creating on your own terms

In the world of artistry, creativity doesn’t punch a clock. It doesn’t wait for your day to clear up, for your inbox to be empty, or for permission from the world. It arrives when it wants, often unexpectedly, and the challenge isn’t in finding it—it’s in honoring it when it comes.

Seth Godin’s words remind us that while the world thrives on structure, artists thrive on flow. The traditional workday, the to-do lists, and the expectations of others can often stifle creativity rather than nurture it. As an artist, your greatest tool isn’t just your talent—it’s your ability to recognize when inspiration strikes and have the courage to act on it.

This isn’t about abandoning responsibility. It’s about recognizing that creativity operates on a different timeline. If today is a day where ideas are bursting at the seams, let the emails wait. If your body is calling you to move, to surf, to step away from the screen, that physical shift might be the very thing that fuels your next song, painting, or poem. When you listen to your intuition and give space to the moments that move you, your art deepens.

For musicians, this might mean stepping away from the structured studio session and allowing spontaneity to take over. For writers, it’s understanding that the best ideas don’t always come when you’re staring at a blank page but when you’re out living life. For visual artists, it might be embracing the unexpected detours that shift your perspective and inspire new work.

The key takeaway? The calendar belongs to everyone else. Your schedule—your real schedule—is dictated by what helps you create at your highest level. This isn’t an excuse to neglect discipline, but a call to align your discipline with what fuels you most. Honor your inspiration when it arrives, structure your commitments around your creativity rather than against it, and don’t be afraid to build a life where your art takes priority.

Because in the end, no one remembers the errands you ran or the emails you answered on time. But they will remember the work you created when you let yourself fully embrace the moment.