Does everyone have a creative side? 🎨(Updated)

Let's face it. A teenager talking about dreams of becoming a writer, a rock star, or a painter, may not be taken as seriously as someone who talks about college, university, or program that almost assures a job at the end of the line. Most creative professions are practically in the same category as psychics, life coaches, YouTube channels, and anything spiritual as being a little woo-woo. You know, it's interesting, but can you make money with it?

Interestingly, if you're good at any of those things, you probably can make a lot of money once you have a following. People are intrigued by psychics, artists, and spiritual teachers however, most people don't take them seriously, and one of the reasons is that many people pursuing these areas don't either. We all know people who talked of writing a book, joining a band, or studying herbs, only to flake as soon as they realized that it takes much more time and effort than they had assumed. After all, I don't get up at 6 a.m. for the hell of it.

Believe it or not, creative pursuits require a lot of blood, sweat, and tears because overnight success is rare. There's no easy formula. For example, if you want to be a nurse, teachers can help put you on the right path. If you want to be a rock star...not so much.

For that reason,  people are often discouraged from chasing their creative dreams. It just seems like a long shot and unstable. It causes people to bury their creative side, believing that it's silly and useless. However, be reassured it's there. If you were ever a child, 👶 (and I'm guessing, you might have been ☺️) you are creative. When you were five, chances are you weren't talking about the stock market or politics but most likely were ass deep in paints, Lego or toys. There was no structure. Coloring inside the lines? What? That was crazy talk!

Coloring outside the lines as an adult is a whole other story but does it have to be? Maybe it's time to explore that creative side because it's there. I promise. Underneath criticisms you once heard for not being serious enough, not following the rules, and of course, not sitting quietly, your creative side is waiting to come back out.

How do you get your ideas for books? 💭 (Updated)

One of the most common questions people ask me is how I get my ideas for books. It's not an easy one to answer but here goes!

Generally, I write about topics that interest me. I don't think about what is popular or what I think people might like to read; I write about things that I'm passionate about and that intrigues me. For example, my first couple of books were about rock stars because I love music. My second two were about vampires because I found the topic fascinating, and finally, I started to write about gangsters and criminals. This subject intrigued me because I felt drawn to the antihero concept. With all the corruption, collusion, and everything else we see in the news, it's becoming more and more evident that it's not always clear who the 'good' and 'bad' guys are anymore, and something is interesting about this concept. 

For my ideas from chapter to chapter, I follow my instincts. I have a lot of snippets of conversations and scenes that show up in my mind, and I immediately jot them down. Eventually, they find a place in one of my books. Often I have no idea how or why it fits in, until it happens.

I generally follow the storyline and the characters to see where they take me. Characters have unique personalities, and like people in everyday life, you can often predict how they will react in specific situations. That in itself usually moves a story in the direction it's meant to go.

My ideas come to me all the time. The key is to be open to everything without questioning it. In the end, it usually finds a place in a book.