THE

Art of Creating

TEN ELEMENTS to Becoming a

PRODUCTIVE and PROLIFIC CREATOR

Pau l P erk i ns

Contents
Introduction

First Element: You Are a Creator

Second Element: Creators Create

Third Element: Creators Set Goals

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Fourth Element: Creators Focus

17

Fifth Element: Creators Avoid Distractions

21

Sixth Element: Creators Bypass Resistance

25

Seventh Element: Creators Abandon Perfection

29

Eighth Element: Creators Refine

32

Ninth Element: Creators Do Not Quit

37

Tenth Element: Creators Share

41

Final Thoughts

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Introduction
The premise of this book is simple. Everyone was born to
create. And everyone includes you.
Our desire to create is woven into our DNA. Its written
into our storylines. Its projected onto our dreams. In
fact, I believe it reflects a part of Gods nature within us.
Creating is taking nothing,
and forming something.
Its what compels painters to paint. Writers to write. Actors to act. Musicians to play. Photographers to photograph. Sculptors to sculpt. Woodworkers to build. Cooks
to cook.
Creating is sharing in Gods active work.
Anytime anyone creates anything,
that person engages in a holy activity.
During moments of deep inspiration, creating comes
easy. Like breathing, its natural and effortless. All is right
in the world, and our purpose on the planet seems clear.
But most of the time, thats the exception, not the rule.
More often, creating is a struggle. It requires dedication
and effort, focus and drive.
The Life of a Creator
Over the past several years, Ive thought a lot about
creating. Ive read books and exchanged strategies with
friends. Both have been helpful, but the lasting lessons
have come the hard way: through pain and suffering, trial
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and error, victory and success.

Sitting down and putting pen to paperor fingers to
keysIve written three books, edited two other books,
and started a blog. These experiences have transformed
my understanding of what it means to be a creator.
I once thought the life of a creator involved channeling
short bursts of creativity. One year I might draft several
poems. Another year I may take a dozen photographs.
The next year I could write a short story or article.
My sights were fundamentally limited. Not because I
didnt dream of creating more, but because I didnt know
how. Even when I felt a stirring deep within, a pull to
create, I struggled to translate desire into action. I felt
trapped, confined to frustrated ambitions and disappointing efforts.
Everything changed when I finally discovered the art of
creatingparticular methods and attitudes that foster
creation, skills freeing us to create abundantly. And anyone can learn them, including you.
The life of a creator is a raging river,
not a trickling stream.
Its rushing forward, bursting the brim.
This Books Purpose
Within this book, I distill the ten most important lessons
Ive learned about the art of creating. Theyre so fundamental to a life of overflowing creativity that I refer to
them as elements. While utilizing them will not guarantee fame or praise, they will help you become a more
productive and prolific creator.
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Perhaps youve already learned some of these lessons.

Maybe youve learned them all. If so, consider this a refresher course. Because in every season, we must return
to the art of creating.
Whether you are a new or veteran creator, I hope this
book is helpful and challenging, and perhaps even enjoyable.

First Element:

You Are a Creator

Most people dont have a problem identifying their job.
If they fix pipes, theyre a plumber. If they heal sick people, theyre a doctor. If they fly and land planes, theyre a
pilot. Its how they spend their time, so its what they call
themselves. Theres never a second thought.
Yet for some reason, creators struggle to embrace their
title. It feels presumptuous. Arrogant. Prideful.
The truth is, being a creator is no different than being a
plumber. Its a vocationalbeit for many of us, its a second, unpaid (yet more gratifying) one.
Accept Your Identity
You see, Im a writer. Just like Im also an attorney and a
husband and a son and a friend. Because I love writing
and I feel like I was born to do it.
Heres the catch, thoughand its why I struggled to
embrace the title: Ive never published a book. I often
thought that meant Im not really a writer. Perhaps Im
just a pretend writer. Its a dream, not reality.
But deep down, I couldnt accept that.
As much as I tried,
I could not ignore what I knew to be true:
I am a writer.
I eventually realized no external event or outside force
had the authority to tell me who I am. While being pub5

lished is great, its not the starting line. Its not even the
finish line. Its one step in the long journey of writing.
Some writers are published, but many are not. That fact
doesnt disqualify someone as a writer.
Its the same for all creators. It doesnt matter if youve
never been signed, or published, or widely recognized.
Your identity is not defined by anything or anyone other
than you.
The first and most important element within the art of
creating is accepting your identity: you are a creator.
Define Your Identity
Whether youre a writer, or a painter, or a musician, or
an actor: embrace your title. Proclaim it is true. Dont let
anyonecritics, publishers, agents, that condescending
voice in your headtell you otherwise.
Plenty of the best creators remained undiscovered until
long after their death. Vincent van Goghs genius wasnt
recognized until years after he died. Yet wasnt he an artist in his time? The same could be said of Franz Kafka,
who experienced little success while he was alive, but is
now considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. No one would claim he wasnt a writer while
working at his craft. Although Bach was a well-known organist, his compositions remained unheralded until after
his death. But every time he scribbled a note on a page,
he was fulfilling his vocation as a composer. This story has
been repeated in the lives of countless creators.
Being a creator is not an identity others provide.
It is not a truth imparted by accolades.
It is a reality you must embrace.
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Step into your identity. Speak it into the world. And remind yourself often.
I am a creator.
I am a creator.
I am a creator.

Questions to Consider
Do you struggle accepting your identity as a
creator?
If you could define your identity, what would it be?
Have you allowed others to dictate your identity?
Are you prepared for a lifetime of creating without
accompanying praise?


Creators Create
Second Element:

Several years ago, a friend e-mailed me, asking about a

trip I took to Bali. I responded with a description of one
particularly memorable experience.
Traveling to Bali from East Java, I rode a ferry across
the Bali Sea. Then I boarded a small, crowded
van to Kuta Beach. Then I jumped onto a motorscooter taxi, because it was 20 cents cheaper than
a regular taxi. Ten seconds later, the sky openeda
flash monsoonmy body and belongings instantly
soaking.
I told the driver to drop me off at the McDonalds by
the ocean. It wasnt far away, maybe a mile. I sat at
McDonalds for an hour, drying off and waiting out
the rain. But it didnt let up. A 19-year-old cashier
offered to let me sleep at his flat outside of Kuta. It
sounded like a proposition, so instead I asked if he
would help me find a hotel.
Back into the rain, back onto a motor scooter.
Through the narrow, flooded streets, we stopped
at a few different hotels. The first was too
expensive$50 a night. At $40 a night, the second
was also too much. The third was still a lot, $20 a
night. But I was wet and tired. So I told my friend
thanks and got a room.
After dropping off my bag, I ventured back into
the monsoon to find an internet caf. I found one
several blocks away and sent a few e-mails. While
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walking back to the hotel, a woman on a motor

scooterlong dark hair, a blue poncho flapping in
the winddrove past me, made a clumsy U-turn,
and pulled beside me. I thought she needed help, so
I leaned in close. She spoke, but her voice was too
quiet. I asked her to repeat herself. She tried, but
again I couldnt understand, so I shook my head.
She stumbled off the scooter, shoved her face close
to mine, and asked if I wanted to sleep with her. I
jumped back, told her no, and returned to my hotel.
Clearly I enjoyed writing the e-mail. So much so that after
sending it, I kept coming back to it. By the third or fourth
read, it dawned on me: I could turn this into a story. Inspired, I got to work. Over the next few weeks, I developed the e-mail into a two-thousand-word story.
From that story a larger idea was birthed. A book of stories from a three-month trip I took around the world. Although I didnt know all the details I would includeor
even the generalities, for that matterI had an idea. And
that was all I needed. Or, at least, I thought it was all I
needed.
Over the next year and a half, I struggled to push the concept forward. Its embarrassing to admit, but I only wrote
two more stories. At that pace, I calculated it would take
five years to complete the book.
I was discouraged and disheartened. What began as an
exciting idea quickly became a burden that was slowly
crushing my spirit.
I stood at a crossroads, facing a crucial question: as a creator, will I create?
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This question is the basis for the second element within

the art of creating. While its obvious, its also critical.
Creators create.
Get Practical
Over the years, Ive noticed creators love talking about
ideas. Brainstorming and dreaming, imagining and theorizing.
But nothing matters,
theories or ideas or dreams,
if creators do not actually create.
After determining I would, in fact, create, I had to get
practical. I knew that to write consistently, I needed to set
aside time throughout the week to actually write. With a
demanding job, a fianc, and little extra time, that meant
changing my priorities and readjusting my schedule.
For years, I had been going to the gym at six oclock every
morning. This routine kept me fit, but it also consumed
nearly all of my free time. I had to face the truth. My
priorities were grossly imbalanced. While staying healthy
was important to me, writing was too. Yet I devoted all of
my attention to exercising, and none to writing.
After much internal debating, I decided that two mornings a week, I would wake at five oclock and write for
two hours. Once I made the decision, I immediately put
it into practice. At first it felt strange not going to the gym
those two mornings. But I was determined to stick with
it.
A month later, I had another chapter to show for it. What
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had taken six months before, now only took a month. My

perspective was transformed. And creating felt good. I
was happier, more energized, and excited about the future.
But I also sensed it was time to take another step toward rebalancing my priorities. I upped my two writing
sessions to three a week. That extra session quickly paid
off. Three weeks later, I had written the fifth chapter. The
sixth chapter was finished three weeks after that.
Then I injured my shoulder while lifting weights. Overnight, I went from three writing sessions a week to five.
Within six weeks, I had written a draft of the entire book.
And it had a title: Attempt Life.
Literally, I went from taking a year and a half to write
three chapters to writing ten chapters (and rewriting the
first two chapters) in four months. All because I started
doing what I was born to do. Create.
Theres no way to avoid this one simple fact:
as a creator, you must create.
Not every once in a while, but regularly.
Make the Sacrifice
Of course, the pace of creating depends upon ones life
situation. If you have young children, regular may seem
hard to achieve. The same could be said for someone
with a demanding job or enrolled in school or juggling
any number of priorities. Life gets in the way of creating.

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Regardless of the obstacles,

every creator must answer the all-important question:
as a creator, will I create?
Put another way, will you do what is necessary to create?
Will you make the changes? Will you make the sacrifices?
If not, whats holding you back?
Is it discovering motivation? Embrace your identity.
Is it setting a goal? Pay attention to the third element.
Is it finding time? Its usually finding time.
As a creator, you must readjust your schedule and sacrifice lesser priorities. You must be willing to rebalance
your life. Whether it means waking before sunrise or sitting at your desk long after everyone else in the house
has fallen asleep, creators need to make the necessary
changes to create. Not just occasionally, but regularly.
Unless youre creating consistently, you will not create
effectively, because the more you create, the better you
are at creating. Its like exercising a muscle. Its like preparing dinner from scratch.
So I direct the question to you: As a creator, will you create?
I suspect I know your answer.

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Questions to Consider
As a creator, will you create?
Are you giving sufficient priority to creating?
What are the practical steps you need to take to
begin creating regularly?
What will you have to sacrifice?

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Creators Set Goals
Third Element:

All you need to begin creating is an idea. But without a

plan, a 20,000 foot perspective, an idea only takes you so
far. Its likely you will meander and eventually lose steam.
While it only takes an idea to begin,
it takes a goal to finish.
There are three important aspects of goal setting.
Define Your Completed Creation
By setting a goal, youre defining your completed creation. Youre identifying what it will look like when its
finished, whether it will be a thirteen-chapter book or a
twelve-song album or a series of paintings. There will be
no mistaking what youre working toward. No confusion
about your task.
Youre no longer writing stories, but a book. Youre not
just crafting songs, but an album. Youre not simply taking photos, but creating an exhibit.
Until you define your completed creation,
your efforts will likely result in random pieces,
disjointed fragments left for another day.
Creators set goals to define the extent of their creation.
Impose an End Date
A dreaded, but necessary part of goal-setting is imposing an end date. Lets be honest: most people, including
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yours truly, hate deadlines. They create stress and expectations and the potential for failure. Some creative types
fear deadlines because they ignore the influence of inspiration.
Despite these concerns, end dates are necessary for one
simple reason: they put your mind on notice that your
creation is a priority and all other activities will have to
adjust accordingly.
When I began writing in the mornings, I was determined
to complete my book in six months. It seemed like a difficult goal and I feared it wasnt possible. But by verbalizing
the goalby committing to itI prioritized it. I knew if I
wanted to reach it (and I was going to reach it), I would
have to continue waking at five oclock and writing.
As a result, I ended up not only meeting the goal, but
finishing the book more than two months ahead of my
self-imposed deadline.
Foster an Incentive to Create
While goals may be intimidating, they are also motivating. They foster an incentive to create. Goals cast within
us a better vision of our future, a better version of ourselves. They are a map showing us how to find a better
life.
Every goal stirs an internal motivation.
Because every time we accomplish,
we are affirmed.
It feels good to accomplish a goal. We feel better about
ourselves, we are driven to continue forward, we are motivated to work harder. All because we did what we were
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born to do. And we set a goal to do it.

Theres no doubt about it. Goal setting is difficult. But
with an idea, goals, and a commitment to create, the only
thing standing between you and your creation is time.

Questions to Consider
Have you ever had an idea but failed to create it?
When you begin creating, do you have a sense of
what the completed version will look like?
Would imposing end dates help you complete
projects?
What does it feel like when you accomplish a goal?

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Creators Focus
Fourth Element:

Every time I begin a new project, I sit at my desk, open my

laptop, and stare at a blinking cursor on a white screen. If
Im being honest, its always a scary moment.
The unavoidable fact is that all creations start as nothing.
Stillness. Silence.
Emptiness.
Every book begins as a blank page. Every album begins
with silence. Every painting begins as an empty canvas.
Every piece of pottery begins as a chunk of clay.
Its intimidating to start with nothing. Even terrifying.
Limit Your Perspective
Creators must recognize every creation begins with a single step. A single note. A single color or word or movement.
The cure to feeling overwhelmed is
focusing not on the big picture,
but on the task at hand.
The first paragraph. The first chord. The first lyric. The
first color. And to move forward from there, step by step
by step.
When I set out to write a book, I couldnt focus on the
fact that I had thirteen chapters to write. It was too much
work to comprehend, too daunting to consider. Instead,
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I limited my perspective. I focused on a single chapter.

That seemed doable, something I could wrap my mind
around. Mentally, it allowed me to ignore the pressure of
writing a book and, instead, channel my energies onto a
single task.
Arrange the Landscape
A helpful method to encourage limited-perspective
thinking is by arranging the landscape. In writing, this is
known as outlining. The concept is to break your creation
into definable piecessmall parts that will make up the
whole. Think of a landscape as a series of mini-goals.
Bread crumbs leading to your prize.
Theres a debate over how much detail to include in an
outline. My opinion is that as long as it provides a starting
point, its sufficient. Further detail can only help. When
outlining my book, I wrote a paragraph describing the
story I wanted to tell and the lesson I wanted to illustrate
in each chapter. It was enough to get me started.
For instance, I wrote this for the first chapter:
Stuck in a house all alone. Recount previous
three-weeks of traveling around Bali. Looking for
action and adventure. But then I injured myself
and everything stopped. When my friend Mono
returned, he asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I
got on his motorbike and we drove through a sea
of rice fields. I realized, looking at the night sky,
this was the best experience of the trip, yet it was
unplanned. If I wanted to enjoy the next three
months, I needed to let go of my expectations and
look for meaning in every moment. I needed to
attempt life.
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From this paragraph, I developed a 4,000-word story.

And from thirteen similar paragraphs, I wrote thirteen
stories65,000 words.
Arranging the landscape provides the following benefits:
It helps you determine how much time to dedicate
to each portion of the project. For example, instead
of writing a book in six months, I set out to write
one chapter every three to four weeks. That felt
manageable.
It gives you victories throughout the course of a
project instead of a single celebration. Every time
you complete a mini-goal youll feel great, because
youve accomplished something tangible.
It establishes a process by which you can quickly
move from one completed portion of a project to
the next. This is because youll have another minigoal ahead of you. Youll know exactly where to go
next.
Focus is essential for every creator.
Its like breathing.
Without it, you wont last long.
Regardless of your experience level, focus is a necessary
skill for every creator. Because with it, you slowly nudge
the ball forward, toward completion of your creation.

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Questions to Consider
Do you struggle to focus on the task at hand?
What does it feel like when you face your tools
with nothing but an idea?
How does limiting your perspective help you focus?
Why does arranging the landscape help channel
your creativity?

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Creators Avoid Distractions
Fifth Element:

A growing number of us are waking to our obsession with

distractions. We fear boredom. Whether checking social
media while waiting for a train, or making a phone call
while walking down the block, or browsing the Internet
every free moment at workdistraction is an epidemic.
And its destroying our will to create.
The last thing we want to do is to sit in front of a laptop
and stare at a blank screen. Or stand in front of an empty canvas. Or hold a guitar in a room filled with silence.
Or place our hands into a chunk of formless clay. Its a
nightmare, because weve grown accustomed to living a
distracted existence.
Avoid Distractions
When its just us and our tools, our inclination is to distract ourselves, to avert our eyes, to grab a phone or
check the news or browse YouTube or look at social mediato do anything but engage with our creation. Because engaging means giving, and giving is costly.
But giving is also the most rewarding thing we can do
with our time, exceedingly more than any momentary
distraction.
Creators must avoid distractions at all costs.
Other than discouragement, distraction is the chief enemy of every creator, because it surreptitiously steals
our focus. It prevents us from turning ideas into reality.
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It convinces us that something better, something easier,

awaits our attention. But its always a lie. Its always a deception. Because distractions leave us empty, with nothing to show. Every single time.
Distractions take what is most valuable as a creator and
renders it useless. It lays waste to it.
But there is an easy solution.
Isolate Yourself
When creating, isolate yourself. Hole away from any possible distraction.
Perhaps this means writing on a computer without wi-fi,
or working in a room all alone, or turning off your cell
phone before sitting down. These simple steps have profound implications.
Make no mistake. It will be painful. Like kicking a nicotine
addiction, or weaning off caffeine, or ending a bad relationship, it will hurt. But its necessary for your success
as a creator.
Force Yourself to Start
The true challenge is always beginning. So with every
ounce of strength, force yourself to start. Because distractions take a back seat once you begin creating. Distractions fade and focus emerges.
For me, a good morning looks like this: I wake at five
oclock, brush my teeth, put on pants and a sweater, and
begin writingwithout checking e-mail or the news or
social media. This can be difficult, especially when Im
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tired and uninspired.

On bad mornings, I easily slip into distraction. But all is
not lost, because Ive created a fail-safe.
At 5:15, I begin writing. No matter what, I force myself
to start. So if I happen to get distracted, it only has the
potential to disrupt me for several minutes. And once
I start, even on the tough mornings, Im like a beam of
light.
Embrace Boredom
Avoiding distractions means loving silence, embracing
boredom, becoming comfortable with nothing. While
this is particularly true during the time youve set aside
to create, its also important throughout the day. Because its in these moments, when everything around
you stops, that your mind awakens and you finally have
the space to brainstorm.
Many of my ideas arrive when Im in the shower or walking to the trainthe two daily activities that involve the
fewest distractions for me. I suspect its also true for you.
Ill come up with a concept for a blog post or even a book,
and run with it until the shower ends or I reach the train.
Before I get distracted, Ill quickly e-mail the idea to myself, then return to it one morning several weeks or even
months later.
The next time you feel bored or lonely, dont reach for
a phone or magazine or computer. Stop and allow your
mind to relax.

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Boredom is the ground from which ideas sprout,

and you will later harvest into creations.
By developing the discipline and skills to avoid distractions, you ensure not only quality creating time, but a life
of overflowing ideas. Its not easy, but its necessary.

Questions to Consider
Which distractions are the most difficult for you to
avoid?
What practical steps can you take to avoid
distractions while creating?
What does it feel like once youve forced yourself
to start?
Are you comfortable with boredom?

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Creators Bypass Resistance
Sixth Element:

For ten years I dreamed of starting a blog. But every time

I took a step forward, I convinced myself to step back.
Perhaps it was fear of putting myself out there, exposing
myself to public criticism and failure. Maybe it was a bit
of laziness, not wanting to exert the time and effort into
something that might not pay off. It may have even been
insecurity about whether I had anything worthwhile to
offer. Whatever the reason, it prevented me from pursuing my dreams for a long time.
For each of us, resistance comes in many forms. Whether
pain, exhaustion, writers block, lack of focus, laziness,
fear, or insecurity. At its core, resistance is any internal
pressure keeping us from creating.
Its the dark enemy of every creator. Stalking us. Waiting
for a moment of weakness. Ready to pounce.
And it afflicts all of us at one point or another. Unless
we have a strategy for dealing with resistance, we will
find ourselves caught in a current, dragged far from our
dreams.
Stop Fighting and Start Creating
Instead of fighting resistance, the only sure way to neutralize it is by simply bypassing it. Defeat resistance not
by battling, but by creating.
Stop wrestling.

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Stop thrashing.
Stop struggling.
Simply appear before your tools and begin working. Just
as distractions disappear once you start, resistance flees
from action. The moment you create, you conquer it.
The antidote to resistance is not confronting,
but creating.
More than half the battle is showing up. If youve built
into your schedule specific times to create, always show
upeven if the resistance is strong, even if you do nothing but sit and stare at your tools. Never allow the resistance to keep you in bed or in front of the television
or stuck in the social media quagmire. That is its most
effective tool to keep you from creating.
If resistance can prevent you from appearing, its already
won. But the moment you arrive, you declare victory.
Dont Wait for Inspiration
A common critique of the show-up theory is that creating
should be driven by inspiration, not discipline or sheer
willpower. I disagree. In fact, I would suggest this attitude
is simply a justification for surrendering to the resistance.
Its a form of passive defeat.
Inspiration cannot drive us to create. It cannot be the
engine that propels us forward. Because inspiration is
fickle. It comes and goes like the wind. When inspiration
is at our backs, life is wonderfulwords flow, the brush
glides, songs appear. Its every creators dream. But its
inconsistent, appearing and disappearing unpredictably,
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at seemingly random times.

Creators cannot create because they are inspired to create.
Creators must create because they are creators.
I once bought into the perspective that to write, I had
to first feel inspired. For years, little got written. I would
get a burst of inspiration and write a story. But then the
inspiration would flee, and so would the words. I would
wait, sometimes months, for inspiration to strike again.
Waiting for inspiration is like
waiting for God to improve your life.
Perhaps its time for you to make it better.
It wasnt until experimenting with the other perspectivecreating because Im a creatorthat I began consistently writing. Not only did I produce more material
than ever before, but the quality of my work dramatically
improved. Its not surprising. Like every learned skill, the
more we do it, the better we are at doing it.
Silence the Internal Critic
For many of us, the strongest form of resistance is the
internal critic. That sinister voice whispering in our ear,
telling us everything we cannot do.
Youre not good enough.
You have nothing to offer.
Its not worth the effort.
Most creators figure the critic will eventually go away.
Given enough time and success, it will vanish like a pass27

ing season. But ask any long-time creator and they will
tell you its simply not true.
The internal critic never goes away. It is always watching,
always waiting, always ready to deflate our dreams.
Almost daily I hear it. And almost daily I silence it. Not
with words or logic or emotion, but with action.
Silence the internal critic not by reasoning,
but by creating.
As a creator, you must stop struggling with resistance. Instead, bypass it.

Questions to Consider
What form of resistance do you struggle with
most?
What has resistance kept you from creating?
Do you ever wait for inspiration before creating?
What does the internal critic say to keep you from
your tools?

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Creators Abandon Perfection
Seventh Element:

Perhaps the greatest fear of every creator is facing their

toolswhether keyboard or pen or brush or guitarand
not knowing how or where to begin. This fear often reappears throughout a project, keeping us from making
progress. Instead of creating any material, we create
nothing at all.
As a writer, this shows itself as writing and rewriting a
single sentence until it reads perfectly. At my worst, Ive
wasted entire mornings reworking a paragraph until it
sounded just right.
Not only is this approach to creating incredibly inefficient, its discouraging. And it needs to go.
Perfection is the leash preventing us from breaking free.
Its the chain keeping us restrained.
Its the dam holding us back.
Let It Flow
The better way to create, and the more efficient and enjoyable method, is allowing your creativity to flow. This
means simply getting it out, knowing you may end up
tossing half of it. But at least youre making progress. At
least youre creating.
Experiment.
Test.

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Brainstorm.
Do whatever is necessary to get it down. Pick an analogy, whether leash or chain or dam, and visualize yourself
tearing it away.
If you dont know where to begin, start at the most natural place. If you get hung up somewhere, move through
it. Put whatever makes the most sense or skip it altogether. You can always come back later.
Be Sloppy
To be sure, this will result in sloppy first efforts.
I dont know about you, but I would much rather have a
sloppy first draft than a few well-crafted sentences. Because I can turn a sloppy first draft into a good second
draft. And from a good second draft, I can create a great
third (or tenth) draft. (More about that element later.)
Creators must make peace with sloppy first efforts.
Finish with a Start
Because starting is harder than finishing, do yourself a
favor and finish where it will be easy to pick up later. I call
this finishing with a start.
As a writer, this means instead of walking away at the
end of a chapter, write a sentence or two of the next
chapter before you quit. In fact, I try to end every writing
session at a place where I can easily start the next day.
I will write the beginning of the next chapter or section
or paragraph. Only then do I give myself permission to
leave.
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By finishing with a start,

you are assisting tomorrows version of yourself.
For creators, perfection is the enemy of progress. It keeps
us from moving forward at a swift pace. It hinders our
creative energies and hampers our spirits.
Let it go. Abandon perfection.

Questions to Consider
Do you ever find yourself stuck perfecting a
particular point?
What would it look like to let your ideas flow?
Have you accepted producing sloppy first efforts?
How would finishing with a start help you the next
time you returned to your tools?

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Creators Refine
Eighth Element:

Abandoning perfection and refining are two sides of the

same coin. You cannot have one without the other. A
creator who only produces sloppy first efforts, failing to
refine, shows little care for his finished creation. Instead,
he only desires to process his thoughts. Not create art.
Adjust Expectations
Creating is an art. It is a craft. And it takes time. First efforts rarely produce much value.
Like a sculptor chiseling stone,
every creator must refine to uncover beauty.
The sooner you accept this factand abandon hopes of
scribbling a masterpiecethe easier creating will be for
you. Otherwise, it will be a painful process full of disappointment and letdown. You will expect one thing, but
get another.
Regardless of whether youre a songwriter, painter, dancer, actor, or writer, refining is an essential aspect of the
creative process. Mentally prepare for it. Know its necessary.
This isnt to say we cannot experience moments of genius, when a first effort produces something spectacular.
But most of the time, we must continually refine to create art.

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It takes work to strip away the messiness

and arrive at a finished product.
To go a step further, refining is not accomplished by a
single pass. Pour as much or more time into it as you do
creating.
Develop a Process
Refining must become just as much a part of your creative process as the actual work of creating. It must become second nature. Without it, your work will remain
incomplete.
The process I developed writing Attempt Life involved
editing each chapter at least ten times before allowing
another person to read it. The toughest edit was always
the first draft. I had quickly written it, so I often found the
cadence off, the word choice awkward, gaps in the story,
and unnecessary detail and verbiage. The rewrite usually
took an entire Saturdayten hours of focused attention.
But by the end of it, I had a solid second draft. Over the
next few weeks, I would read through the chapter over
and over, making changes on paper and incorporating
them later.
Here is an example of the edits I incorporated into the
opening paragraph of the first chapter. (Additions are in
italics, deletions are crossed out.)
Before setting off on a once-in-a-lifetime, threemonth journey around the world, I planned for
adventure. Not splitting open my toe against a
marble doorsill I did not plan to get injured. Not
telling my friend, Mono, I did not plan for my friend
to leave without me for the day abandon me alone.
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Not spending twelve hours stuck And I certainly

did not plan to ever be stranded inside an empty,
unfinished house in a remote village in the middle of
East Java.
But as I nursed a bloody toe in an unfinished
house in a remote village in East Java lay on the
floor, looking at the back of a wood shingle roof, I
considered the possibility that this trip around the
world I had my carefully and methodically planned
tripthis epic life adventure voyage after five years
of struggling through life and hard work and law
school, before commencing beginning my career
as an attorneymight not turn out exactly as I had
anticipated.
This was my process and it worked for me. Your process
will likely look different. Whats important is developing
a process that works for you.
Solicit Feedback
As a creator, its nearly impossible to view your work impartiallyto step away from the noise and hear clearly.
One of the chief hindrances is our tendency to form emotional bonds with our creations. That is why its necessary not only to build refining into your process, but to
solicit feedback from others, particularly those you trust
and respect.
If you cannot refine your own workperhaps you have
a hard time seeing your first efforts as anything but perfectthis is even more important.
But I must offer a forewarning. Youre going to need to
develop a thick skin. Otherwise you will view every piece
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of feedback as a personal attack. While you might see

your creations as your children, others will not. They
simply want to help you make the best art possible. That
may result in suggestions you find painful. That is why
you must see feedback not as criticisms or critiques, but
suggested improvements.
There are three people I trust as editors. My wife, my dad,
and my friend, Josh Rogers. Each has a complementary
strength, making them a tour de force editing team. My
wife is a big-thinker who spots weaknesses and inconsistencies. I have reworked entire chapters because of her
feedback. My dad has a poets ear for cadence. Josh is
a nitpicker when it comes to word choice and grammar,
and he has a keen sense of story.
All three of them are great writers, making them excellent editors. And trust me, they are unafraid to share
their opinions. I have to be honest, though, sometimes
their suggestions hurt. But because I trust them, because
I know they are only trying to help, I do my best to resist
becoming defensive.
Excellence must be our passion as creators. We must always strive for beauty, even if it means hurt feelings. To
that end, we must value truth that hurts, more than flattery that strokes our ego.
Continue Moving Forward
One last point. Refining is different than creating. For
me, its easier. Editing is a break from the hard work of
writing. For that reason, never let refining keep you from
creating new material.

35

No matter the season,

always move the ball forward.
Always keep at it.
This is particularly important if youre refining throughout the course of a project. If youre a writer, dont spend
two weeks writing, then two weeks editing. Take four
weeks and do them simultaneously.
The process I developed involved writing for two hours in
the mornings and editing during free moments throughout the day and over the weekends. Any time I had to
waitriding a train to work, sitting at a doctors office,
before I went to bedI edited. That way, I protected my
morning writing time. I continued to treat it as sacred.
Theres no doubt your process will look different than
mine. But nonetheless develop a process. And make sure
it includes refining.

Questions to Consider
Have you accepted that your first efforts are rarely
perfect?
How important is refining to your process?
Who are the people you trust and respect enough
to receive their feedback?
Is refining easier than creating for you?

36


Creators Do Not Quit
Ninth Element:

Every creator dreads the prospect of failure. Leaving a

project incomplete. Discovering we are not up to the
task.
A creation confined to a dream is a tragedy. Its a stillborn, an infant never growing into a toddler, a child never becoming an adolescent, a teenager never reaching
adulthood.
The death of a dream not only suffocates a single flame,
it dims those around it.
Abandoning a creation is the same way. Its not simply
the loss of a dream. It cuts short any potential impact
upon the lives of others.
There are a thousand reasons creations remain unfinished. Nearly all of them are excuses for failure.
Identify the Obstacles
I dont mean to suggest there are never legitimate reasons to quit a project or even stop creating for a period.
Those are personal decisions. And Im certainly not here
to judge anyone. But before quitting, you should first
identify the obstacles keeping you from creating.
Whenever I have stopped creating, its usually because
of laziness, pain, or fear. And those are terrible excuses
to quit anything.

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Of course, theres no excuse for laziness. But at one point

or another, everyone suffers from it. Its a part of being
human. Hopefully reading through this book helps put it
to rest. If not, pick up a piece of art that inspires youa
book or movie or paintingand remind yourself that it
started as an idea.
Pain is a more complex issue. Whether caused by heartbreak, the death of a loved one, depression, or a personal mistake, it has the effect of driving us inward, away
from expression. When youre hurt, its only natural to
close yourself off from the world. But this is perhaps the
worst thing you can do.
Creating is the healthiest outlet for pain and hurt,
anger and confusion, loneliness and isolation.
Not only will creating help you process your emotions,
but it will cause feelings buried deep inside to surface.
Whatever youre going through, creating can only help.
You might even find your greatest work through your
deepest wounds. Ive definitely found that to be true.
Like pain, fear is also a complicated issue. And for whatever reason, creating often surfaces our deepest fears.
Perhaps its the risk of failure involved, or the inherent
vulnerability required, or the overwhelming nature of an
incomplete project.
Whatever fear youre facing, it should not keep you from
creating. Consider my thoughts in the final element.
Refuse to Quit
Other than embracing your identity as a creator and
choosing to create, refusing to quit is the most import38

ant element within the art of creating. Let me be honest,

though: not only does the world want you to quit, but its
our natural tendency to quit.
First, the world. It wants nothing more than to leave you
empty with nothing to give. Between work and school
and social media and advertising and television and everything else involved in a twenty-first century life, its no
wonder most of us stop before we even start.
Theres no time.
Theres no energy.
Theres no space.
We are constantly comparing, obsessively critiquing,
frantically catching up. Stopping amidst the craziness is
not only difficult, its seemingly impossible.
Yet its our calling as creators. In a world consumed with
destruction, we are called to create. We are called to
give. We are called to lift up and encourage and inspire.
By quitting, we abandon our calling.
Second, our tendency. This is deeper than distraction.
This is different than laziness. This is about our animalistic instinct to follow. To do exactly what others tell us. To
take the widest and easiest and most well-traveled path.
This is the nine to five. The big house with the white picket fence. The two cars with the two kids with the twoweeks vacation. This is the boob tube and the YouTube.
This is the never-ending game of consumerism and ma39

terialism. This is the sought-after, doggedly pursued, sacrificed-everything-for American dream.

And none of it includes creating.
Creating is not just counter-cultural,
its counter-personal.
Every inclination, both without and within, leads away
from creating. Its not a choice. Its reality. But we do
choose whether we surrender to the current, whether
we give into our nature.
Being a creator means choosing a different way of life.
It means not accepting, but projecting.
Project the life you want and chase it. And dont let the
world or even yourself get in the way. Because they will
try. So you will have to try harder.
Creators do not quit, because creators cannot quit. Once
inspired, we have an obligation, a duty, a calling to carry
forth our creation, bringing it to completion.

Questions to Consider
Have you ever quit a creation?
What are the obstacles preventing you from
completing a project?
How does the world keep you from creating?
Are you projecting the life you want and chasing it?

40


Creators Share
Tenth Element:

The final element within the art of creating is controversial. It causes discomfort to a lot of people, including
me. It makes us nervous and fearful. It keeps us awake at
night. But like the other nine elements, its necessary. So
here it goes.
Creators have an obligation
not with themselves, but with others
to share.
Let me begin with the premise and build up. While many
creators dream of fame and fortune, making it big doing
something they love, some of us prefer to remain anonymous. What we enjoy is the craft, the sometimes tender,
sometimes intense, art of forming something from nothing. Although it can be an isolated, lonely existence, its
more rewarding than anything in life.
Theres rarely a thought given about sharing. We would
rather avoid the attention. And we certainly dont want
to promote ourselves.
But just as creators must complete their work, so too
must they bring it into the world and let others receive it.
Share with a Whisper
Sharing doesnt necessarily mean displaying your creation on the street corner. It doesnt always mean putting it online or publishing it or even sending it to family
and friends. Perhaps youre not ready for any of that, or
41

maybe your art requires a certain setting or a particular

context. Thats fine.
Whats important is that you share it with someone. Anyone. Start with the person you love and trust most.
By sharing your creation,
you are sharing your heart.
Prior to writing Attempt Life, I wrote a personal memoir
called Rewinding Forward. Its about a five-year period
of my life and the journey I traveled healing from the
wounds of my past. Its a brutally honest book, one in
which I bear my soul. To this day, I have only shared it
with a handful of people.
And thats okay. In its present form, it was never intended for a larger audience. Its too delicate a subject. Too
exposing. It was primarily written as a therapeutic tool to
make sense of my story, and to help those closest to me
better understand what I went through growing up.
Yet I was still afraid to share it. But Im glad I did. Because
those I love now know me better.
Sharing your heart is always rewarding.
Even when painful, its profitable.
Acknowledge Your Fears
The prospect of revealing yourself to the worldeven
more, your most vulnerable partis scary. No, its terrifying. Why risk the criticism and humiliation and embarrassment? What good could come of it? Why not remain
locked inside, comfortably content?
42

Im not sure about you, but I remember feeling pretty

frightened before my first date. I felt the same way before kissing a girl for the first time, and before proposing
to my wife. I imagine Ill experience similar emotions before meeting my first child, and before dropping him or
her off at school for the first time.
In fact, I would suggest the most significant events in life
are difficult. I would go so far as to say the most important decisions do not come easy. They are hard and they
are scary. But they are nonetheless necessary.
Yet fear remains.
We exert so much energy trying to avoid fear. But fear
is simply an internal reaction to a risk of danger. Its our
bodys response to a perceived threatwhether its real
or fake.
Only by acknowledging fear,
moving it outside from inside,
can we move beyond it.
When we externalize fear, freeing it from our past and
our emotions, we see it naked and alone. Measured
against its source, its usually surprisingly small.
We also see that many of our fears are based upon a lie,
such as: I cant do this. Ill be rejected. No one will like me.
Ill fail. Each lie is rooted in insecurity, perhaps a painful
experience, and it must be dispelled with truth.
Tell yourself: I can do this. I wont be rejected. I will be
liked. I will not fail. And do it often, because youre literally changing your brain. Youre reprogramming your
43

thoughts.
Im not suggesting fear is irrelevant. Sometimes its real
and deep. But in most cases, fear is a distraction. Its a
speed bump. And we need to put it in its place. We need
to declare victory over it, then move forward.
Believe the World Needs You
Nothing can keep us from sharing with the worldnot
fear, not resistance, not distractions, not anythingbecause the world desperately needs us. In an age of cynicism and doubt, when nothing is sacred and nothing is
beautiful, there must be those proclaiming hope. And
we, the creators, will do this the only way we know how:
by sharing what flows from deep within. Our creations.
It is our light in the darkness.
It is our raft in the ocean.
It is our voice.
And we must use it.

Questions to Consider
Do you hesitate to share your creations?
Do you agree that by sharing your art, you are
sharing your heart?
What fears prevent you from taking the next step?
Do you believe youre needed in the world?

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Final Thoughts
Now is the moment when the rubber meets the road
when you put away this book, face your tools, and begin
creating. I wish you all the best in your creative endeavors. I honestly believe every one of us has a story to tell,
and the world needs to hear it. Please dont be shy about
sharing.
If you ever find yourself stuck of discouraged, I hope you
will reference this book. Use it as a resource. Even since
writing it, Ive returned to its pages for guidance and reminders.
Lastly, if youre interested in sharing thoughts or exchanging ideas or simply getting to know like-minded folks,
head over to my blog. Theres an entire community of
people like you, looking for pointers and encouragement
and just good company. Or feel free to reach out to me.
Im always happy to hear from other creators. If theres
anything I can do to help, let me know.
paul@paulperkins.com
paulperkins.com
The Art of Creating Community: paulperkins.com/theart-of-creating
facebook.com/perkinswriter
twitter.com/prperkins
instagram.com/paul_perkins
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Everyone was born to create.

And everyone includes you.

All of us dream of creating. Whether writing a great American novel, painting a portrait, crafting a tune, constructing a poem, molding a sculpture, taking a photo, building
a structure, or cooking a meal.
The challenge is turning our dreams into reality. In The Art
of Creating, Paul Perkins shares the ten most important
lessons hes learned to becoming a productive and prolific
creator. From the simple (you are a creator) to the difficult (creators bypass resistance), he covers all of the bases,
speaking sometimes painful truth about how to break free
of what holds us back and unleash our creative potential.
With an accessible and engaging voice, The Art of Creating provides concrete steps, how-to instructions, and outside-the-box ideas. After reading itand likely re-reading
it many times overyou will walk away knowing exactly
what it takes to create your dreams. And you will be motivated to do it.

Paul Perkins grew up outside of Portland,

Oregon. After graduating from college,
he moved to Washington, DC, where he
attended law school and worked in the
U.S. Senate and then at the White House.
He and his wife, Hilary, now live and
practice law in DC. Connect with Paul
on his blog at paulperkins.com, where
he writes about living intentionally in
relationships, art, and faith.
Cover Image Anteromite/Shutterstock