Do you see creativity as your birthright or something for other people? Children do not doubt their creativity or imagination. As adults, we may be hesitant to claim our connection with the CREATOR force within. Many beliefs about creativity block us from owning our gifts. The good news is that essence that wants to create through you is always inviting you to examine your beliefs and develop a new relationship with your sacred creative connection.
Common Creativity Killer Beliefs
Creativity Killer Belief #1: Only certain types of creativity count. Artists, writers or other performers may first come to mind when you think of creative people. But your creativity may come from being a problem solver, culinary genius, brilliant party planner or…you name it. There are endless ways your creativity can shine. When he was a child, my uncle took everything apart to see how it worked. No surprise he became an engineer and found creative ways to solve real-life problems. You have a connection to the flow of the universe that can be cultivated and expressed. Your creativity counts. Ask yourself: How does the universe want to express itself through me?
Creativity Killer Belief #2: Other people are more talented than I am. Yes, some people seem to have talents by the mile and others may be less talented than you are. The comparison isn’t helpful to owning your special creative sauce. Meryl Streep is an amazing actor but does that mean that Octavia Spencer isn’t? Or that an unknown young woman shouldn’t aspire to her own acting career? Does their acting talent mean your quilting talent is worthless? Of course not. Remind yourself: I look to others for inspiration about what is possible. I connect to my own creative spirit and I claim my own journey.
Creativity Killer Belief #3: It is taking too long! There is a myth of overnight success. Most creatives spend time learning to develop their gifts. They go through dry spells. You do not know how many drafts it took to get that fabulous book completed. You do not know how many starts and stops that artist made along the way. You do not know how many programs that entrepreneur launched that went nowhere. Each project has its own gestational period. Don’t compare your process to someone else’s final project. Mantra: This project has a timeline of its own. I stay committed.
Creativity Killer Belief #4: I am doing it wrong if someone criticizes me. It is natural to want praise and try to avoid criticism. Reality check: everyone is a critic. We like to dissect why we like certain things and don’t like others. No matter how good the creative work, it will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Read the bad reviews of writers and movies you love. See what others have said about that book or movie that changed your life. There are people who can help you advance your creative project in a loving way. Find the editor, mentor or coach who will do that. Make an agreement about criticism. I will only listen to constructive feedback, which will help me grow.
Creativity Killer Belief #5: I think I will die. Most creative people have this fear at times. I call it the, “I will be burned at the stake” fear. Maybe we are remembering times in our collective human history when it has been dangerous to stand out but fortunately, in over 17 years of coaching creative people, I have never had anyone die by stepping out with their creativity. On the other hand, I have witnessed many people slowly dying because they had disconnected from their sacred creativity. Shamanic teachings tell us when we sit with disappointment or let go of an old way of being we are practicing death. We let go of what doesn’t work and allow something new to be born. Reminder: My ego thinks expanding what is possible means death. I embrace my creation, let go of the old and birth a new version of me.
What can you do to enhance your Sacred Creative Connection?
Protect and nurture your creative self. Our inner creative remembers the people who laughed at an idea that we thought was amazing. She remembers the teacher who told us we couldn’t write or draw. She remembers that person who said, “I don’t think you have it in you to do what you want.” She remembers the moment when you said, “This is hard. It’s not worth it.” Take care of her and provide her with a place to grow and explore. Be careful with whom you share your tender first drafts with. Create sacred rituals like opening creative space with a prayer or lighting a candle will show her that you are serious about your creative connection. Thank her for showing up.
Notice how you label your fears. Many times, we feel fear and we give it the label, “Stop! This is Dangerous!” That is only one possible label. Other labels could be: “I don’t know if I can do this!” like when you learned to ride a bike, or “Woohoo, I’m about to experience something new. I hope it works out,” like when you go on a first date or a job interview. We wouldn’t have learned to ride the bike or gotten the new job unless we moved forward in spite of the fear. Fears can be the doorway we must walk through to have the experience of creativity.
Develop a new relationship with time. Do you say things like “I don’t have time to write,“ “There is never to paint,” or “I am waiting to have time to launch my business.” Time doesn’t magically present itself. We have to carve our sacred creative time. When I was writing my first book, I was working 30 hours a week at a job and seeing clients for my coaching practice two days a week. I looked at where I could carve out an hour a day to write and I chose to give up television most evenings. I didn’t miss it because I was doing something that nurtured my creative connection.
Communicate with the project that is trying to birth. I like to think of our projects as spirit beings just waiting to come through us. I know many artists talk about the song flowing through them or the book taking on a life of its own. You can envision your project as a wise being outside of you and ask it what it wants you to know as you journal or meditate. This being knows things that your human self does not.
Begin. No matter how much you talk about creativity, nothing happens until you begin cultivating a relationship with it. One of my favorite quotes about creativity is from American Novelist Louis L’Amour, best known for his stories of the Old West. “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” That sacred flow is waiting for you to ask it to meet you in your process. You must begin and, when you wander away for a time as you may, begin again.
