Article

Being Creative is Scary.. but wait...

Topic: CreativityBy Janet L. WhiteheadPublished Recently added

Legacy signals

Legacy popularity: 1,536 legacy views

Being creative is scary? No, no, that's not true at all. THINKING about being creative is scary. So much so that the large majority of people with inspired thinking abilities never actually show up to their creative dreams, nor to their potential.

And so, we have a rather impressive number of people who have potential to make changes... by bringing beauty, new thought, wake up calls, inventions, inspiration and concepts that could make a difference into our world... who just don't.

They don't show up to;

~ writing a book, ~ getting back to paints, pencils, glue, clay or metal, ~ exploring their soul, spirit, and the magic that might be contained within,
singing or playing that instrument that calls to them, ~ or dreams that mean using the power of their creative thinking to recreate their lives, their businesses, and/or start something new that's been niggling, nagging and even haunting them for years and years.

After all... they often think:

~ they are not 'good enough', ~ 'somebody else is already doing it', ~ they have 'no time', ~ they procrastinate, ~ they are overwhelmed, ~ they fear failure, they fear success, ~ they're sure their family and friends would disapprove and even think they are crazy, ~ they can't figure out how to justify how time spent being creative could be of any value financially, or to their relationships, or their children, or to their careers.

We have grown up in systems that do not support the creative soul. No wonder it's scary to think about being creative.

BUT.. most of these folks know and have experienced at some point in their lives.. the flow, the timelessness, the magic, the 'in the moment', the joy, and the connection to spirit when they HAVE given themselves permission to be in their creative process.

Interesting how we fear something that feels so good. But for the sake of not turning this post into a book.... if you are one of those creative beings not quite getting to your inspired creative self, please know you are normal. If you feel like you 'don't fit', you are normal for a creative right brain sort of person. phew. You are okay!!!

Just for now, to get started 'just a little bit', ask yourself, "What worked in the past to get me into my creative space? (whether that be creative thinking, being or doing) Perhaps you could give yourself permission to try that.

Because, dear creative being, your giving yourself permission to be your creative self is truly the greatest gift you can give yourself and those around you. Even if you don't discover the cure for diseases, host the grandest solo show ever held in Paris, walk through walls, or make the best seller of the century in the New York Times list.. simply the energy of you, being in that right brain/soulful/creative/inspired space.. even just a little bit, contributes to a shift towards more bliss in this little world of ours.

Not to put any pressure on you or anything. Okay, I take that whole last line back. (Holy throw high expectations right in the face of the vulnerable creative soul! Janet what are you thinking?)

Small tiny step (cuz tiny is a very very very very very good way to start): contemplate giving yourself permission to dabble briefly in your creative interest. That's it. That's enough for now.

Cheers to the wonder of you, to your blissfulness, and to knowing "you're okay."

And, by the way, what HAS worked for you in the past?

Article author

About the Author

Janet L. Whitehead is a certified professional life coach, workshop facilitator, trainer of creativity workshop facilitators, author and artist. Written works include self-coaching workbooks that provide unique and creative tools to access their 'whole brain' thinking, quickly revealing what stops them, and what needs to happen to move forward.

Further reading

Further Reading

4 total

Article

People paint for a lot of different reasons. To relax, to express themselves , to create beauty and meaning, to make money, because they have a passion to create, to gain approval, to stay sane, to make sense of the world, to play and have fun. All of the above are wonderful and valid ...

Related piece

Article

Creativity is a subtle and magnificent dance between the rational and the intuitive, between the left and right parts of the brains, between technique and imagination. Both partners in this dance are absolutely necessary and are needed in equal proportion, which means that imagination is not more important than technique and visa versa. If you only live in the imagination, you will never get organized, you will never complete your story. However, if you start from the rational, linear, organizational part of the process, ( ie. Gotta have the perfect opening sentence and first paragraph...

Related piece

Article

Recently, I was considering the question of peace, which doesn't happen often while writing fiction. There's all that drama, love, hate, desire, envy and so on. Peace, with any luck, comes at the end of the novel. I was considering this aimlessly as I lay with my head on Phoebe's warm flank. Phoebe, being the sensitive, intuitive creature she is, immediately tuned into my musings and suggested we consider the question of love instead, which she quite rightly observed was a precursor to true peace.

Related piece

Article

It is sometimes said that the truth should never be allowed to get in the way of a good story. Sometimes, however, it is the true events that turn out to be the stories that tell us the most. This is the case with the story of my friend's cat. My friend, Rachel, has a cat. Nothing special ...

Related piece