When you take a moment to tune in and think about it, you have a vision of what your creative self, or creative caricature, looks like.
Is it strong, sturdy and super hero-esque? Colorful, whimsical and playful? Royal and confident? Let’s not forget silly, giggly and mischievous…
You can also have a few unique creative caricatures that show up throughout the day on different projects or with specific clients, friends or family. Is there a “normal” amount? Not at all, but it IS important to feel connected with a creative caricature(s) and know if it’s really yours, not pulled together from someone else’s’ version of what you think creativity should look and feel like.
Creative Selves or Split Personalities?
Creativity is shaped in pursuit of a passion and/or in avoidance of what seems unpleasant, what feels good or challenging (if you like to live on the edge). The lessons you learn along the way show you more clearly what resonates with the real, creative you at your core, and helps to refine your creative caricature as you go.
Your creative identity can also mimic the behavior and insights of others – family, bosses, significant others, teachers and what they told you was valuable or best left behind.
Given life’s experiences, lessons and surprises, it’s no wonder that your creative self can feel a little split, especially as you evolve through self-care, spiritual practices or just picking yourself up off the floor after getting laid out flat.
Self expression is a dual, ever-changing experience of chasing pleasure and minimizing pain to connect with what feels the most like the real expression of your natural self, and feeling safe to do it all the time.
While it can seen like you have a split personality at times, it just means you are going through a growth spurt in redefining the look and feel of your creative caricature. It’s also an awesome opportunity to tune in for a chat with it!
Tips for Tuning in and Talking to your Creative Caricature
The biggest hurdle in this exercise is moving past whether you feel you are creative or not. So, let’s start from a place of feeling like you already know and believe yourself to be creative and have powerful, interesting talents you want to express.
- Sit in a quiet space or listen to some soft music and relax.
- After a moment or two of relaxing say to yourself, “I honor the creative light in me”. Keep repeating this until you start to feel comfortable with it, or you feel your energy lighten up a bit. If you already have a firm belief that this is true for you, you can skip this part.
- When you are in a relaxed space, simply ask your creative self to show up. Be patient as images slowly come to mind, or perhaps colors, scents or visions like flowers, animals or people you admire.
- While you may not see a version of what you consider a “person” or something that looks like you, what you do see may serve as a clue pointing you towards interests, secret tools or new aspects of your creative caricature to explore. This will help you begin to more closely identify with the creative part of yourself that wants to be a bigger part of your daily expression.
- To close out the exercise, simply make note of anything you noticed and express gratitude for whatever (or whoever) showed up for you. Then write it down to revisit later when you have extra time, allowing the details to sink in.
You can practice this exercise often to get more connected with your creative caricature self, or once a year to see if there any new aspects of your creative self that want to come out as a more prominent part of your self expression.
No matter what you see, it’s a fun way to play!
Do you have an idea of what you creative caricature looks like? Do you have more than one?
Maybe you want a few tips to tune into your creative self with more ease every day? If that sound interesting to you, check out my Mini Guide for Connecting with your Inner Guidance and Creative Fire free to down load in the side bar.