5. You’re not a genius...

... and that’s okay.

If somebody were to ask you outright if you think you’re a creative genius, you’d probably be pretty comfortable saying no (and meaning it). You’re also probably not going to rationally think that this means you shouldn’t be creating anything.

And yet, most of us still have this feeling that our ideas and our work need to be “special,” by which we mean “entirely unique yet universally brilliant.”

This cultural narrative of genius is really not the most conducive to actually creating stuff, though. It’s part of what makes each story idea or writing session or first draft feel like a verdict on our value and significance as people. And it’s part of what makes us feel like we’re proving something with our writing instead of creating something.

This month, tune in to deconstruct the contemporary concept of genius and reframe it with a much, much older one—to see what might happen if we stop trying to be geniuses and start doing genius work instead.

(Plus, my initial thoughts on last week’s SCOTUS decision against The Andy Warhol Foundation, and how genius intersects with legal issues around fair use. You know, just fun, chill summer vibes.)

Writing praxis tips

For this month’s practical practices (sorry), here are some prompts to help you incorporate a more generative concept of genius into your day-to-day mindset (so you can actually write more powerful work, instead of longing for inspiration to strike).