In Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life, there’s a list of 33 questions designed to guide the creative person toward epiphanies about her life’s work. She calls it her “creative autobiography.” I went through the questions last night, simply on first instinct, without writing anything down, and I was blown away by some of my initial insights.

Twyla Tharp’s 33 Questions on Creativity

1. What is the first creative moment you remember?
2. Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?
3. What is the best idea you’ve ever had?
4. What made it great in your mind?
5. What is the dumbest idea?
6. What made it stupid?
7. Can you connect the dots that led you to this idea?
8. What is your creative ambition?
9. What are the obstacles to this ambition?
10. What are the vital steps to achieving this ambition?
11. How do you begin your day?
12. What are your habits? What patterns do you repeat?
13. Describe your first successful creative act.
14. Describe your second successful creative act.
15. Compare them.
16. What are your attitudes toward: money, power, praise, rivals, work, play?
17. Which artists do you admire most?
18. Why are they your role models?
19. What do you and your role models have in common?
20. Does anyone in your life regularly inspire you?
21. Who is your muse?
22. Define muse.
23. When confronted with superior intelligence or talent, how do you respond?
24. When faced with stupidity, hostility, intransigence, laziness, or indifference in others, how do you respond?
25. When faced with impending success or the threat of failure, how do you respond?
26. When you work, do you love the process or the result?
27. At what moments do you feel your reach exceeds your grasp?
28. What is your ideal creative activity?
29. What is your greatest fear?
30. What is the likelihood of either of the answers to the previous two questions happening?
31. Which of your answers would you most like to change?
32. What is your idea of mastery?
33. What is your greatest dream?

This week, I’m going to be posting my answers to Twyla Tharp’s 33 questions. I’ll be dividing it up into three posts of eleven questions each. Together, the three posts will add up to my “creative autobiography.”

Would anyone else like to explore creative autobiographies with me? If you don’t have a blog, you can post on Facebook or leave comments under my posts. Let’s explore together!