When it comes to creative work, is consistency overrated?

Pondering this question for my next post and would love to hear about your relationship with consistency!

Personally, mine is all over the place. I love free-writing but am not into morning pages. I don’t write every day. And yet, there’s rarely a day that goes by when I don’t think about writing. Or follow a curiosity thread that eventually leads to words.

Nothing seems to dampen my creativity quite like a daily routine. I spent years in online journalism, writing and publishing to deadline every single morning. It was consistent and productive. But not particularly creative.

Now I write on the train, in bed, on my phone. I hop out of the shower to scribble the words down before they are lost. I leave piles of notebooks and paper scattered in my wake. Some of them covered in paint or ripped up for collage.

It’s chaotic. And inconsistent. But feels incredibly freeing. I’ve never felt more creative.

My favourite authors don’t consistently produce a book every year. They’re the ones who take ten years - or a lifetime - to write their debut, then disappear back to their attic for seven more.

Pausing here, before this turns into the post itself. 😅

Would love to hear how you feel whenever you hear the advice “be consistent”. What does it bring up for you?

(Photo from my sketchbook. Consistently messy - that I *can* do.)

I accidentally published this as a thread first. So feel free to hop over there to join the conversation if you prefer. 🧡