Bryan Collins - The Power of Creativity (Book 1): Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life

By Bryan Collins

2018 by Bryan Collins .

All rights reserved. First edition 2017. Second edition 2018 .

Edited by Command+Z Content and Beth Crosby .

Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express consent is strictly prohibited .

This book uses British English .

This book is just one of a popular three-part series that will teach you how to become more creative and find better ideas .

Visit becomeawritertoday.com/poc and Ill send you book two free today .

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are .

Anais Nin

O ctober 17th, 2009

It was the morning after my thirtieth birthday party, and I was lying on the cold tiles in the upstairs bathroom of my house. My skin felt sticky to touch, and I imagined a shard of glassware was tearing my head in two .

I got up, put my hands on the sink, looked in the mirror and into my bloodshot eyes. I didnt like what I saw .

I could (almost) forgive myself for having a crippling hangover the morning after my birthday. I knew my life had some trappings of success: a healthy son and daughter, a wife, a paying job and a modest-sized house .

But I knew I was a failure .

However, since I was a five-year-old boy reading a tattered copy of Roald Dahls The BFG underneath the bedcovers with a flashlight between my teeth, I wanted to be a writer. But to want something and to be brave enough to pursue it are two different things. Id spent 25 years being too afraid to pursue what I wanted .

For years, I read books about getting more done, coming up with ideas, unlocking fresh thinking, changing habits, writing, and managing To Do lists, calendars and even time itself, but I was the ultimate procrastinator .

I collected other peoples big ideas like they were rare coins that belonged in a glass case at the back of my mind. I never put what I found into practise. I was too afraid to start, too afraid to go after what I wanted, too afraid to think big .

Sure, some of my decisions opened doors for me. I talked about Ernest Hemingway and Anas Nin over pints of beer with friends, and I studied journalism in college (a suitable course for any would-be writer). I even talked my way into a job as a print journalist for a Dublin newspaper .

There, I was paid to report on news stories each week. I was terrible at it. I dreaded the weekly news meetings, and I couldnt stand being in the same room as the editor of the newspaper. I was permanently devoid of ideas to write or report on, and everybody at the paper knew it .

I didnt last long at that job or the next job in the media .

I left journalism and drifted into another career that had nothing to do with writing, a career that snuffed out any sparks of creativity from its employees with mind-numbing routines, policies and procedures .

I became afraid of taking creative chances because I was worried about paying the bills and of what others would think. I became caught up in the day-to-day practicalities of life .

So the morning after my birthday, I looked in the mirror at my receding hairline and the first flecks of grey in my beard. I saw I was no closer to becoming a writer than the five-year-old boy who stayed up at night reading a frayed, yellow copy of The BFG .

I realised I needed to face my fears. I was a zebra who needed to change his stripes .

I needed to at least start, and I could do it with small, incremental changes. Id work on becoming physically and mentally healthier. Id seek out new ideas and put them into practise. Id get over feeling afraid of rejection and failure, and Id learn the demands of my craft .

To be creative is to embark on a long journey. I cant promise where youll end up, but I know where well start. In this book, Ill explain why keeping an orderly and quiet life will help you prepare for fantastic and wild ideas .

Ill also guide you through setting up your studio or where you work for success, the difference between efficiency and effectiveness and how to feed your subconscious .

Youll discover why knowing your guiding purpose is just as important as feeling inspired about your creative projects. Youll learn how a mentor can help you face your fears and overcome everyday obstacles. And youll find out what to do if you cant find one .

I cannot think of anything more powerful for writers, musicians or artists than a daily creative habit. So, Ill guide you through which ones to cultivate and what to ignore .

Ill explain why strengthening your mind and body and working hard is key to fresh thinking. But what if youre feeling exhausted ?

Well, you can always turn to one of your side projects like television director, producer and writer Matthew Weiner, which Ill explain later .

Finally, well go to war. Were going to conquer any fears you have about creativity or your craft and then move boldly forward .

In each chapter, Ill draw on scientific studies (because we can all benefit from a little science), and Ill also examine the lives of contemporary and past creative masters from the arts, business, technology and more .

Each chapter concludes with applicable exercises or Creative Takeaways that will help you overcome common setbacks in your work .

(Because, hey, theory is nice, but practise is better .)

Its the first in a three-part series about creativity, which I wrote for new writers, musicians, filmmakers, and artists .

This book, in particular, is for anyone who has ever thought I have a hard time being creative or I would like to discover my passion or even the prospects of my work being rejected is terrifying .

If youre an artist adrift, I wrote this book for you .

Im not all sunshine, rainbows and lollipops, so if youre looking for a shortcut to a six-figure paycheque or a glittering review in the New Yorker, get out now .

Id love a shortcut as much as the next person, you will find none here. Youre still going to have to do the hard work. As Ive learned firsthand, when your eyes are bloodshot, your fingers callused and your back aching, youre still on the hook for working on your ideas, for stepping forwards .

Oh, and heres the thing :

When I read books that tackle subjects like creativity, Im struck by how distant the writer is from his or her research, and how dry the material reads .

Its as if a SERIOUS topic like creativity warrants objective distance and emotional detachment. Yet, reader loses when an authors detachment results in dry prose devoid of storytelling and steeped in research and critical analysis .

Regardless of whether the material between the covers is worth the slog, those books are just not much fun to read .

I dont want you to lose .

So youll find my story, my fears, my struggles, my wins and my setbacks woven through these pages. Ive put as much of myself and as many illuminating stories about habit-building, conquering your fears and nurturing your creativity into this book as possible .