In this blog I’d like to explore why that is. What is it about something so fun and playful that scares the pants off us?
I love my creativity it feeds my soul on a daily basis but I speak to a lot of people who say to me ‘I’m not creative at all!’. In fact, some times they are downright fearful about it.
I truly believe we have lost touch with our creativity. Our modern lives are so hectic and busy that we don’t get the time to sit and daydream, to imagine, to doodle and jot. We’ve forgotten we are all makers. In days gone by everyone had a connection to their creative side, from darning a sock, to building some shelves. But these days we think that’s someone else’s role. We can buy it or source it from outside ourselves so we’ve forgotten what it feels like to do it ourselves.
So it’s there in all of us. Yes, even in you ‘I couldn’t draw a stick man’ or ‘I can’t cook to save my life!’. It’s in there but its been forgotten and we’ve become disconnected from our creative selves.
YOU ARE CREATIVE. End of. You can work out solutions, you can make up a joke, you can cook a tasty dinner, you can dress like the bomb, you can style your home beautifully, you can create a whizzy spreadsheet. Whatever it is, you think it through and make it happen, so you are creative!
Here’s some of the reasons why we fear creativity, why we have disconnected and why we’ve forgotten how creative we all truly are.
Fear of judgement
This is the big one. What will everyone say? Well, here’s the thing…they’ll say whatever they say because that’s them. It’s not a reflection of you. If you want to create a thing, go ahead. Do it in service to yourself. Make it authentically you and the’re no way anyone can take that from you. As soon as you create to please others that’s when you invite fear in.
My voice isn’t worth listening to
No-one on this planet is experiencing life like you. Your voice is unique and what you have to say is unique too. Keep it authentic, like the point above, and you keep it unique. There are always people who have a touch point with you. If you want to write about an issue, or create a fundraiser, or whatever it is, there will be people who want to be part of that. It’s all about finding them and having the courage to connect.
I don’t know what I’m doing
Hell, none of us do! We are all born with an inner creative we just turn it off over time. What we might not be born with is an inner ability with technique. Da Vinci wasn’t born knowing how to hold a pencil. We all have to learn how. It’s OK. Have a go. Find the how that you enjoy. Find great people to learn from. Be open minded enough to try, be kind enough to yourself to keep trying. We’re all in the same boat.
I don’t have time
This is so sad. When we switch off our creative selves we become less than who we are. You don’t need 4 hours a day to paint – doodle whilst you’re on the phone instead. In fact, start off by not doing anything at all. Just invite creativity in and see what happens. Start off by asking ‘how can I look at this differently’ or ‘what if I did the opposite to what I’d normally do?’. Stop with the autopilot and provide room for alternative creativity to pop up. Once your creativity starts to build it will need an outlet. Then you’ll find what you love and BOOM! you’ll be making!
I hope this gives you the courage to let go of the fear around being creative, I hope it helps you understand that you are naturally creative no matter what you think! I hope it gives you a spark of inspiration to express that wonderful creativity.