Let me ask you a question: What makes you happy?
Have you spent time really looking into that question? Do you know what gives you joy, what makes your soul dance and your heart sing?
And here’s the bigger question: are you doing it?
Because here’s a secret:
Happiness comes from doing
I figured out some time ago that my own happiness rests on two pillars. Let’s start with…
Pillar #1: Expressing myself creatively
It seems obvious now, but I didn’t always know this.
I’ve spent years – decades – shut down from my creativity. The child in me was so stifled I almost forgot she was there.
There was a time the poor thing was so malnourished I truly believed my creativity had been permanently quashed out of me.
I struggled with fear. Resistance. The crippling belief that connecting to my creativity wasn’t important, that it was a waste of time.
And even if it wasn’t a waste of time, surely whatever I might create wouldn’t be any good anyway, so what was the use?
When I look back now, I’m amazed I ever got past all this negative self-talk!
But the drive to create is powerful.
I believe that human beings are wired to create, just as deeply as we’re wired to stay alive.
That hard-wiring drove me forward, and somehow, with a lot of stumbling and bumbling, I managed to find cracks in the blocks in my way and squeeze myself through.
I figured out that expressing myself creativity was not just frivolous; it is an essential part of my happiness.
In other words, happiness comes from doing my creative things.
When I get disconnected from my creativity, I get cranky. If I stay disconnected for long enough, I’ll get depressed.
Life feels flat. Shades of grey, instead of Technicolor.
But as long as I stay connected, as long as I do my creative things – even if that means just dangling a toe in the stream of my creativity – I’m alive. Joyful.
And when I’m connected at my best, I’m on fire!
Think Dorothy in Oz, instead of black & white Kansas.
As I said, though, my happiness rests on two pillars, not just one. Let’s look at…
Pillar #2: Inspiring YOU to create
In addition to my deep need to create, I have a deep need to make a difference.
I have a dream of a world where everyone is in touch with their own creative muse. Where everyone is creating, everyone playing in the Creative Sandbox.
Can you imagine such a world?
I don’t care whether you paint, or dance, or sing, or write, or build atomic models out of Legos.
Whatever is calling to you, I want to see you doing it.
Nutty once called me an Inspirationalist, and it tickled me no end. YES! That’s exactly what I want to be. What I am.
When I get an email or a tweet from a client or reader telling me how much I’ve inspired them, the wattage of my smile could light up San Francisco.
I want to inspire you. I want to use what I’ve learned about getting past my own blocks to help you get past the blocks in your way.
Even the art I’m making in my Creative Sandbox time is all about inspiration.
I want to get you creating!
In fact, I’m working right now on brewing up something to do just that.
I’ve spent the past two weeks immersed in Action Studio, figuring out what my business is all about, and what I want to share with the world.
I’ve figured out that I’m a Creator, first and foremost (not a big surprise), and that getting you creating too is how I most want to change the world.
And here’s where I could use your help.
In order to help get you past your blocks, I want to know what those blocks are.
Where do you get stuck?
What gets in between you and doing your creative thing?
What thoughts or “voices” keep you from creating?
What fears get in your way?
I’m genuinely curious, so please share in the comments below. There are no wrong answers. I truly want to make something that will get you creating, and the more you’re able to share, the more you’ll help me do that.
Watch this space for more info on what I’m brewing up… (And if you want first dibs when the new thing is ready, sign up below to get on my advance list.)
And if this post has inspired you already, go get creating!
Great post; got me thinking about what my blocks are.
I get all fired up with an idea and I get everything I need together, then I get stuck. It’s as if I’m paralysed. I don’t get negative thought patterns and I know that I can make something wonderful if I get past the stuck feeling. I know that I’ll feel a lot better if I do. But when I’m stuck I just feel very weary and can’t move forward. It’s literally like I’m stuck and can’t move for tiredness. I can energise myself by going for a walk etc. and get all fired up at the thought of making something again. But when the time comes, I’m still stuck. I can be like that for weeks, and yet, when the flow comes, it pours and feels like it will never stop. It’s like that for a few days, and then I get stuck again. I’ve started to just trust that it will come back in time, but it’s very frustrating and doesn’t seem to be linked to negative thoughts or fear (that I am consciously aware of anyway!)
Thanks for sharing this, Julie. I’ve had that tired, weary feeling get in the way too. Very frustrating, indeed! It’s good to hear that you have at least learned to trust that it will pass.
I’m glad the post got you thinking about what your blocks are! Identifying them is the first step to dismantling them. 🙂
Where do you get stuck?
Starting, keeping going, finishing. I think I have the whole idea stage working though 😀
What gets in between you and doing your creative thing?
Me, kids, me, work, me, lots of excuses.
What thoughts or “voices” keep you from creating?
Too much thought, over-thinking, occasionally the ‘I’m not good enough fairy’, but more extensively the ‘who the hell is gonna wanna to buy this? I wouldn’t buy it. It’s not good enough. It’s not technically sound. I didn’t do it the way the powers that be do it. I’m not a professional, who am I kidding? I can’t compete. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I need approval. What if I’ve screwed up and I don’t know it? Their’s is way better than mine. They know more than I do. Customer is gonna be pissed at me for something I didn’t know I had to do. How do I package and post this stuff? Is this art? What the hell is art? Can somebody please show me what to do?! What if I screw up? What if I succeed? Money’s involved. What the hell am I doing?’ voice that comes in many flavours.
What fears get in your way?
All of them.
I have a piece of paper that has been stuck to my pinboard for several years. In big letters it says – One thing at a time. That was a leftover from the times I thought that doing one thing at a time was the only way for me to get anything done. I’ve since learnt a better way around my creativity where I actually have a set amount of things running at once, but that is beside the point. Underneath the big letters, scawled in biro are the words – To start is fun, but to finish is ecstacy. And finishing something has to be up there in my top five of favourite things. It is a fantastic feeling. But I have to say that the journey there is often hard and full of obstacles as you mention above.
There are physical obstacles, but it is the psychological obstacles that are the hardest to overcome. Find the time, find the moment to create, then wrestle with a brain that puts up a resistance every time.
Like now, for instance. I had a whole half an hour to play with. Instead I’m on the computer with the excuse that I’m too tired, I don’t have enough time, blah, blah, blah. However, I’m obviously not too tired to write an essay of drivel all over your blog, so so much for that excuse 😀
And now I will go away and stop dribbling and just say that this is a great post, got me thinking (your blog is dangerous for that :D), and please excuse the verbal diahorrea I’ve left on your lawn 😀
Nutty
(who’ll probably see this in the morning and wonder what the hell I was thinking)
Hooray for my blog being dangerous for getting you thinking! 😉
And thank you for sharing the voices and fears that get in your way, Nutty. You are so not alone with these! And reading your account is really helpful.
I’m grateful that you took the time, but also wanting to get you away from your computer and back to your creative play! 😀
Thanks for fertilizing my lawn. GREAT stuff! xoxox
Another attempt to keep me going – http://inspired.gumnut.net/2011/06/15-minutes-a-day/
I’m in.
Do you have for participants to post their efforts?
Nutty
(sometimes determination is all that is left)
Brilliant, Nutty! And YES! I’d love to see your wonderful creative lovelies over at the LACL Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/livingacreativelife
Yay! Can’t wait to see what you create!
xo
Melissa
Great post!
I find that my co dependency keeps me away from creating. The voices in my head that tell me I am bad person because I would rather be working on my photographs then socializing. Bottom line: fear of what people will think of me. I am 51, you would think I would be over this by now. I am better……….but the voices still pop up!
Can’t wait to see what you are “brewing up”!
Ooh, yes, very powerful block there, Dianne! It’s interesting the voices that make their homes in our heads, isn’t it?
Makes me wonder who first told you that… As an introvert with an extravert mom, I have a similar voice in my own head sometimes. :}
Where do you get stuck?
I have an interest in so many things, that I have a hard time deciding what I want to do. Instead of picking something (or a couple somethings) and doing that, I end up frozen.
What gets in between you and doing your creative thing?
See above, and my own inner critic.
What thoughts or “voices” keep you from creating?
Again with the inner critic, and the critic that comes from the day job. The thoughts of not being good enough, or I can’t possibly make enough money at it. Who the heck am I to be doing xyz….Probably similar things to a lot of folks.
What fears get in your way?
All of them. That and here’s a big one. The belief that “I’m not creative.” Because I’m very good at using my left brain for right brain things…if that makes sense at all!
Ah, yes, the Renaissance soul syndrome! I know it only too well.
Thanks so much for sharing all of these voices and fears, Rhonda. This is GREAT STUFF! Not in the sense of feeling good, of course, but in the sense that these are great issues for me to address in the thingy I’m brewing up. 🙂 xoxo
My blocks to creativity are- being too busy or at least telling myself a story that says I am.
I get caught up in a busy swirl and my energy gets constricted and there is no flow….and I need the space and flow for my creativity to come through.
I will say that it shows up more as a block to my doing artsy things. I can usually tap into my writing flow even if I’m busy, but things like sewing or making pottery, I need some space for it.
The last two semesters at the pottery studio, I felt like I wasn’t producing any good work because I was forcing it out of myself. I was busy doing things in my coaching business, and then I would have to make myself go to the pottery studio because I paid a lot of money to have access to the space, and I’d make myself sit down at the wheel but I wasn’t inspired.It didn’t feel good.
I decided to take this semester off and do some sewing instead, but I feel like I have a hard time finding the big chunk of time that I need to do it.
It is interesting to look at this. Thanks for asking!
Rock on!
Leah
Mmmmm… I hear you on the busy-ness story. And having a hard time finding a big chunk of time. Thanks for sharing these — they’re going into the brew! 🙂
-WHERE DO I GET STUCK: It’s definitely when I have to many ideas I want to do. Being such a creative person, I feel sometimes that I need to do all these things before I die. Some I start and don’t get finished and others just linger in my head. So what happens is that what I start never get’s finished most of the time and then I get so burnt out. Also my art studio has so much stuff and that is because I see everything in the possibility of ” Oh, I can create something with that, or this is great to start my hand bags and guess what is all still there cause I’m overwhelmed.
-What gets in between you and doing your creative thing?
I thinks is definitely me! I get in the way of it all. My mind starts to think and think. It may also be that fear of failure at times. Even money, like how can I afford that.
What thoughts or “voices” keep you from creating?
1-Need a bigger space 2-Money 3-Is so important to me the fact that were I live right now, is not home for me!So I feel like I need to be where my SOUL truly needs to be. 4- Not being around other creative people.
What fears get in your way?
I would have to say not having enough money to keep the demand of what I’m creating.Failure at times. Multitasking way more than I can handle. Finding time from being a store owner and creating, it can be so hard.
These are great points!.. Laz
Boy do I hear you on all these, Laz! Awareness is the first step. 🙂 And mindset is the foundation of EVERYTHING.