Why Small Creative Acts Matter Much More Than Big Intentions
The Box Cutter Co. 100-Day "Creative Invitation Challenge"
Most people wait for clarity before doing something creative.
But that’s backwards.
Most creative work begins smaller than you expect, like:
A note
A question
A few lines
A reflection
A rough sketch
This sits behind the just launched Box Cutter Co. “100-Day Creative Invitation Challenge.”
Oh yes, groaners and eye-rollers, I hear ya, I see ya.
This is not some productivity or publicity challenge. It’s just a small, simple invitation for a little daily creativity. One a day (or more) for 100 days.
I’m challenging myself, and you’re welcome to join, or watch, or say “get stuffed, that’s stupid…”
Building a Creative Enterprise Bit by Bit
Box Cutter Co. is a creative enterprise where I explore thinking, writing, creativity, and practices that help people (including me) build a more intentional creative life.
Maybe even a creative business (or two).
A lot of people have hang-ups about creativity.
“I’m not creative.”
…is one of the most commonly uttered phrases about creativity.
And, it’s bullshit.
You don’t need to begin with a masterpiece in mind. You often only need a small, simple practice you can return to. Something that still works on ordinary days, distracted days, low-energy days.
If you’ve played sports, you know what it means to “return to basics” — even the pros do it. Whether it’s hockey, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, or otherwise… back to basics is critical.
That’s also the point of the Box Cutter Co. 👉 100-day Creative Invitation Challenge.
Back to basics. Something simple, each day. Share it.
For me, it’s usually writing
Writing is private.
Publishing makes it public.
And, creative practice thrives within both.
Private creative work helps you hear and learn about yourself, like:
Why do I think this way?
Where did I learn this?
How can I change it?
Public creative work helps your thinking take shape and form in the world.
My central tool for supporting this is a “Learning Journal” Its a simple way to turn thinking into language, and language into creative artifacts. And artifacts into a larger creation.
It gives you somewhere to notice, reflect, question, and work through your thinking on paper. A lot of what I publish starts there. For example, here’s an image of my Learning Journal from the other day, as I pondered the idea for this challenge.
If you’d like to learn more about Learning Journals, I’ve unlocked some of the issues in the “Learning Journals” section here on Box Cutter Co.
Box Cutter Co. now has over 200 published issues.
On Medium, I recently hit 400 published stories. (All of this in just over 3 years.)
This isn’t intended as a ‘look at me, look at me’ stat. It’s more a demonstration of an active commitment to intentional acts of creativity (and sharing).
These issues and articles are essentially my public Learning Journals. It’s where my thoughts take shape and form — and get exposed to other folks (like you).
Almost all of what I post online is a kind of public Learning Journal. My idea labs. And this matters — because the act of sharing shifts the stakes.
It requires some courage.
Creates more accountability (to oneself and others)
And, turns expression and creation into a relationship.
You move from simply having a thought to shaping something another person can encounter. This is how creative practices become steady life practices.
So this challenge is simple
100 days
One creative artifact published per day
Create some-thing
Publish some-thing
Keep going
Not because every creative act needs to be profound, or huge, or glamorous. And, you definitely don’t need permission.
It’s because daily practice builds momentum, trust, and a stronger relationship with your creative process (and ultimately with your Self).
Some days, the artifact may be tiny.
A paragraph
A sketch
A note
A post
A question
A reflection
A useful idea made visible
That’s enough.
The goal is not perfection. The goal is steadiness, habit-forming, and intention-laced. Continuity.
One day at a time.
One published artifact at a time.
One more way to bring something authentic into the world.
This is not a productivity stunt. Definitely, not a content treadmill.
Just a light, simple invitation to steady creative practice — and sharing it.
Where to Share?
I’m sharing something creative every day on the Box Cutter Co. LinkedIn page. And, I will also post here on my Substack Notes page. Feel free to respond to these with your creative artifact, or just do it on your own, and tag me (or not).
I’ll also be sharing some insights, reflections and fun engagements in future Box Cutter Co. issues, as well as in the Box Cutter Co. Publication on Medium.
I used to do this daily. Thoughtlessly. Although the acts themselves were not thoughtless, they were thoughtful in a sense of creating space for whatever is alive in me to come alive outside of me. Could be as brief enough as dropping a stone into a puddle and watching the ripples, or blowing warm breath onto a snowflake until it melts into nothingness.