I’m doing the A to Z Challenge in April using the theme “What to Pack on Your Creative Journey.” Today, we’ll invite some friends along for our journey.

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles. ~Nelson Mandela, From Nelson Mandela by Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations, 2011

Who do you want to join you on your creative journey?

Make a list of people who can help with one or more parts of your project. Schedule a low-key, brainstorming conversation with the one who will be the most help at the beginning of your journey. Make appointments for weeks or months away with friends who can help later in the process. Those appointments will motivate you to do the preparatory work.

In a time of social distancing, some of your friends may be thrilled to be asked for their input or to simply share in your enthusiasm. Make a phone call, set up a video chat, or send them an email.

For some projects, imaginary friends are more useful than real ones. Imaginary friends are wasted on the young.

If your idea feels fragile, it can be better to work through it with imaginary friends than with real people who might, unwittingly, say something that discourages you.

You can give your imaginary friend specific expertise that none of your real friends possess. Those imaginary friends can form committees that you could never pull together in your real life – convene a meeting and take notes.

Here are some friends that you can invent to help with your project:

• Someone who has previously completed a similar project
• Someone who is super artistic
• Someone who is super organized
• Someone who is very old and wise
• Someone who is very young and fresh
• Someone who monitors your physical health
• Someone who intuits your emotional health
• Someone who understands how your unique mind works
• Someone who cares for your soul

Give your imaginary friends names, suitable professions, and homes or workplaces where you can visit. Ask them what they have to offer at this stage in your project.

We’re all wiser than we think we are. Put that wise part of yourself in an imaginary friend and have a conversation. Write it out as dialogue.

Friends, whether real or imaginary, bring a perspective to your journey that is only available through them. As Nelson Mandela advised, let your friends provide you with new angles on the situation. Your creative journey will be richer for the variety.

What friends can you call on or make up to accompany you on your creative journey?