Creativity and Death

One of my neighbours passed away recently. It has impacted me more than I expected. We weren’t that close, but it’s strange how life can affect you in ways you don’t see coming.

He was an interesting chap one of life’s eccentrics and ‘characters’. No one would ever describe him as bland, conventional or lacking in opinion!

I think he would have been a pirate in previous times. I don’t think I’m betraying any confidences when I say he never knowingly gave to the state or for that matter took from the state.

Once the initial shock is passed, eventually your thoughts turn to yourself and make you think about how you live your life, use your time and energy. Events like this really make you realise that life, time and energy are not limitless or never ending.

At home, I’m surrounded by the medical profession and they know all this? - but I don’t….and it’s all a bit of a shocker.

Like it or not moments like this force you to re-evaluate. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Who am I doing it for? Life is short, and it can change in a moment.

It’s easy to forget that until something shakes you up. Yes, life is unpredictable, we all know that, but it doesn’t really sink in until it touches you personally.

It’s uncomfortable, but maybe that’s the point. It brings to the surface things you’ve been too busy to think about. Death is final and when you see that finality, it stops you in your tracks and forces you off the daily / weekly / monthly business as usual path.

Am I spending enough of it on things that truly matter to me? Or have I been caught up in things that don’t align with my needs or values? Have I been swept along by momentum, to do what’s expected without thinking too much about it. Am I living the life I want? etc etc.

And then there’s work. We spend so much of our lives working, it slowly becomes central to our lives and it can even come to define us. I guess that’s partly why doing work that has purpose is really important to me. Working in Social Housing repairs, maintenance and improvement has huge purpose, so thankfully, it’s a big YES.

This brings me to creativity. It had to eventually because after all this is a Creativity Newsletter and not some random Sermon on death, dying and self-reflection. ?

Creating things, being creative, producing something new and different is how you make a mark or imprint in the world. ?Use your creativity in whatever form works for you? - through writing, art, or even LinkedIn Newsletters, they become your legacy. ?

We all want to leave a legacy and your creative output will be one aspect of yours.

More than that Creativity can give us a sense of control when everything feels uncertain. It helps us make sense of things that don’t always make sense. It is something you can own and run with that is unique to you.

If there’s one takeaway from this newsletter, it’s this: Don’t wait.

Don’t wait for a “better time” to have that conversation.

Don’t wait to start that business.

Don’t wait to write that book.

Don’t wait to pursue that passion.

Don’t wait to start posting on LinkedIn!

Life is sadly too short for waiting.

So, here’s to reflection, to creativity, and use them to live fully in the moments we have.

Carry on and proceed with pace.