Being Creative Vs Being Productive?!

They're Not Enemies Unless You Make Them So (Comedy Mindhacks #26)

It’s kinda wild how often people will describe themselves as “creatives” and (sorta) use that as an excuse NOT to produce. Honestly, it frustrates me. It irks me when people treat creativity and productivity like their toddlers fighting over a juice box. They’re not! They’re patently not! They’re absolutely not!

The truth is: creativity and productivity aren’t enemies. They’re not opposites. Just as well, being a creative is not an excuse to avoid being productive. They can and do co-exist. To me, they’re actually not even existing in different rooms; rather, they’re two sides of the same coin. One makes the mess. The other makes something out of it.

I’ve realized that, if you let creativity and productivity work together, instead of using one to blame the other, that’s a way more fruitful way to live. You’ll stop blaming your writer’s block or your empty to-do list or your job or others for your own shortcomings. I got to thinking about this again after revisiting a fantastic chapter in The Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway. There’s a whole section about how panic hijacks the creative process.

This is especially true for many stand-up comedians. But, of course, it’s not just for comedians. This is also true for teachers, pastors, parents, and anyone who’s ever tried to do anything creative on a deadline. Basically, it’s for all of us. The lie we start believing is that we can’t be creative and productive at the same time. That’s dumb!

I sincerely think it’s silly to act like you have to wait for a lightning bolt of inspiration to strike before you get anything done. Actually, I think it’s asinine. While you sit and wait for lightning, your laundry glares back at you like, “Buddy, I’m the only thing you’ve created this week!” And it’s a fair criticism. Meanwhile, you have a shirt pile that could qualify for historic landmark status.

But this is precisely WHY panic kicks in: because we think creativity should be fast and perfect. So when it isn’t, we shut down. Or worse, we delay until we think we’re in the “right mood.” That’s the creative version of waiting for the wind to be just right before opening your email. Again: asinine!

What if, instead, we shifted our language just a bit and said, “I’m gonna to try. I’m just gonna show up and make something...even if it’s bad.” As someone who has written around 30 books and given nearly 100 talks at conferences, not to mention sermons and classroom lectures into the thousands, my thinking has long been exactly that. I’ve published books only to realize they have typos or things that need fixed. While some colleagues balk at publishing anything like that, I often point out to them that, because of such a mindset, they’ve hardly published anything at all. Even if it’s bad, at least I tried. At least I did something. And next time around, I can fix it.

That’s being productive BUT it’s also creative. You see, in my view, the doing and the dreaming aren’t separate. Instead, they feed each other. Put another way: productivity gives creativity a place to live. Or: creativity gives productivity a reason to exist. Otherwise, we might as well call it a day and cry about the futility of it all.

I tell student writers and, on occasion, comedians to stop waiting to feel funny. You don’t need to feel funny; instead, you just need to be writing. Funny will show up later. Sometimes it’ll appear in a tag you didn’t plan and can’t explain. But the key is this: it only comes if you’re already moving. Jokes don’t write themselves. But they also don’t come to people who treat brainstorming like a hostage in captivity. So, let your brain play and let your hands work. It’s a both/and kinda thing!

The same is true with any job, any art, any role you take seriously. Whether you’re writing a sermon, planning a lesson, organizing a workshop, or just trying to be a decent parent, there’s no magical line where creativity ends and productivity begins. It’s all part of the work.

So, please, no more choosing sides. No more thinking you have to pick one or the other. Be messy. Be structured. Be bad at it. Then be better. Just don’t sit still waiting for perfection to send an invitation. My friends, creativity and productivity aren’t at war, they just need us to stop micromanaging and let them do their jobs.