Creativity Manifesto

1. There are no rules. Find out what works for you by experimentation. Stick with it until you find something better. Don't believe a random manifesto without trying it first.
2. Finish it. Finalize it and publish it. Don't leave it hanging. You'll learn the routine of finishing and you'll be ready for your Greatest Idea Ever.
3. You'll create a lot of crap. Keep creating it. Some of it will be less crap. One day you'll surprise yourself by creating a shiny diamond. It'll be worth all the crap.
4. Everything is a draft. Don't get too attached to your own work. If something isn't right, get rid of it. Leave the good parts.
5. Train yourself to welcome new things. Say yes. Try something new in your daily life regularly. Go the opposite direction once in a while.
6. Being stuck is normal. Take a walk outside. Eat something. Get away for a while. Then make a decision – any decision – and move on. You can make a better decision next time.
7. There's a reason certain things catch your attention. You might get your inspiration from something embarrassing or weird but that's totally fine. Embrace what you love with courage.
8. Everything is a remix. You'll always build on someone's earlier ideas. Originality is adding a part of yourself to that chain of ideas.
9. Celebrate your work. Say thank you when people pay you a compliment. I know you're already working on your next idea but take a moment to appreciate the success. Use it as fuel for your ongoing work.
10. Everything has more than two points of view. Two polar opposites can both be true at the same time. You are the same as you ever were but constantly evolving.

Antti Pekka Vilkko 2015