Creativity is hard to capture. There’s a danger that writing an article on ‘How to be More Creative’ comes across as preachy and condescending. Instead, I want to explore some big holes that allow an escape route for the imagination.
In many cases, those holes can’t get plugged, but knowing they exist can help you be kinder to yourself and not feel guilty when the muse has seemingly left the building or doesn’t want to get out of bed. Let’s start with a biggie.
Blackpool
It was the night before my Blackpool Magic Convention lecture; I’d just got back to my hotel room when my wife phoned.
The tiny baby girl in our foster care was struggling to breathe, and they were being blue-lighted to the hospital in an ambulance. She was soon stabilized by doctors but had to stay in the ward for monitoring.
My wife and I decided that I could not immediately help as I was so far from home. We both agreed that the morning lecture should go ahead, and then I’d leave afterward.
That second night, I spent ‘sleeping’ on a chair in the hospital, reflecting on a crazy 24 hours. How I wished it was just that! The last 2+ years have been relentlessly horrible for my family and for a myriad of reasons.
