Highlight from The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

Everyone has a story about their creativity. Given the time to reflect, we can rediscover paths forgotten, projects set aside and what has influenced us to get where we are.

In her book, The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp devised a questionnaire titled Your Creative Autobiography which “forces us to go back to our origins, our earliest memories, our first causes. We can change through life, but we cannot deny our sources, and this test is one way to recall those routes.”

I have yet to answer all the questions thoroughly though I can tell you that my answer to Question 3 is designing a social networking game in my secondary school in Nairobi - delivered on paper, in the nineties!

Question 16 is a powerful one. In many conversations I have had with friends, we inevitably uncover a strong link between what is stopping or pushing people to pursue a creative practice and their feelings towards money, status, work and more. There aren't necessarily right or wrong answers, but it doesn't hurt to scrutinise the ideas behind the attitudes we hold dear.

Here is the list of questions from the book for your contemplation. Don’t hold back if you want to share your answers!

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?
2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
3. What is the best idea you’ve ever had?
4. What made it great in your mind?
5. What is the dumbest idea?
6. What made it stupid?
7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?
8. What is your creative ambition?
9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?
10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?
11. How do you begin your day?
12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?
13. Describe your first successful creative act.
14. Describe your second successful creative act.
15. Compare them.
16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?
17. Which artists do you admire most?
18. Why are they your role models?
19. What do you and your role models have in common?
20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?
21. Who is your muse?
22. Define muse.
23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?
24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness or indifference in others, how do you respond?
25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?
26. When you work, do you love the process or the result?
27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
28. What is your ideal creative activity?
29. What is your greatest fear?
30. What is the likelihood of either of the answers to the previous two questions happening?
31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?
32. What is your idea of mastery?
33. What is your greatest dream?