Where Creativity Begins
An invitation to play, explore, and ignite the spark beneath your work
There’s a moment in every creative season — whether you’re a writer, entrepreneur, maker, or meaning-maker — when your ideas feel like they’re playing a game of hide and seek. And it can feel oh, so frustrating. It’s often called “writer’s block,” “burnout,” “a creative drought,” or “not feeling inspired.” But so often, what we’re really experiencing is simpler: We’ve forgotten how to play.
Creativity doesn’t arrive because we force ourselves to sit at a desk with perfect posture and unwavering discipline. Pushing through, focusing on the ‘doing’ when you are essentially trying to swim upstream, just makes you feel tired sooner. If you can remember that creativity comes from a place of ‘allowing’, it emerges when we give our minds room to wander, meander, and invite curiosity into exploring new ideas.
Today’s Substack post is an invitation into that colourful and messy space.
Creativity Isn’t a Mystery — It’s a Biological Process
You’ve probably heard people describe the left-brain as logical and the right-brain as creative. And therefore, concluded you need to scaffold more around your right-brain to rely upon greater creativity. Good writing happens when our brains braid the two capacities together. That is, you need BOTH left- and right-brained functions to contribute:
The Executive Network is within your left-brain skillset and includes:
· Structure
· Order
· Logic
· Sequencing
· Editing
· Decision-making.
When writing, this is the part that decides what goes where, how sentences should flow, and why one idea makes more sense than another. If you struggle making these decisions alone, it can be helpful to work with someone who has strengths in this area (ie, a book coach or an editor).
The Imaginative Network comes from your right-brain region and includes:
· Metaphors
· Emotions
· Sensory details
· Intuition
· Big-picture meaning.
This is the part that drifts, dreams, imagines, and wanders into all of the possibilities (and a great writing coach will encourage you to keep playing until you find the sweetest spot).
Creativity flourishes when we toggle between both parts (a bit like playing table tennis with yourself?). I’ve heard it said that the structure supports the imagination, and the imagination fuels the structure. It’s less about choosing a side and more about letting them dance together!
Why Creativity Makes Us More Productive
It might sound counterintuitive, but it’s true: when we spend time playing, experimenting, noticing, and wondering… we become more productive, not less. Playtime is not reserved for children as a way to learn and grow; it works for adults too!
❤ Creative play increases neuroplasticity: Your brain becomes more flexible and better at making surprising connections.
❤ It lowers cortisol: Stress levels lower, whilst clarity rises. Decisions feel easier.
❤ It reduces rigidity: Instead of clinging to the “one right way,” you start seeing many possible paths forward. You then get to choose which feels best.
❤ It unlocks fresh ideas: Every kind of writing becomes easier (including marketing, story writing, content creation, client communication, etc.)
❤ It’s fuel, not indulgence: Creativity is not an escape from work. It’s the underlying spark that makes the work feel meaningful again (and your choice of creative endeavour can be outside the scope of your current focus).
An Invitation to Play
To help you jump back into your creativity zone, I put together a little game for you: Creativity Bingo. It’s 16 little prompts to loosen the edges of your thinking and invite a little more wonder back into your writing practice. I invite you to email me at simone@wagtaileditorial.com, and I’ll send you a copy of the PDF.
The Flow-On Effect of Having Fun
When you regularly reconnect with your creative mind, you begin to notice these positive outcomes: better ideas, calmer decision-making, more courage in your messaging, increased energy for your business, greater joy in the process, less fear around doing it wrong, and a stronger sense of self in your work.
This is the magic of creativity: it doesn’t just make you a better writer — it makes you a attuned and imaginative human (it’s like wearing the sparkly coloured cape during the day — not just at night).
Your creativity isn’t blocked. It’s simply waiting for an open window. Let this be one.
P.S. If you try a square (or 5) on the Bingo sheet, I’d truly love to know which one.
And if you want support in awakening your creative rhythm — in writing, in storytelling, or in your business — my couch is always warm and waiting.
To book a time to chitti-chitti with me, I invite you to pop into my inbox: simone@wagtaileditorial.com or send me a DM via my socials: FB: WagtailEditorial or Insta.
Thank you, Simone, for this thought-provoking post.