darren r hill

the creative minimalist

This month has been productive despite global chaos, and I have noticed the importance of maintaining a positive and intentional creative practice.
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This week’s creative field notes include how I am keeping up with February Album Writing Month and coming up with a few other creative ideas.
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January has been a difficult month for this creative minimalist. However, the festival of Imbolc is as good a time as any to make a creative new start. This week’s vlog explores recent creative highs and lows.
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As we begin the new year of 2025, I’m excited to share my collection of journals with you in this week’s vlog. I have a new daily planner, as well as music and fiction journals, and various vocabulary notebooks.
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My word of the year for 2025 is odyssey. It both a journey with a destination in mind and plenty of wiggle room for distractions.
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I found myself thinking about how it is perfectionism created by myself, which, ironically, destroys my creativity. This week’s vlog examines how I must embrace the unknown and let creativity flow.
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Why songs, and other creative projects, stay unfinished

Why do most unfinished songs or art fail early in their creation? Most art fails early because decisions aren’t made.

Too many options stall progress

Decision fatigue can significantly hinder creativity. Each choice we make requires mental energy, and as that reserve diminishes, so does our ability to think creatively or approach problems with fresh perspectives. Researchers from the University of Minnesota note that even minor decisions throughout the day can accumulate into “psychological costs” that reduce cognitive performance and creative capacity (Baumeister et al., 2008). This means that by the time we turn to tasks requiring imaginative thinking or complex problem-solving, our minds are often fatigued, defaulting to safe or conventional solutions rather than inventive ones.

We can combat decision fatigue when we create. Limiting options by streamlining routines, or even utilising A.I. tools (Yes, I know there are energy and other issues with A.I. so feel free to ignore that bit) can lighten the mental load. Incorporating playful or random decision-making strategies—such as rolling dice, drawing lots, or even picking a tarot card—can free up mental energy by replacing deliberation with a system. These small interventions reduce the cognitive cost of everyday decisions, leaving more energy available for creative thinking.

Early commitment helps

Knowing the route saves reading the map; in creative work, this means that understanding your style or genre gives you a natural direction to follow. When you are clear about the kind of story you want to tell, the type of painting you want to create, or the music you want to compose, you have already made an early commitment to the journey. This clarity helps you avoid the trap of endless wandering and second-guessing, which is where so creativity fails. By knowing how you plan to express your ideas—whether through tone, structure, or medium—you create a framework that keeps you moving forward, rather than circling in indecision.

Finishing requires limits

We only have a finite amount of time, and our resources are inherently limited, whether in terms of hours in the day, mental energy, or budget. Creative projects often become trapped in a cycle of revisions precisely because these constraints are either ignored or poorly defined. Think about filmmakers like George Lucas, who release multiple Director’s Cuts or re-edited versions of their work… these refinements only occur after the initial release. This is a critical point: they establish a clear endpoint first, complete the project, and only then return for further iteration. Without deadlines or self-imposed limitations, creative projects can drift endlessly as we chase a moving target of perfection. Establishing non-negotiable milestones, such as release dates, exhibition deadlines, or personal cut-off points, forces us to confront the reality of finishing. Clear creative endpoints are not obstacles; they are structures that allow a project to be completed and shared with the world, rather than languishing in a perpetual state of ‘almost done.’

Staying Inspired and Motivated

It is easy to feel motivated when an idea is fresh, but as soon as the work shifts into the first draft or rough version stage, energy can fade… we lose enthusiasm beyond the initial spark… or I do. Drafts feel clumsy and are naturally incomplete, and the excitement of the initial concept seems distant. This is a potential creative stall point.

It is crucial to find ways to keep your creativity engaged. Rather than seeing early versions as a chore, treat them as opportunities for experimentation. Visual artists can photograph their work in progress and play with the colours or composition in a digital editor to discover new dimensions. Writers breathe new life into a draft by rereading it from a different narrative viewpoint—switching between first, second, or third person to see how the story transforms. Musicians and composers experiment with tempo, instrumentation, or arrangement to uncover fresh emotional tones.

In essence, the secret is to avoid stagnation by creating multiple versions and perspectives of your work. Instead of letting your enthusiasm wane, use creative remixing to reignite your interest. Don’t allow boredom to halt progress, treat every stage as a chance to explore, adapt, and rediscover the joy in your project. But, remember the earlier points, only version your work if inspiration is waning.

Clarity beats polish

All art doesn’t have to be perfect and pristine. Clarity in what you want to say is always more important than polish and perfection in how you say it. If the message, or what you want to say, is clear, then the rules for your creative medium can, and perhaps should, be broken.

This is often where creative projects remain unfinished. We trap ourselves in the pursuit of perfection, spending endless hours trying to follow every rule or polish every imperfection. Yet, as Picasso once said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” If your what you want to say is clear, any so‑called imperfections may actually serve your message, not hinder it. Rules are tools, not chains.

The danger of never breaking free from these rules is that art remains unfinished. By insisting on perfection, you risk never finishing, never sharing, and never letting your art live. Creativity thrives when you allow yourself to break the rules to serve the idea, trusting that your message will connect with others more than any flawless technique ever could.

In conclusion

There are many reasons our art stalls early on and remains unfinished, but there are also many ways to push through and complete our creative projects.

Decide what you want to say, use simple routines and systems, set a clear goal and stay inspired. But above all else, it’s not perfection it’s art, your art; create.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

22 March 2026
Waiting to feel ready just keeps you stuck

Feeling ready is usually the result of starting, not the cause.

Readiness is emotional, not practical

In the western world, there are times when our shoulders slump and we say, I am ready for a holiday, or a break, or just the end of the working day. We’re tired, worn out, brain dead (perhaps that last one is just me). We feel like a holiday. It’s an emotional thing. We’re ready, but that doesn’t mean we can start a holiday. There is plenty that needs to be done. If we get to this feeling stage and the holiday isn’t planned and the tickets are literally in hand, then we remain where we are, stuck.

Feeling ready to be create and be creative is similar. And waiting for an emotion to arrive just as frustrating as not having the tickets. We don’t wait for the feeling to need a holiday, we plan, book and take it. We shouldn’t wait for the feeling to create, we should pick up the pens or pencils and create.

Starting creates information

If we want to create, whether writing, painting, composing or something else, then starting the creative act provides us with the information we need to get going. The same as planning a holiday leads us to seek a destination, buy the tickets and pack a suitcase, starting the creative act leads us to explore what we can create, save money for, or buy, certain equipment and so on. Starting t create provides us with questions to ask and answers to find.

Confidence follows action

You don’t know if you can do something until you try. Creativity is the same. The more we try something the better we become at it. That may require a lot of practice, and learning, but without the action there is no way we can improve.

As we create, our confidence grows. The more we create the more confident we become, and the more confident we become the more we will create. By creating we create the environment to experiment with confidence.

Waiting delays learning

If we wait for when we feel like being creative we won’t learn. Just as starting builds confidence, waiting, delays learning. If we don’t learn we say, I don’t know how to do that. A danger for someone wanting and waiting to be creative is the cycle of passive tutorials. I have been through countless circles of thinking I need to know how to do this and that before I can start. So I open the YouTubes and watch, and sit, and watch, and sit… and don’t learn.

Now, there are great tutorials out there, but don’t fall into the habit of just watching and hoping to learn by the power of osmosis, we are not plants. We learn by doing. And if we wait, we don’t realise what we really need to learn. It’s no good learning 101 ways to use watercolours if you discover, by doing, that your medium is acrylic.

Imperfect starts are normal

I have spoken about the need to ask the right questions, to grow in confidence and to learn as we create. This all means that our creations, especially those initial scribbles and sounds might, to use one of my favourite BlackAdder lines, be “utter crap”. I can’t say enough to potential authors that first drafts exist for a reason, and that reason is to be a first draft!

Unless you are a one in a billion genius, your first attempt at creating anything will not be perfect. Our art will go through iterations, from drafts through edits, from doodles and sketches to versions on canvases, from demos to rough and eventually final mixes. This is the way for all creativity.

so…

Waiting to feel ready to create is not practical. Our feelings are an emotion, and our emotions are best poured into the creative act itself. Don’t wait to feel ready, create now. And as you begin to create, you’ll realise you were ready, ready to learn, grow and become confident in your art.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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8 March 2026
What I believed about creativity that turned out to be wrong

Some creative beliefs only make sense in hindsight. I believed in perfection, I needed faith in the imperfect.

Beliefs shape behaviour

Believing something is impossible means we will not even try to do it. If we think we will never be a writer, a painter or a composer, we will not even attempt to be one. However, if I think I can write a sentence, a paragraph, then I will. If I believe I can add a brush stroke I will. If I know I can hum a tune, I will compose.

Early assumptions often wrong

My personality type means I like to see the big picture. I like to see a perfect, complete creation. I thought something I created, a song, a drawing, a story, needed to be perfect. If the idea in my head had little to no relation to what I was creating then I’d lose interest. I didn’t create.

It wasn’t until later I learnt that this was something I could address. It was part of me, but I didn’t have to let it control my creative output.

Experience changes perspective

I spent years as a commissioning editor for a publishing house. I was always encouraging my authors to think about small chunks of their work. They didn’t have to “worry” about the editing, the layout, the cover… their primary focus had to be the words they were writing.

It is often a fact that it is easier to see the mistakes others are making while ignoring ourselves doing similar. It took me years to learn that. Perhaps it won’t take you as long.

Just to add, once those words were written by the authors, then they could engage in editing, marketing and cover discussions.

Growth requires revision

It isn’t just about one belief. We pick up many beliefs as we develop our creative practice. We listen or watch others create. We learn from tutorials or are taught at schools and universities. We learn. However, some things that are learnt, may not work for us, or they may take us down a wrong path. For years, I had believed music had to be structured in a certain way. I had failed to understand that rules underpin, they create frameworks for us to hang our creative acts upon. Rules and beliefs are also there to be broken, when required. There is nothing as liberating as breaking a creative rule and discovering something beautiful.

Creatives do this all the time. We should always be revising what and how we create; as we revise we grow.

Learning never stops

I mentioned being taught. There is nothing wrong with going to college or university and learning a creative process or skill. We all “learn” to some extent. Our challenge is to keep learning. Just like breaking rules and growing through revision, we should never stop learning new techniques, skills or creating in unique ways. Those of us who use technology as a creative tool need to constantly keep our eye on software as it develops. There is also the use of A.I. What is our stance on using it? More and more software, and hardware, is integrating it. Perhaps we currently steer clear because the energy cost in data centres. But A.I. will soon be portable, using only the battery charge on our phones, tablets or laptops. I’m not advocating for or against its use, but it is an example of how things change, and change means learning, or adapting, how to create within such environments.

So…

I believed my creations needed to be perfect. I was wrong. Learning that has enabled me to create, and enjoy creating.

Do you have any beliefs that are stopping you from creating?

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

3 March 2026
Consistent habits can save hours over time when creating.

When I am in the creative zone, I always wish I had more time. The muse can be so elusive that when she does turn up, I want to make the most of it. That’s where time-saving habits come in.

Repetition creates speed

The more you do something the quicker you can do it. Doing the same thing, the same creative processes and practices mean you can complete that particular task quicker. When I started out playing the guitar, changing from one chord to another took time. Now, even when I am learning a new chord shape, I am able to jump from chord to chord with ease. It’s why musician practice scales. It’s why artists doodle. Touch-typing can help writers, even if their first draft is on pen and paper.

Systems reduce thinking

Templates, a set colour palette or your favourite pen and journal are examples of systems. You can put them in place, before you create. The less time and energy you spend thinking means more time and energy creating. Think about systems you can set up to ease your creative workflow.

Preparation beats correction

Having your bits and pieces ready means you don’t have to fumble around sorting them out when the muse turns up. If you have these bits ready it will save time when you realise you’re missing something or you are using the wrong tool. I have lost countless minutes, that amount to hours, because my Logic music template wasn’t set-up correctly. It is easy to forget how to do certain creative tasks, especially with complex software. The more you can bake into a template or into muscle memory, the less time spent asking your search engine, or A.I. assistant for help.

Small gains compound

In short sporting events, like the 100m, the tiniest improvement in starting a race can make a big difference. It is similar in our creative workflow.

Keyboard shortcuts need to be learnt. I noticed time and again I wanted to do the same thing and couldn’t remember how to do it. Keyboard shortcuts are probably the single most effective time saving habit I have and use. Knowing that cmd+c is copy might be second nature to you, but what about forced legato in Logic Pro (shift + backslash), or create clipping mask in Photoshop (option + cmd + G). For me, these and other keyboard shortcuts save me so much time.

Habits beat hacks

A hack is a shortcut to a goal, a hack is a one off event, a hack is really a way to cheat. A habit is something that you can use all the time. I know this is playing with semantics, but the point is, if you can ingrain something into your creative being, so much that it is a habit, then you don’t need to think about it. Bad habits waste so much time, creative habits enable us to save time, and spend that precious resource wisely. We don’t want to think, we want to create.

Creative habits can be tiny. Tiny creative habits can have a huge impact on our creativity.

What are your creative habits?

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

22 February 2026
How to start writing a song, or start any art, when you have no ideas

Songs don’t start with inspiration, they start with action, and that is the simplest way to start a song, or piece of art when nothing comes.

Waiting delays creation

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but if you want to start writing a song, or create any piece of art, you need to start writing a song, or creating any piece of art. Waiting for an idea to drop out of the ether is a bit like waiting for the dinner to cook itself without turning on the oven. Most days creative ideas don’t present themselves in neat little packages waiting to be, well, created.

I’m currently taking part in FAWM, February Album Writing Month. I do this challenge every year. I join a group of other like-minded (crazy?) individuals and we write songs, 14 of them, in 28 days. Now sometimes I have a vague idea for a song, but most of the time I am thinking, “ I need something now, or I will fall even further behind schedule.” I can’t wait for inspiration; if I do, I will fail the challenge.

It is the same when I am not taking part in FAWM. I like to think it is in my DNA to write songs and music. I enjoy it and feel content when I finish a song. Therefore, I try to write and create as often as I can. And, quite often I don’t know what I am going to create before I start, but I don’t wait, I start. Don’t wait.

Simple starts remove pressure

Two notes, a chord or a simple phrase is all that is required. Again, this is stating the obvious but, if starting is the problem, then starting is also the solution. We need to be able to break “blank page syndrome”.

For songwriting a series of notes, harmony or phrase is the simplest of starts. For artists, shapes or a mark on the page, for writers a character’s name or a place or the weather. It doesn’t matter how simple your start is, what matters is that starting removes pressure.

Structure helps ideas flow

When I write a song, my mind naturally flips into verse, chorus, verse, chorus mode. This simple structure is helpful. It enables me to hang my melody or phrase in place. I know that the melody will lead into something else. I know that the chords I have will merge with what comes next. That structured transition allows my creative neurone(s – plural surely, Darren) to fire and subconsciously they begin to take the tune and lyrics someplace new.

The structure doesn’t have to be adhered to, in fact most times it isn’t, but it is there to guide. It enables the ideas to sit in a familiar place while they take shape and flow. If you are a writer you could have an opening paragraph structure that always describes the physical scene. Artists could have an undercoat or wash that they can place on the canvas.

These structures might disappear as soon as the ideas begin to flow and the muse finally decides to take an interest. Structure will help when you have few or no ideas.

Starting badly still counts

A melody that goes nowhere, or a phrase that is clichéd, or downright plagiarism, is still a start. The most difficult part of the creative act is starting, but starting badly still counts. It doesn’t matter how poor the start is. It might be polished and a fine creative piece, but 99% of the time, it will need reworking. If art was always perfect the universe wouldn’t have created erasers, gesso and the delete key.

It really doesn’t matter how bad the start is. Editing and second drafts and all forms of corrective art surgery exist for a reason. The important thing is to start, you can edit later.

Momentum follows motion

And you will be editing, because once you start, you’ll keep going. Once I have a melody or chord progression, I will find myself humming it, twisting it, reshaping it, adding to it. Quite often I will have stopped my songwriting session and have to go back to it as I come up with further ideas and developments. Once the creative process is in motion it will gather momentum. It is like a boulder being pushed downhill, once it gets going it will keep rolling.

let’s create

Ideas don’t often line themselves up awaiting our creative attention. We need to go out, catch them and develop them. We need to start, with a simple structure, with simple, even poor ideas, and let creativity flow, and flow it will, given the chance by you.

Let’s create

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

15 February 2026
What creative consistency really is

Consistency isn’t about daily output, it’s about repeatable effort.

Daily posting isn’t realistic for most

Life is messy. We have relationships with family, friends, work colleagues, even everyday interactions with passers-by. Interactions mean interruptions. Even the most introvert of us interact at some level. And our most intimate relationship is with ourselves. Our health and well-being can change from moment to moment. We can create routines, organise our lives down to the minute but we can never have total control. Don’t even think about creating something each and every day.

Consistency means returning regularly

Routines can be stuck too but not 100% of the time. Even the most organised of us will face interruptions. It is possible that we might be able to set the alarm so we wake 30 minutes earlier to have our creative time. But even then, one day we might be ill, or a previous late night can upset the rhythm. The point is, to remember that consistency doesn’t mean daily but regular and repeatable.

Systems beat willpower

An open book with a pen, canvas with paints or your guitar on a stand are more inviting than thinking you should write, paint or compose. Having to think about something is using creative energy. Setting up a system where you can be consistently creative is the key. Getting up 30 minutes earlier can be part of the system you set up, along with the tools. Your system can include when, where and what. If you have a system that enables repeatable creative sessions, you’ll start generating creative output.

Missed days don’t ruin progress

Think about 500 words, written regularly. If you do that for five days and then miss a day, you still have the 2500 words written. If your regular creative practice doesn’t produce a cumulative count it will have a cumulative effect; you’ll get quicker, learn skills and techniques.

Because your system is a repeatable practice one missed day means nothing. You will be able to pick up where you left off, or take the next step. One missed day means you’ll simply return the next time you engage your system. Your creative content will be waiting. The muse will be there too and you’ll know exactly what to do. You will keep progressing.

Sustainability matters more than streaks

I had a 1000 day streak on DuoLingo, however that had little to no correlation to my knowledge of Spanish and Chinese. My system for learning those languages was based on a rushed daily interaction with the app. That interaction wasn’t sustainable most days and as such, my learning suffered.

Repeatable can be daily, but it doesn’t have to be. Creating regularly is not about ticking a box as often as we can. Burnout and simply getting fed up with creating stuff are real issues. Our consistent, system needs to provide a safe space to create without pressure. It is no good writing daily, or even regularly, for a period of time, if afterwards you never want to write again.

What is your sustainable, regular and safe creative system?

BLOG STATUS:
☐ not started ☐ drafted ☐ published

YOUTUBE STATUS:
☐ not outlined ☐ recorded ☐ published

STEP 1 – Video skeleton (15 mins)

From your content bank:

Write:

Opening sentence (why this matters)

Would you like to be consistently creative? Well, a daily creative act isn’t the vital ingredient

3 bullet points (main ideas)

Daily creative output isn’t practical

Life is messy and gets in the way. I’m in the middle of several creative projects. And guess what… the TV box has decided to throw a wobbly, and is currently refusing to connect to the router which it can see. Stubborn. It has meant that several things I want to move forward in my own creative practice are getting knocked all over the place.

Regular is a owned by you

We are all different, we can all manage different. What works for someone won’t work for you. Like most things related to creativity, comparison is an enemy. Just because so and so bashes out several thousand words before they brush their teeth each morning, doesn’t mean you can or should

Finding your creative rhythm

If we want to be creative, and by that I mean having something tangible to share, either privately or to the world, finding our own creative rhythm will make the process easier. It should not be measured by closeness, but consistency. The repetition of a creative act develops us and our creations.

Closing thought (one line)

What is your sustainable, realistic creative rhythm? Find what works for you and then create.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

7 February 2026