It's officially been three weeks since my new album dropped.
Since then, The Call of Raven's Hollow has been streamed 35K+ times on Spotify alone—and the personal messages I've been getting have been so humbling.
But...
If I'm being honest, it's been a pretty difficult time for me artistically now that it's finished.
See, I believe that I'm inherently wired for creativity—whether I've got an artistic outlet in my life or not.
With a healthy creative outlet, my imagination gets used for something constructive—like art, storytelling, or worldbuilding.
But if my artistic needs are unmet, my innate creativity often manifests into something destructive—like rumination, overplanning, or catastrophizing.
That fear-based thinking, destructive as it is, is still a creative act...
Just not a healthy one.
Here's just a few of my unhealthy creative outlets:
• Refreshing social media, bank accounts, & email/Discord multiple times per day
• Obsessing over analytics on my YT videos and biz endeavors
• Getting perfectionistic about the online articulation of who I am/what I do
• Panicking about career famine cycles and doomscrolling the web for answers
When my life's filled with these distractions, it's not a pleasant day-to-day experience.
But I've noticed something else, too.
When I have a meaningful creative project in my life, all of those destructive behaviors dissipate.
I feel grounded.
I think more clearly.
I make better decisions.
I act from abundance, not scarcity.
(And ironically, my business thrives.)
Put simply, engaging in art consistently makes me a better human being in all aspects of my life.
And I believe that's true for everyone.
Whether you identify as an "artist" or not, a healthy creative outlet is required in order to live a peaceful, fulfilling life.
The practical challenge is that our modern world is absolutely saturated with ways to kill your boredom and imagination, often leading to creativity feeling more like an obligation than a privilege.
(We're also conditioned to associate success with external metrics, which often manifests in our lives as needing to justify spending time making art as something that will make money, build influence, or serve others.)
So—what do we do about all of this?
I believe that now, more than ever, we need to cultivate and protect personalized creative rituals. 🕯️
You don't have to write a novel, make a film, or embark on an album if you don't want to. But you do need to carve out space for art for art's sake if you crave respite from the noise of the world—and from your own mind.
Start small.
Set a 30-minute timer.
Give yourself permission to create.
Don't plan what you'll make, don't set a goal to pursue, and don't judge your process or outcome. Those are all trappings of the mind which seeks to understand, justify, and optimize.
For now, simply show up.
Because once you do, within minutes you'll remember just how meaningful a creative life is to you.
(And if you'd like support in your journey, I'm opening a few summer spots to work directly with composers seeking deeper structure and guidance in their creative pursuits. Just hit "reply" and share what you'd like to accomplish together over the next 3-6 months.)
Now...
Go make something. 🙂
—Zach
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