It's the ongoing commitment to our creativity that makes things possible.
As a culture we're drawn to transformation stories - the dramatic pivots, the breakthrough moments. When we hear about accomplished people, the narratives often focus on a single turning point, emphasizing what was spectacular and sudden. The retelling gets repeated and dissected into smaller and more meme-able bits for easy transmission through social media.
We hear about Julia Child becoming a culinary icon or Octavia Butler winning the MacArthur "Genius Grant," the first science fiction writer to receive it. But often so much gets lost in the retellings.
Overnight sensations never really happen overnight
Julia Child spent years showing up in her kitchen daily and testing every single recipe multiple times. I read that Octavia Butler woke up at 2 or 3 in the morning (!) for years so she could write before her day job.
There were countless small, unglamorous ways they kept moving forward. They had a practice, they showed persistence.
"A word after a word after a word is power."
— Margaret Atwood
I say it’s the small acts, repeated consistently, that create momentum. When you show up for your creative work – even in ways that seem too insignificant to be meaningful – what you’re really doing is something powerful. You're honoring both your craft and yourself. You’re feeding your relationship with your writing and creativity.
This is where the real magic lives
One of my most favorite authors in the world, Anne Lamott, said "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." So this isn’t about chaining yourself to your desk or logging hours because that’s “what you do.”
Rather, it’s honoring your need to step away, and also honoring your work – whether that’s a blank notebook page, a partial canvas, or your draft plan to start a nonprofit – by returning.
The magic is in the coming back, again and again.
What's one small act that will help bring your creative work into the world? Can you commit to it today and then to coming back the next day?
Photo by Doncoombez on Unsplash