Creative Demons (And How To Slay Them)

They're everywhere 👿 - the mischiefs causing writers' blocks, the criminals responsible for creative struggles, the devils holding us back from making something new and original.

I was gifted this book some time ago, and recently finished reading it - and I want to share the my favourite quotes/observations on each form of creative demon:

1. The Demon of Procrastination:

• “Begin by accepting that you’re making something that’s not great”

2. The Demon of the Blank Page:

• Think of ideas as fish that you’re trying to catch, rather than coming from the brain

3. The Demon of Doubt:

• Don’t try to create and evaluate at the same time

4. The Demon of Convention:

• Try subtractive process (vs additive process): what can I take away from an existing solution to make it better?
• Try oppositional thinking - “not doing the things nobody thought of not doing”

5. The Demon of Constraints:

• “Instead of seeing absence, look for opportunity”

6. The Demon of Criticism:

• “Listen to them when it suits you. But don't listen too often or too hard”

7. The Demon of Theft:

• “How can I take that and make it even better?”

8. The Demon of Accidents:

• “Be alive to the possibilities at each moment and not so wedded to an intended outcome that you miss one of those rare and accidental moments that could take you somewhere altogether more exciting”

9. The Demon of Failure:

• “We deceive ourselves if we think we have the capacity to say whether something is a success or a failure at the moment it occurs”

10. The Demon of Disappointment:

• “What if you compare your latest work not against the greats, but simply against your own?”