Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

Behold, Week #26! It took some time but we’re here. We won’t continue with our “Take it, Learn it” series this week. We’ll have a pause and talk about an intriguing topic. As always, thanks so much for your presence and support! It means a lot.

In this week’s issue, we will discuss a topic that has been on my mind for the past 5 months. And that is the faces of consistency.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

(Missed Episode 7? Here you go!)

Main Wheel

When is an excuse an excuse? That is the question I've pondered for the last 5 months. A question that is worth reflecting on. The answer to this question is connected both to creativity and life.

Creativity is a vast subject yet it's simple. The more you use it, the more you have it. It behaves as a muscle. The more you seek it, the more you find it. It's a well that never runs dry as long as you continue to fetch from it.

This continuous pursuit breeds the need for discipline. The discipline maintains the cycle. It orients the growth. As all the greats among creatives have expressed multiple times, creativity without discipline is stagnant.

Discipline isn't a sweet-sounding word. Many attach the word to struggle and extraordinary willpower. Some connect it with boredom and numbness. Few see discipline as pleasurable. Hence, when you say discipline works with creativity, it discourages many. It does not have to be so.

The discipline within creativity is just the consistency required to be great at anything. It is a requirement that is asked in everything. We all know the importance of consistency. We all have seen what consistency can do. And we all have witnessed its power in life. Still, it's something most of us often struggle to reach. But do we really struggle with it? Or do we have a twisted view around it?

It depends, it truly does. The image of consistency has been crafted to signify daily. Whenever the word daily is out, there is no consistency. Surely, there is merit to that picture. The constant knocks from the hammer on the iron help. The relentlessness forges the craft. All the greats have been through it. It is necessary.

When it is not daily, the second best perception of consistency is weekly. It is not as frequent, but it gets the job done. It is often enough to see progress. And it's seldom enough to leave space for grace. A sweet spot as they say.

However, whether it's daily or weekly, consistency meets adversaries. It meets consistent adversaries. Those adversaries are life occurrences. The idea is to overcome them. Your consistency should beat the adversaries. The secret is to push through them, to show up no matter what.

Nevertheless, from time to time, things happen. Things that no matter your efforts to push through, you cannot overcome for the sake of consistency. They are heavy. They can be overwhelming and fuggy. And they are sturdy enough to hinder your consistency. I know my grind and hustle fellas would say, "Well, that simply means you don't have it in you to be great." And that is true to some extent.

Consistency asks us to overthrow obstacles. It demands more of us. And when you think about it, it leaves you with the question of whether you truly have it in you and whether you're truly consistent. You question your abilities and possibility for growth. But even champions, the greatest of the greats have met things that stopped them for a moment.

Yet, as the saying goes, "Champions don't make excuses." This raises the question, "When is an excuse, an excuse?" You start to think about what has stopped your consistency. You wonder if you could have pushed through those heavy things. You ask yourself if you had it in you, but chose the easier path. Was it an excuse, a real reason to stop? Or was it an excuse that revealed your commitment?

These are difficult questions to answer. The answers depend on each one of us and on the situation. There is no consistent go-to answer. To find the true answers, one has to be candid and open with oneself. However, to discover them is not necessary.

As I said previously, even champions, the greatest of the greats, have met things that stopped them for a moment. The last two words are the keywords: "a moment." It is not a perpetual stop. They met their heavy things. They tried to overcome them but could not. They had to cease their consistency. However, even though it was difficult, they arrived an instant when they came back.

Therefore, as creatives, as people who are willing to work on their craft and create for this world, we just need to remember to come back on track. We will all meet challenges that stop the discipline needed for creativity. We will all face the hurdles that push us to question, "When is an excuse, an excuse." Still, the real discipline abides in never stopping.

The past 5 months might have been rough. I could not be as consistent as I would have loved. I question whether I would be capable of making a comeback. I wondered if I would return with the proper form. But, to stay in the cycles of questions and thoughts would have brought me nowhere. The real progress comes when I return. It comes when I jump back on track. And it comes when I revive the consistency necessary for creativity. That is the crucial aspect of the creative journey.

You and I will encounter obstacles. And we will have times when we ask that excuse question. Nevertheless, the essential is to keep the stream flowing. The essential is to keep using the muscle. And the essential is to continue fetching the refreshing water from the well of creativity. That is the consistency that never fails.

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "protect your dopamine" - Ali Gallop | A wonderful video about the value of human creativity and preserving the little joys in the creative process.

• "for anyone starting something new" - Andrew | A nice video and reminder to always protect our voices and not let external influences and validation wrongfully impact them.

Want to share this issue of 4CW with a friend, colleague,… any human being? Just copy and paste this link: https://4creativewheels.beehiiv.com/p/december-5-2024 😉 😃

Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

Want to work with me? Contact me here