What does your inner boss sound like? Does it enhance creativity?
Creativity and the inner boss. When paired together these concepts seem to be total opposites, pushing against each other’s efforts in a way that ends in a stand-off with no winner. Yet, this dynamic duo can definitely be a powerful pair, if they join forces for the greater good – you.
The inner boss is not the ego (although it can certainly be bossy), but the way you manage yourself. Do you go full-steam into something, only to get bored towards the end and let things come to a thud? Do you see yourself as more of a daydreamer, always experimenting, never committing to a clear deadline? When getting down to the details, do you handle all the easy-to-manage tasks first, and leave big daunting ones until the end only to procrastinate? Do you hate any kind of authority whatsoever?
You see where I’m going with this…
It’s essential to know how you would manage yourself and what kind of boss you would be if given the chance. Many people are in situations where their “job” is not their passion but a paycheck, leaving them little time to experiment with their true creative selves outside of a hobby status. The “time-crunch” provides a nice framework to relax into as you know the parameters, resources and deadlines for a creative experiment, and you know your paycheck doesn’t depend on it.
So when you want to dive more deeply into a creative activity or passion (and possibly turn it into a career), what’s important notice about your inner boss? Here are some things to think about:
- Do you badger yourself into doing something so you don’t appear lazy?
- Do you set aside time to work on something consistently? On a schedule?
- Are you willing to spend creative time alone, without distraction on a regular basis?
- Is there an “inner critic” ready to jump on everything you create as soon as it’s finished?
- Are you flexible or dedicated to finishing something on a deadline, or are you willing to leave space for the right timing and creative flow for a project? Does a balance of both feel most comfortable?
The biggest question is what kind of boss are you and what kind do you want to be? Jerky, confusing, restrictive bosses (most of mine, sadly) and great, open, supportive bosses both have useful insights to offer, something you can emulate or change in working with your own inner boss. In this act of reflection, you get to craft the perfect boss from within. And it just might help to have a bit of the “stickler” combined with the open-hearted leader as your dynamic duo.
Creativity Goals and Expectations
Creative inspiration opens the door and invites us in to see possibilities, but it takes our inner boss to guide the creative seeds into the proper soil to nurture it to help it take root. It doesn’t mean all ideas must have a destination. They can simply be an invitation to crack you open and reveal a new path with yet another creative opportunity. It’s when you focus on wanting things to unfold in a direct line that creativity and the inner boss can seem like foes. The truth is that together they offer a balance between mind and heart so your ideas make it off the whiteboard and into the world in a guided, fulfilling way.
Photo credit: creativedc