How Running Improves Your Creativity
I have a friend who came to me wanting to learn how to play chess.
So I agree to teach them, and in the meantime, I tell them to download an app, Chess.com, so that they can learn the basics and we can play whenever is convenient. Immediately, my friend says, “No, I don’t have that app. Sorry.” Just then, it hit me—1. My friend really isn’t serious about learning how to play chess. 2. Instantly, they shut their mind off to being open and creative about who they are and what they’re capable of.
I share this story not to paint my friend in a bad light—I’m happy to say that we play chess often in person after years of encouragement and me bringing the board along to our coffee meetups—but it’s a good reminder to take stock of our own moments in life where we may have been quick to shut something down, instead of embracing the opportunity of what we’re interested in.
What Does Running Have to Do With This?
This year, I’ve been running a 5K (3.1 miles) every day.
I had set out to achieve this last year as my New Year’s Resolution, but injuries and health reasons prevented me from doing it—I decided to try again.
Now, it’s important to know that I face the challenge every day of not wanting to run. Truthfully, it’s become a tedious chore that weighs on my mind nonstop. I wake up in the morning, and it’s the first thing I think about— ‘I should go run right now instead of taking photos, working on a script, or filming an audition.’ And if I don’t run during the day, I have to force myself to put on my jacket, throw on a hat and go run at night—tired and cold as I try to muster up the strength to finish. And then suddenly as I’m running and panting, I start to realize… ‘Hey, I’m doing it.’ I’m running, and it’s late, and all the memories of the day, of my life, of all my hopes and dreams and failures and regrets—they’re all running through my head with me. I’m in tune with my heart, my mind, my lungs, my blood, and I feel like I could keep running forever in this feeling.
And then it’s over. I’m done. I’m back home and I’m standing on the porch looking up at the moon or at the sunset, and I feel good about who I am, about what I’ve learned. Most of all, I’m proud of myself for not giving up. That’s something that running or any commitment I make to myself does for me—it fills me with so much personal, quiet fulfillment for something I set out to do. And that fulfillment extends to every other creative aspect of who I am.
Running Keeps My Mind Open to Possibility
On days when I don’t feel like running, and I do it anyway, I know in my heart that I’m capable of doing anything I set my mind to.
I find a canvas on the side of the road that I could paint over, I stop and throw it in the car—I don’t tell myself, ‘No I can’t paint. Forget it.’ If there’s a book at the library on clock repairs and how they work, I’ll check it out and read it—I don’t think, ‘No, that’s too complicated. Why bother?’ If I’m standing around with a group of people talking about something I love, I’m going to join in on the conversation—I don’t tell myself, ‘Just stay quiet…no one cares what you have to say.’
My mind is wide open, and better yet, my spirit is wide open to all the possibilities of who I am. I think, too often, we’re quick to shut down any ideas that are foreign to us, or things that require us to give something of ourselves in return. For instance, my goal is to be a series regular on a network TV show, but that won’t happen simply because I want it to. No, I have to give something of myself to achieve that. I have to have good headshots. I have to get footage together of myself from all the projects I’ve done and make a solid reel. I have to put myself out there and find an agent to represent me. I have to submit auditions over and over again regardless of how many jobs I don’t book. I have to be willing to do this for years without any guarantee of finding success, and I still have to maintain my personal life—having a job, having friends, seeing my family, prioritizing my health, cultivating my patience and soul as I discover who I am outside of all those things that I can’t control. However, what I can control is how I react to the world around me. I can control the freedom I give myself to try something new and to truly see what I’m made of.
Join a 5k Run This weekend with Doyen Artists & Cross Country Apparel
I know that running can be scary for a lot of people, but even if you have the slightest interest in running a 5K or it sounds like fun to get out and try one, I encourage you to do so.
This weekend, on Saturday, April 2nd, at 6 PM, I’m hosting a 5K run & movie screening with some good friends of mine at our office (Unita) in El Segundo, CA. It’s a chill, low-key sunset run that takes you along the ocean and through a cute, sleepy beach town. And then when we’re done, we have free pizza and drinks from some local sponsors (Aquahydrate, Vive Organics, The Slice and Pint, Two Guns Espresso) to top off the night. We’re watching a great film about the iconic runner Steve Prefontaine, “Without Limits,” and as we watch, there’s plenty of time to meet new people and make new friends in this big, wonderful city of ours.
More than anything, it’s an opportunity to get out and challenge yourself in the best way possible—by doing something you automatically think you can’t do. But I urge you to remove that “automatic” refusal to try something. Instead, ask yourself, ‘Is this something I want to do? Is this something I’m interested in? Is this something that scares me?’ If you said “yes” to any of those questions, then what does it hurt to try?
You can register for our 5K run by clicking here. If you have any questions or want to talk about anything else you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t, connect with me on IG—I’d love to hear from you.