn’t you? It’s the whole basis for my Rebel MFA Degree and Rebel MFA Way projects. Because one of the most harmful myths around is that someone must be “educated” in order to create something valuable and worthwhile. So many of my favorite creators did NOT go to school for the creations they’re putting out in the world. Most are self-taught. And even as someone who did go to school for my creative writing, I can say with 100% honesty that nothing I learned there mattered in how I operate, live, and create today. I’ve learned more from self-teaching and experiencing life than I ever did in school. And this notion that one must hold an even HIGHER level of education to teach others is bullshit.
I do not have an MFA or a background in education. But I know how to teach like a boss. In fact, I didn’t even realize how good of a teacher I was until my students brought it to my attention. Where did I learn to teach so well? Not by going to school! I learned by experiencing, but studying others, by developing my own voice and structure as a teacher. I learned how to connect and relate to my students so I could better understand how to help them with the concepts and theories that I teach.
And you know what? Some of my most important teachers and mentors in my life haven’t been educated as educators, either.
So hear me when I say — if you want to create, create. If you want to teach others, teach. If you want to write a book — write the damn book. Don’t look for outside validation or believe that you need to go back to “school” to learn how to do it. You already have what you need inside of you.
The Myth of “Technical Mastery”
“But I haven’t mastered X, Y, Z thing as it relates to my creative project.”
I hear this statement a lot. Like... so much so that I’ve started using it in my FAQs. Mostly, I hear it from writers who have fallen into the trap of believing that if they don’t know what a dangling modifier is or precisely where a comma goes, therefore, they shouldn’t be writing.
That’s just bullshit.
One of the greatest pieces of advice I was given came from a college professor who did NOT subscribe to this belief. He said, “there will always be aspects of your creative works that you’re not great at. You can work at it, sure, but sometimes, you’re just not very good at it. And that’s okay because there’s always someone else who is good at it. You want to find those people who will help you bring your project to the next level with their expertise.”
It stuck with me because, at that point, I did believe this myth. That I must know where every single comma or em dash or colon belonged. And the truth is — I never did need to know those things because that’s what editors are for. That’s what revising is for. That’s why there are people out there whose job it is is to ensure your comma is in the right place.
It especially doesn’t matter if you’re writing for yourself. Because you know what you’re trying to say. You know what writing that sentence meant to you. You don’t need to be technically proficient to read back your words and feel the emotion in them.
So if you’re being held back in your creativity by this belief that you must master every technique — I have some bad news... you will be waiting a long time to create. It’s just not possible or realistic to master every single technical or broad technique required.
Give this myth the middle finger and start creating, now.
The Myth of the “Lonely Artist”
Again, I see where this myth stems from. Sometimes, creativity requires solitude. Sometimes, it requires being alone and creating from a place of loneliness. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not “required” of you. In fact, I’ve found that most creatives are happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative when they find a community of like-minded individuals. It’s why I created The Write Minded Community. It’s why workshops are so powerful. Though you may “create” alone, it doesn’t mean you have to remain alone for all of it. It doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a community of others who are doing similar work.
One of my favorite aspects of the community is writing alone, together. There is something magical about being in a group of people who are all invested in their creative projects coming together to co-work. We may be pursuing different kinds of creativity, but the point is that we’re all creating in this sacred space, together.
Don’t believe the hype that you must be a creative living in a yurt in the middle of nowhere. While that does sound appealing for many reasons, it’s not a requirement. You don’t have to go at your art “alone.”
Writing Specific Myths
I wanted to double down on a few myths that involve writing because they are so pervasive and shaming that I often have to spend my first few weeks with a client helping them unlearn what these myths have told them is “true.”
The Myth of “Writing Every Day”
I know I’m going to get a lot of pushback on this one — that’s okay. I’ve been fighting it a long time and I’m well aware of how others have found this advice “helpful.” And in some circumstances, it can be very helpful. But more often than not, I see it touted as a “golden rule.” That this is how “real writers” get their work done. And obviously, I disagree. I think having a routine that results in writing every day is great — but I don’t believe it’s mandatory. And as Rachel Aaron says in her book, 2k to 10k — “While butt-in-chair time is the root of all writing, not all butt-in-chair time is equal.” And what she means by this is yes, it’s important to “show up” for your writing if you want to reach a goal but the time you spend on your writing isn’t always done with words on a page. Some of the best “writing” work you’ll do is in your head. Thinking about your characters or story. Thinking about the connections you want to make or the messages you want to send through your words. Some projects even require more percolation and simmering before even laying down a single word.
The Myth of “Writing Longhand”
This is going to be a short one (pun intended) because... this is just silly. I know there are studies done that say writing longhand (as in, with paper and pen) has its benefits. And that’s great... if you’re someone who can sustainably use the method and enjoy it. However, if you’re someone who has arthritis in their arms/hands, or writing longhand isn’t something you can do (or want to do) — guess what? You don’t have to! There are these new-ish things called computers and typewriters that will allow you to do everything you can do longhand (and a lot more than what you can do longhand if I’m being honest). Though this myth has been on the decline in the last decade, I still hear it from plenty of writers to know it’s not completely gone or dismissed. So here’s what I say about this myth: Write however the hell you want to write.
The Myth of “Writing Reality = Memoir”
Most of you can probably guess where I’m going to take this one seeing as how I’m the creator of Writing Fiction to Heal: A method to take your reality and shape it into fiction. So... let’s just cut right to it. This. Is. Bullshit.
You do NOT have to be a memoir writer to write your story. You do not have to write a memoir to infuse reality into your writing and you definitely do not have to write a memoir to write a book that helps you heal your own trauma, experiences, situations, etc.
Look, I’m not bashing the memoir genre — I actually love it. I just despise when people say there is only ONE path to walk. Memoir is fantastic and if you know that’s what you want to write — I will encourage you to do so. BUT. I don’t want you to think it’s the only path you have to walk to write about your reality. There are so many avenues today that you can take to write about real-life events or your life story. Do your research, do your internal work around your “why” and what you’re writing, and then make the decision.
The Myth of “Writer’s Block isn’t Real”*
I saved this one for last because it’s a big one. Probably one of the biggest ones I see still in circulation. There are usually two camps of writers:
Those that vehemently believe writer’s block isn’t a real thing
Those that vehemently believe writer’s block is most definitely a real thing.
*The truth is somewhere in the middle of those two thoughts. So here’s what I think.
We need to redefine what being “blocked” means. Right now, when people talk about writer’s block it’s a bit amorphous. At any one time, I’ve seen “writer’s block” described as:
The inability to write anything at all
The inability to write a particular kind of writing
The inability to write on a particular project
The inability to get words down on the page
The inability to finish a project
If you’ve experienced one or even all of the above, then you have probably felt them as a “block” to moving forward. In that way — I think “writer’s block” is a real thing.
What I don’t think is true is that “writer’s block” has to keep you blocked — or that it’s this mysterious thing that just happens to us and suddenly, it’s out of our control.
I think the “fix” for writer’s block is quite straightforward, actually. It’s just... hard. It’s hard work to fix things when we don’t know how they broke or how they fell apart in the first place.
This is why I think there needs to be a better definition under the umbrella of Writer’s Block, because in order to get through it — you have to understand what “it” is that is blocking you. When I work with clients and students and they bring up their struggle with Writer’s Block, it’s usually followed up with me asking a lot of annoying questions to get to the bottom of it.
Are they blocked because there is an issue with the story, the characters, the voice, etc.?
Are they blocked because there’s an issue in their life/world that hasn’t been addressed and it’s spilling over into their creative life?
Are they blocked because they are operating from a place of fear? Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of worthiness, perfectionism, etc.?
Are they blocked because this story isn’t the one they should be working on?
You get the gist. When we say we’re “blocked,” what we’re really saying is this: my momentum for this thing has waned or even stopped and I don’t know how to move forward.
The good news? If you’re willing to do the work, you can always become unblocked. If you’re willing to try new techniques or approaches, you can become unblocked. If you’re willing to look below the surface level of your feelings and find the true source of your block, you can become unblocked.
So this myth is true and yet... untrue. It exists in shades of grey. Kind of like most things in life.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever fallen prey to one of these myths, you’re not alone. There are plenty of them that I erroneously believed for a long time. It’s kind of hard not to when society and “gurus” try to convince us otherwise. So I hope after reading some of these arguments against the common myths, you feel better prepared to rebel against them, too.
