Permission to Create
Photo Credit: Let’s go Together
Permission to be Playful and Creative
What if the things that ignite you are exactly what you're meant to pursue?
We live in a world that often treats creativity as a “nice-to-have”, for when real life settles down and we have more spare time. But creative expression and playful exploration are human needs. Your creative spark can energise you while simultaneously illuminating your path forward.
If you've been waiting for the perfect moment, the right credentials, or someone else's approval to start creating, this is your invitation to stop waiting. These fears are so common that they’re almost universal among creatives. We want our work to be “good”. We want assurances that our creative efforts will yield the desired results. But these very desires for certainty and perfection are exactly what keep us stuck.
You Have Permission
The most radical thing you can do today is give yourself permission to play, explore and lean into your creativity.
Too often, we put our creative projects on hold, thinking we need to earn the right to pursue what lights us up. We tell ourselves we'll write that story after things at work calm down, learn to paint when the kids are older, or start that project when we have more time.
But permission isn't something that comes from outside. It's something you give yourself.
Try this: Write yourself an actual permission slip. Place it somewhere you'll see it every day.
Follow Your Curiosity, Not Your "Passion"
The thing about passion is that it puts enormous pressure on you to find "the one thing" that will complete you. But creativity doesn't work that way.
Instead of hunting for your singular passion, try following your curiosities. That colour combination that caught your eye. The question that's been nagging at you. The idea for a poem that you had that made you think, "I wonder if I could try writing that down?"
Think of these tiny sparks of interest as breadcrumbs leading you toward what wants to emerge.
Your curiosity can guide you. It doesn't need to make sense to anyone else. It just needs to intrigue you.
Make Peace with Fear (But Don't Let It Drive)
Fear will show up every time you try to create something. It's pretty much guaranteed. The fear of judgment, of not being good enough, of wasting time, and of looking silly can all show up.
But you don't need to eliminate fear. You just need to keep it from being the boss.
Think of it like a road trip. You're the driver. Let creativity sit next to you with the map and snacks. Fear can come along, but it gets the back seat and has absolutely no access to the steering wheel.
Fear's job is to keep you safe, but sometimes it can get a bit carried away. Seeing high levels of danger where there is none. Thank it for caring, then keep driving toward what calls to you.
Start Small
One of the myths of creativity is that it requires grand gestures, clearing your entire schedule, having the perfect studio, or waiting for inspiration to strike like lightning.
The reality can be much gentler. Creativity grows through small, consistent acts. Fifteen minutes of morning pages. Five minutes of doodling during your lunch break. Snapping an interesting photo on your walk. These tiny moments matter.
Lower the stakes. You're not writing the finished novel today; you're writing a line in your journal or a single page of your “shitty first draft”. You're not launching an entire painting career, you're noticing light, you’re playing with colour.
Small and consistent can be far less intimidating and far more doable. And small acts can be scheduled into your day.
Why Your Creative Life Matters to All of Us
When you do what lights you up, those around you can benefit too.
Your willingness to follow your curiosity also gives others permission to follow theirs.
Creativity isn't selfish; it's a generous and generative act. It feeds something essential in you and radiates outward, making you more present, more engaged, confident and more fully tuned in to yourself.
The world needs what wants to come through you. Not the polished, perfect version. The real, curious, slightly messy version that's willing to begin before you're ready.
Your Creativity Is Waiting
Whatever's been tugging at your attention, that hobby you keep thinking about, the project that won't leave you alone, the skill you've always wanted to try, it's not going away because it matters.
Think of your creative impulses as invitations.
You don't need perfect conditions. You don't need more time, better equipment, or a different life. Begin with what you have, where you are, right now.
Do what ignites your creative interest, no matter how small. Follow that and notice what unfolds.
Ready to explore more ways to flourish in your creativity and life?
Taking the Next Step
If this resonates with you and you're ready to explore deeper ways to nurture your creativity and build a more flourishing life, I'd love to support you on that journey. Sometimes we need a gentle guide to help us reconnect with our creative selves and develop sustainable practices that honour our authentic voice.
If you’re ready to begin and want to reconnect with sustainable, creative approaches to your work and life, explore my services here.
Does this post resonate with you? I'd love to hear from you. You can connect with me on Instagram @the_flourishing_space or LinkedIn.
