Creative inspiration is like a magical, elusive, sparkly unicorn.

We’re constantly chasing after this unicorn, hoping it will gaze upon us with its pure, benevolent eyes of deep, golden insight and puke rainbows all over our souls so we can create incredible things.

Every once in a while you grab its tail as it runs by. You try to hold on, but the tail slips away and that brief glimpse of magnificent inspiration is all you have to work from.

It’s frustrating, because it feels like you need the inspiration unicorn. Without it, surely you can’t create at your peak abilities.

Yet the more you chase the unicorn, trying to hop on its back and ride to artistic glory, the faster it seems to run away and elude you.

So instead of wasting more time trying to find inspiration, you simply sit down and start creating, regardless of whether the unicorn is anywhere nearby. It’s a little hard at first, because without the unicorn’s guidance it seems impossible to make anything of value. But you power through, even if the results are not your best work.

Eventually, the unicorn notices you’re not giving it attention and gets a little annoyed.

Soon that turns into curiosity about what you’re doing and why you don’t seem to need its help anymore. The unicorn comes over and sits beside you. As it watches you work, some of its ambient sparkles float over and get stuck in your hair. Some of its breath, still laced with rainbow residue, enters your lungs.

But by then you’re so deep into what you’re doing you barely even notice—or care—where the unicorn is.

You started to create and the inspiration followed, rather than vice versa. You didn’t need to wait. You didn’t need to chase. Suddenly the power is back in your hands.

That, of course, is when the unicorn decides to stop running away and wants to spend some quality time with you.