How Stoic Philosophy Improved my Creativity

There are several reasons for wanting to study philosophy. For me, I have always been intrigued to see how the minds throughout the history of humanity look at different topics. It is fascinating to see the similarities in moral discussions had hundreds of years ago and today. Something that I did not expect when first diving into different branches of philosophy was how much it was going to contribute to establishing my creative habits. Teachings from stoicism, in particular, gave me the tools to further understand how I could experience creative discoveries more often.

For those who are unfamiliar with stoic philosophy here is a brief description. This branch of philosophy was founded by Zeno of Citium. It was later adopted and expanded upon through other philosophers such as; Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca. At the core, stoicism focuses on identifying what is in our control and what isn’t. Through this identification, stoics can approach obstacles and questions with a more tempered mindset with the hopes of using every life experience to teach them to become better individuals.

I actively started studying stoicism in 2020 after being let go from a full-time job and when the pandemic was well underway in the United States. I found myself sitting in my home office attempting to build a freelance design business since the job market was quite honestly, shit. Yearning for inspiration and mentorship, stoicism provided me with both desires during a time of uncertainty. The following quotes resonated with me then and I still use them as reminders today.

“No man is free, who is not master of himself.”

— Epictetus

I remember pondering on what that meant for several days. What does being a master of myself look like? If I am not the master of myself, who is? What type of freedom is he referring to? Questions rambled through my head and eventually I came to the following conclusion. If I can identify the external variables that deter me from starting a project or pursuing an idea, I lose my sense of freedom. External variables such as; motivation, time, encouragement, comparison, and inspiration can influence my creative process. If I wait for these to play in my favor, I bend to become a dependent. Personally, being a master of myself is defined by creative independence. These variables will always exist within my creative process but they are something that I can push past. As Elizabeth Gilbert talks about fear in her book, Big Magic, she illustrates this relationship as people on a road trip. “There’s plenty of room in this vehicle for all of us, so make yourself at home, but understand this: Creativity and I are the only ones who will be making any decisions along the way…you’re not even allowed to touch the radio.” These external variables can be along for the ride but I will be the one driving.

What external variables have a grip on your creative process?

“Well-being is realized by small steps but is truly no small thing.”

— Zeno of Citium

This is something that I think a lot of creative people tend to forget when hypnotized with a new sexy idea for a project. Making goals as an artist is challenging. For me, I can get in moods where I think of huge ideas that seem to have great potential, but these tend to be massive leaps rather than small steps. Zeno is shining light on the understanding that because some steps are small they still bear beneficial weight. This quote is in the context of well-being but can be easily translated into creative well-being. My creative well-being does not rely on big ideas, elegant executions, and constant hustle. Small steps are enough. Making a step is all that matters.

Have you devalued your small steps?

“To decompose is to be recomposed. That’s what nature does. Nature through whom all things happen as they should, and have happened forever in just the same way, and will continue to, one way or another, endlessly.”

— Marcus Aurelius

I have a long list of ideas for projects on my phone. I think of them in the middle of the night, when having conversations with friends or family, or seeing work that I want to recreate. For some odd reason, I used to view that list like how some people view reading a book; if I start it, I have to finish it. I saw writing down an idea as a commitment to pursue it. As many creative people with lists will know, it is not that simple. This quote from Marcus Aurelius helped me curb my original view on ideas. He reminds us that everything in nature dies to create new life. Therefore it is ok to kill some ideas in order to make more room for others. Even if I start a project and it does not go to plan, doesn’t turn out the way I want, generates more frustration than enjoyment; I do not need to finish it. I still gain knowledge and experience from that endeavor which will equip me for the next idea. Dead ideas plant the seeds for new ideas.

Do you have ideas that are blocking the way for other ones?

If any of these quotes resonated with you, I would encourage anyone to dive into reading more about the stoics. Ryan Holiday is an author who makes stoic philosophy more accessible to readers as some original texts are fairly hard to follow. Finally, since only three quotes barely scrape the surface of stoicism, here are a handful more that may help you think about creativity differently.

“No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.” — Seneca

“You don’t have to turn this into something. It doesn’t have to upset you.” — Marcus Aurelius

“While we wait for life, life passes.” — Seneca

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” — Epictetus

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus