On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In his recent release, The Art of Doing, Jesse Lipscombe shares simple and straight-forward tools that can help transform our lives. Here’s an inspiring excerpt:

Sometimes life hands us major opportunities—some people call them problems or obstacles. Whatever you call them, when they show up, we often steer away from the things that bring us joy. Maybe we stopped painting because life got heavy. Maybe we have writer’s block due to stressors in our lives. Whatever the reason, we tend to wait until the dark clouds pass before we get back into doing the things we love. I suggest we do the exact opposite: Lean into the darkness. Reframe those problems and obstacles as opportunities. Make it a habit to look at life through those lenses.

Some people want to wait for inspiration before they start something. They want to wait until they feel motivated or see a spark. Other people do not wait to begin. They do things when they are happy, they do things when they are sad, they do things when they are mad. They do things when they are stressed out, when they feel unmotivated, when they are tired—they do not let their current mood influence they dedication to act.

I think songwriters do it best. Both Beyoncé and Adele have made a living writing about heartache and pain. Most of the country music genre is littered with regret and loss. The Blues expressed the struggles of the time, and rap music offered a vehicle for narrating the hardships of a singer’s life. We celebrate and enjoy the fruits of that labor, the labor of leaning into the darkness.

When I think of some of the hardest times of my life, I know that it’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever be in that exact emotional state again. Those moments were rare, and so are the feelings I was steeped in at the time. I like to ask myself, How can you use those feelings to create something you can be proud of, something that will resonate with everyone who experiences it? When you find yourself running away or avoiding the things you love in the presence of pain, shift and do the opposite. Let painful moments become a beacon of creation. If you perceive greatness in your creations, remind yourself that few people celebrate the achievements of average folks. No one writes about the mundane; no one reveres art that doesn’t evoke real emotion. When you are in an irregular, emotionally charged, dark place, use it, lean into it, and be courageous enough to keep creating through it. Not only will you be proud of what you made, but you’ll find the entire process very therapeutic.

Source: The Art of Doing, pp. 152-153