“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
If you have done any reading or looked up any quotes about creativity, you have likely encountered this thought, which is a paraphrase of a thought from Jack London. What’s so important about this idea is highlighting how we have to overcome the temptation to wait for inspiration, to just write or podcast or paint or whatever when the time feels right.
I don’t like violence-themed imagery for creativity or success, but the positive reminder here is also that the creative process may not always be easy, nor will it always be neat. We have to overcome resistance to get our ideas down.
Jack London’s idea is also a great segue into another way of talking about a key element of long-term creativity:
“5 tricks for boosting your audience”
“The 3 foods you shouldn't be eating”
“1 morning hack to be more creative”
I click on them too. I know better, but I can't help hoping sometimes that creativity, fulfillment, and personal transformation can be reduced to a checklist.
But today we're here to talk about the opposite: something that's unglamorous, uncountable, and un-Instagrammable—but that's crucial to not just creative projects, but the creative living we're seeking around here.
Commitment.
We first met Joshua Dudley when he signed up for an early version of our course in January of 2022, to develop an idea he had for a marriage podcast. He was going to work on it with Phoebe, his wife. (Working with your spouse on a podcast —what could go wrong?)
Over the next two years, Joshua and Phoebe had every possible excuse not to show up for their podcast work: uncertainty about housing, chronic health challenges, job loss, death in the family. But they kept showing up. Kept entering contests. Kept interviewing people. Went to meetups. Went to conferences. Went through a name change on their show
And the work kept getting better.
Today, I'm happy to call Joshua not just a former student, but a friend—and an example of what's possible when you stay committed: to your idea, and to a creative partnership. Put the next two and a half minutes of your life to good use and listen to their trailer for As Long as We Both Shall Love. The editing is spot on, I could listen to their voices all day, and it's clear that their show will have something to offer whatever our relationship status.
P.S. looking for a boost for your own creative habits and writing practice? Join our workshops, or if you’re on a more flexible, self-paced timeline, our online course. Or are you working on your podcast trailer and need to get unstuck? This post will help: trailer examples from our graduates, and a list of five things effective trailers accomplish.
