Equating creativity and learning to single ‘eureka’ moments is discrediting the actual process.

Both come from seeing a good idea in one place, a good idea in another, finding ways to connect the two and continually adding more ideas to the mix as you come across them.

This process may (usually) takes years and is on-going.

My children’s show in magic was the result of cobbling small ideas together over the course of eight years. However, the number of shows I booked after the eight year mark skyrocketed.

Finding my voice in writing (which is ongoing) was the result of learning the craft from many sources over ten years. Improvements came as the result of retained ideas as opposed to a commitment to one system. Had I done that, it would be obvious I’m just ghostwriting someone else’s style as opposed to creating my own.

The willingness to do things differently is the result of being exposed to ideas several times over a period of time.

This also means when you’re offering a comprehensive lesson on something you’ve mastered, don’t expect the person listening to take it all in. They will only take an idea or two.

This is also the reason I re-read books after a few years – I always find something new.

It’s also the reason repeating yourself, in different ways, isn’t always a bad idea.