Four Lessons On Child-like Creativity

Or How to Kill a Creative Block

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

This was not part of the plan. Originally, I wanted to write something else - on why one should attempt to make their dream into a reality. However, my subconscious mind (the true author of The Pulp Fictioneer) had other intentions. I made numerous attempts to steer it back on course; to write what I set out to write in the first place.

I failed.

Truth be told, my heart was not in it. Not now anyway. ’m sure it will make a fine essay in the future. I’m not interested in writing for the sake of it. I also don’t want to half-ass a post - that doesn’t seem fair to the people who take time to read this. This newsletter acts as an outlet to share with readers what I find interesting regarding the Pulp ethos and I’m extremely fortunate that a few people feel the same way.

Now gather round, dear reader, for a few lessons I’ve learned on creativity.

I mentioned earlier that my subconscious mind is the true author of this newsletter. There is very little planning before hand when I write. Ideas just pop up and I run with it and in an hour or two I complete the first and final draft then publish. However, recently I’ve come to a stopping point in my writing this past week - dead cold. I’ve gone on record before saying that I don’t really believe in Writer’s Block. For me, a creative block comes when something in my life is out of balance that is seeped into my subconscious mind instead of a typical block of“I don’t have any idea what to write next”.

When the back of my mind is focused on something else entirely, my creative well becomes polluted and sitting down to write becomes a chore - like work. If you are a parent, or have any experience with young children then you’ve seen this first hand. Try telling a 5 year old that they must do something. If it doesn’t involve running around like a lunatic or some other fun activity they rather be doing, then you can forget it. Children would rather play all day than be bothered to do any work or at least what feels like work. Try to tell a child it’s time to stop having fun and they suddenly become immovable. It won’t always result in a tantrum, but you can see the glimmering light vanish from their eyes as they drag their feet to clean up their room, put their clothes away, or pick up their toys.

Setting barriers, rules, and constraints around a 5 year old boy bursting with energy is the same trying to cage a wild animal. The subconscious mind - the creative mind acts the same way. Putting all these rules and restrictions in place instead of allowing yourself to play freely makes the creative process a laborious task. It becomes a chore and all the fun is taken out of it. I may be in the minority to say this but I don’t think writing, especially writing fiction is a serious or painful work that you must sweat and bleed over. I just don’t.

Watching my 6 year old nephew building with LEGO pieces proves this to me.

I rediscovered an old blog post I wrote a few years ago that originally inspired this topic about my nephew Ben and how I’ve been inspired by his LEGO building process.

#1: Trust the Process AND your subconscious  mind

Ben never thinks about what he wants to build in the moment. He simply grabs a handful of LEGO, finds an empty spot in the living room to work, and puts everything together one block at a time. If you watch carefully, you can see the moment in his eyes when he suddenly realizes, “Oh this is a spaceship!”

By that time, 80% of what he’s building is complete. He might make a few additions, like a steering wheel and a Batman figure as the pilot. All that matters is that he starts the building process, the result takes care of itself.  

Writing is the same way. Learning to focus solely on producing the words in the moment is key. In the case of fiction, writing one word at a time takes the pressure off myself. Just write and the story takes care of itself. 

#2:  Being Prolific

Ben is always building. Always creating. 

Most nights, without fail and without hesitation, he will walk up the stairs, knock on the door to my study (back when he and his family lived with us) and simply ask: “Do you want to play LEGO with me?” If I’m being honest, it’s hard to say no to him. Something tells me he knows that. 

Sometimes I’m not able to build with him. But never fear! He will happily build by himself for as long as he needs to. 

Ben’s body of work is quite extensive; building everything from racing cars, high towers, helicopters, spaceships, and monsters. If he can imagine it, he can build it. The key takeaway is simple: just keep creating. 

The best artists throughout history were prolific. From Picasso producing 50,000 works of art to Harlan Ellison publishing over 1,000 short stories, the list is endless. Builders build and writers write.  

#3: Perfectionism is Stupid

Those are not his words by the way.

An important lesson to learn, though not an easy one. Stop wasting time with a perfect product. 

Ben doesn’t care if his race car has three big tires and one small one. He doesn’t spend countless hours looking for all red bricks to match his tower. Instead, he grabs what is available to him, slaps it together, and he’s done. Next!

This is something I’ve struggled with for years. If the words didn’t convey what I wanted, whether it be mood, character, or plot, I would get frustrated, tear it apart instantly, and never finish. I’ve gotten better at keeping the need for my writing to be “perfect” in check, but sometimes it can be a challenge.

#4: Have Fun!

When I asked my nephew what he likes about building Lego his answer was easy…

“Because it’s fun!”

It’s really that simple. If you’re not having fun, then why are you doing it? 

One of the world’s most prolific writers and one of my favorites, Dean Wesley Smith, always emphasizes the importance of having fun with your writing. If you want to write fiction, then sitting in the room making up stories should be a joy to look forward to, not a chore that you dread. 

Whether it’s building with LEGO, running around outside, drawing cartoons, or playing video games, if you ask a kid why he or she does it they'll likely tell you that it’s fun. 

If you’re a painter, a musician, a writer, a carpenter, or LEGO Master Builder...make sure you’re having fun with it.

Last Thoughts:

If I could summarize these lessons into a sentence it would be this: Create like a child. 

As children we have wild imaginations that appear limitless. We were influenced by everything we saw and inspiration never seemed to cease. You’ll hear from parents of young children and kindergarten teachers all the time that play is crucial for development. But as we get older, we tend to lose our inner creativity and are often critical of the ideas that pop into our heads. This can be a curse for many creatives, but the remedy is easy to remember:

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

Fred Rogers