I'll Be Creative, I Promise

I make promises, and promises drive my creative work.

My creativity is like an electrical current. It’s invisible, but it’s there, buzzing with potential. It’s sort of magical and elusive. I can’t just touch it and pick it up and meter it out. I need the right plug.

If I make a promise to a person I respect, I can’t think about anything else until I’ve kept it. I’ll eat and sleep out of habit, but the food is duller and the promise greets me when my eyes open in the morning. Good morning sir, you have a promise to keep.

If I tell a client, “every Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll show up to the call with work,” well then, damn it, I’ll show up with work. I’ll show up with something to discuss, to push the project forward. Sometimes a leap, sometimes a step, but a promise made, a promise kept. And steadily the work gets done.

And a corollary: if I want to be more ambitious, I can make bigger promises. When I’m overworked, or my ambition wanes, I can make smaller ones. My creativity rises to the occasion.