When imagining how creatives work, two images usually come to mind: those who wait for inspiration to strike, and those who establish a routine and work diligently every day to catch sparks because they are prepared.

Maybe there’s another kind of creative practice that we know but are not fully aware of—the similarity between artistic creativity and applied science: not in terms of their methodologies but their spirit of experimentation.

Rick Rubin, in his work The Creative Act: A Way of Being, introduces how to make progress with the craft in the creative process by “breaking the sameness.” His suggestions include taking small steps, changing the environment, bringing in an audience, changing perspectives, and more. Anything you can think of that might seem ridiculous, impossible, or “crazy” might be just the small spark you need to rekindle that dying bonfire.

Try something. If it doesn’t provide progress, try something else. There’s no single road leading to the goal of your work. And there’s no time to waste on the mistaken idea of “waiting for the hit” or “sticking to the routine so it eventually might work.”