Change the Soundtrack
There are a lot of things that cross our minds when we think about our creativity. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not helpful to the process of actually creating something. Do any of these statements ring a familiar bell for you?
I don’t have the time to create.
I don’t have any new ideas - it’s all been done.
My art supplies are not very good.
I wish my painting, drawing or design skills were stronger.
Why bother painting, I’m not any good.
Nobody will like what I make.
I’ll never be as good as….
The more you run these ideas through your head, the more you start to actually believe them. When we put them on a repeat loop, any beliefs that are not helping us feel free to create become roadblocks that stop us dead in our tracks.
Do you have any of these rattling around in your head? Think about it. What do you tell yourself that has you procrastinating to get into your creative space? Every time you repeat the negative idea you push it farther and farther into your belief system. In time, you will stop creating because you believe you can’t.
A belief is simply a thought you repeat over and over. By changing what you are repeating to yourself you can free up your creativity and remove the blocks that are stopping you.
For example, if you think you don’t have time, what if you told yourself that you have 15 minutes each day to do something creative. Think your ideas aren’t unique enough? Remind yourself that portraits, landscapes, abstracts and still life has been the unlimited fodder for artists since people used rock to draw on cave walls. Not painting because you aren’t any good? Add the word yet. Not as good as you want to be yet. The only way to get better is to paint or sculpt or draw. As far as hanging your hat on whether or not people like what you make, ask yourself why you make it. If you enjoy the passage of time as you are in the creative flow, then it really doesn’t matter if anyone else likes it. What matters is that you are immersing yourself in play and growth and joy.
The key to making forward progress with your creative practice is to show up and change what you tell yourself on repeat. I used to stop myself midway through paintings because they looked just awful. Now, I just tell myself that they have potential and I know they will resolve themselves. I don’t worry about if people will like them. Many people won’t. If they want hyper-realistic representation they won’t like my abstracts. If they want portraits or vases of flowers, they will walk right by without a second glance. The only thing that matters to me is that I like them. When I do really fall in love with my artwork it feels so good inside. The magic comes when you believe that you can make something you love. If you keep coming up with reasons to stop creating, you kill the magic. Change your internal soundtrack and bring fun into your work. Once you are having fun the rest doesn’t matter. The reality is that when you make creating fun, it shows in the work and it lights the magic.
Review what you tell yourself that stops your progress. Is it true? Can you change how you think about it? Because once you believe something else, it can unlock the magic and joy inside of you.
