Good Morning Friends,

I hope you're well. We've hit a sudden and sharp frost here in Scotland, which is pleasant alongside the sunshine.

The time to sit down and write is a blessing. Carving out time to be creative with something that matters to you is one of the spices of life. Yet it's not something we allow ourselves to prioritise. Perhaps we don't convince ourselves of its importance or it may just be one of those easy things to let go.

But spending time being creative always outweighs any drawbacks. It allows us to discover new layers of ourselves that we didn't know existed. It leads us to new perspectives we never knew we had. And ultimately, it takes us down a never-ending rabbit hole for the rest of our life. One of constant discovery and zero expectations.

Of course, partaking in creativity is a luxury. But what is life if we can't explore the more colourful realms that exist? This common notion of embarrassment and judgement must rob us of so many artists in the world. I also enjoy the notion that there is no barrier for entry and it is always one for the crowd to decide, not yourself.

Being creative is for your soul, not your ego. This is why not getting to choose if your work is good or worthy enough is healthy for us. It's not even a factor to consider. You just create and then do it all again. This is a good lesson to apply for other things in life.

The joy comes from the doing. This is something that we should never lose our appetite for. It's also why judgement is so futile to consider when turning up to do things we love. Whenever I witness someone doing something they love, I admire it. Firstly, from the bravery of publicly doing it. But then quickly remembering that they are pursuing their craft. Something that I believe is one of the highest forms of virtue.

Honing your craft is about the doing, never the end. When you pursue it, you are motivated to get better whilst simultaneously knowing you'll never be the best if you're enjoying it. It's not about being the best either. It's about doing the thing that you love, at a time when you need an outlet and that will make you a better person outside of it.

By pursuing writing, podcasting and exercise, I am 100% a better partner, dad, friend and worker for it. The thing with this here is that it's a win-win. I get to hone my craft and be a good person? Sign me up!

I guess to close today, that would naturally lead me to ask you - 'What are you not pursuing creatively that would make you a better person?'

None of this habits or routines nonsense today... this is purely about the arts. Lean in and think - 'If I had no reason not to, what would I spend my free time exploring creatively?'

Remember, we haven't got long so make sure you're doing stuff that makes you feel alive!

Write to me with your inspiration as I always love hearing it.

Best,

Lawrence