I’ll begin with a question: if money didn’t exist, how would you spend your time?
Not what would be productive.
Not what would earn approval.
Not what would make the most sense on paper.
What would you create simply because creating it made you feel happy and alive?
Maybe you would paint, write, dance, design clothing, make music, work with your hands, take photographs, or finally begin the idea that has quietly lived inside you for years.
Can you let the first thing that comes to mind, lead the way?
Because your creative impulses are trying to tell you something important.
And reality is, that voice is blunted by what we are conditioned to prioritize for most of our lives: that which is practical, measurable, and productive. We learn how to meet deadlines, fulfil responsibilites, and build stability.
But the question is, do you even feel like your real self when you wake up every day?
Are you connected to your purpose, or sense of aliveness while doing it?
Creativity is often treated as ‘play’ – as something extra, or juvenile in the face of so many ‘real-world’ tasks at hand.
It is something we are only allowed to pursue once the work is finished, and even then our mind gets pulled by the next thing on our to-do list and it seems we can hardly rationalize the value in ‘playing around’ or ‘having fun’.
And the very thing that makes us feel most like our authentic self, gets pushed to the edges of our lives.
I know this, because I spent 14 years pushing aside my desire to DJ.
And when I finally gave myself permission to begin, I realized that responding to this creative impulse goes much deeper than ‘having fun’. It’s far from frivolous or irresponsible..
Woven into the threads of your creative art is unique way for you to digest your life overall, heal, integrate, and return to your most authentic self.
Creativity Connects You to Your Flow State
Your creative impulses carry the signature of your unique flow state.
Flow is the experience of becoming so immersed in what you are doing that time seems to fall away. You are no longer monitoring yourself, questioning your ability, looping in your thinking mind or calculating the outcome.
You are simply inside the experience.
In this state, the mind becomes quiet. Instinct moves forward. Your energy is no longer divided between who you are and who you believe you are supposed to be.
You become present, you experience the joy your heart draws you towards. And what it means to feel like YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF.
For one person, that feeling may arrive while dancing. For another, it appears while writing, gardening, cooking, painting, styling a room, or building something from nothing.
The form matters less than the feeling.
The activity that absorbs you, energizes you, and returns you to yourself is showing you where your natural life force wants to move.
Creativity Allows Hidden Parts of You to Speak
We each contain aspects of ourselves that cannot be fully or solely expressed through responsibility, routine, or logic.
Creativity gives those parts a language, and an outlet.
Reality is, the ‘matrix’ isn’t wrong – we came here to experience what it’s like to be a part of it.
Yes, it’s easy to get bogged down by the system.. and remaining in this imbalance often leads to stress and sickness.
So no, we’re not meant to stay stuck – we’re not meant to be on overdrive, or pretend that there’s nothing more to life.
Enter: our creative impulses – the antidote.
Staying balanced isn’t only for your wellbeing, it’s for your soul’s expression. Our creative impulses pull us towards the very thing that not only helps us create peace of mind in a system that made you play in the rat-race, but it allows for these hidden parts of you to speak, as you get a taste of what it’s like for you to exist on this higher frequency.
I say ‘higher frequency’ because thats the joy that comes along with following your creative impulses – thats the flow state you enter.
And on this frequency, energy is in motion. Sometimes, we create to communicate something we never knew how to say. Sometimes, we create to process an emotion, follow our curiosity, or give shape to a vision that exists only within us.
And on this frequency, you may be surprised at what comes through.. now that you’ve finally created the space.
Put it this way: Thomas Edison didn’t come up with his invention of the light bulb when he was working in his lab – he was away from it all, on a surfing trip. Both literally and figuratively in his flow-state.
This is why creativity can feel deeply restorative. We are no longer containing every emotion, idea, and desire within the limits of our minds. We are moving them through our hands, our voices, our bodies, and our choices.
Through expression, what has been held inside finally has somewhere to go and our blocks from pressure and over-thinking finally have the chance to dissolve.
And through this, we bring our ART into the world.
Creativity Is Part of a Balanced Life
The truth is, as much as some want to speak of living outside of ‘the matrix’, we’ve come here to be a part of it. We live within a system that requires our participation of creating structure, stability, responsibility, and the ability to care for ourselves.
But no matter how much money you have, this alone does not create fulfilment.
This modern era likes to award taking on the work load with badge of honour – the busier you are, the more you can handle, the higher you climb up the ranks, the more responsibility you shoulder, the more respect you gain.
But what it’s worth if at the end of your earth-years, you never took the time to pour back into yourself to see what would flourish?
When every decision is organized around productivity and survival, we can become disconnected from the very qualities that make life meaningful: imagination, wonder, experimentation, expression, and lighthearted play.
Here’s the most important key: creativity does not ask us to abandon our responsibilities.
It does the opposite – it helps you to become a better, more intelligent and refined version of yourself in the ‘real-world’ roles you have.
Our creative impulses allow for our nervous systems to rest, recover, and digest.
And your medicine is found in the very thing your passion is trying to pull you towards.
Your soul is calling you to feel yourself at a higher frequency, through your creative impulses – even if just for a few hours per week.
Following your creative impulse could mean dedicating one hour a week to something that belongs entirely to you. It could mean signing up for the class, opening the notebook, dusting off the instrument, sitting with a blank canvas or allowing yourself to be a beginner again.
The only question is, would you gift yourself this experience?
Your Desires Can Act as a Compass
Not every creative idea must become a business, a brand, or something the world applauds.
Some things are meant to be created simply because they bring us closer to who we are.
This matters in a culture that constantly asks us to justify our time through outcomes. We have become accustomed to asking whether something will be profitable, successful, or useful before asking whether it will make us feel alive.
But joy is useful.
Expression is useful.
Feeling connected to yourself is useful.
The desire that continues returning to you may be pointing toward a neglected part of your identity. It may carry an invitation to become more playful, visible, courageous, expressive, or free.
You do not have to understand its entire purpose before you respond.
Sometimes, purpose is revealed through participation.
So I ask you again: if money didn’t exist, what would you be doing?
Pay attention to the first answer – the one that arrived before your practical mind began explaining why it wouldn’t work.
You don’t need to abandon your life to follow it.
You only need to give it somewhere to begin.
Because the antidote to our modern disconnection may be hidden inside the very thing we keep avoiding: the passion-filled vision resting quietly on our hearts.
I believe we all carry a creative essence that wants to move through us and take form in the world.
And every time we respond to it, we become a little more present.
A little more expressed.
A little more OURSELVES.
and if you takeaway anything..
- Creativity is not an irresponsible distraction. It can reconnect you with your energy, presence, curiosity, and authentic self.
- Your natural flow state leaves clues. Pay attention to the activities that absorb you, quiet your self-consciousness, and make you feel energized.
- A creative pursuit does not need to become profitable to have value. Expression, joy, and self-connection are meaningful outcomes on their own.
- You don’t need to restructure your entire life to honour an impulse. Begin with one small, consistent act that gives your creativity somewhere to live.
