I can’t put this any simpler; we all face a judgy inner critic that drones on in our mind, and an outer critic (the world) that sprinkles our eyes and ears with nonsense and comparisons. It’s what can turn our self expression into an age old battle between ego (what makes us look good to ourselves and others), and heart (what we really feel and want to express.) This struggle is the discordant energy that shapes us as people, like wind against beautiful sandstone in the … [Read more...]
Why It’s Time to Embrace the Unsexy Parts of Self-Expression and Creativity
September 26, 2016 By 1 Comment
A flash of insight, the burning desire to create and an outpouring of deep, honest self-expression are definitely part of the creative process. Also part of creativity...long hours, doubt, frustration, mundane tasks, starting over and feeling like you don’t know your own voice. This is not a bad thing, it’s just not...sexy. It's so much easier to live in the dreamy part of your vision! Yet, embracing the unsexy parts of self-expression leads to more honest … [Read more...]
How your Values Impact your Creative Drive
February 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Creativity starts with a spark of inspiration, but a spark is just a spark unless your creative drive kicks in to put energy and motivation behind an idea to take it further. What fuels the creative drive? A sense of intrinsic value and purpose, something that you may not even realize is operating behind the scenes and impacting your creative view. So when is the last time you even thought about what you value or how you came to value it? It might be time to tune-up those filters and … [Read more...]
Stop Using Self-Criticism as a Creative Motivator
April 4, 2013 By 1 Comment
Self criticism. It can scream at the top of it’s lungs in your face, at which point you are unable to deny the presence of it’s steamy breath. Other times it’s such a faint whisper the negativity barely registers at a conscious level, doing all the dirty work on the down low. No matter how it shows up, I notice how often it’s misused as a creative motivator by those who feel guilty about neglecting their creative callings, or who don’t really feel their ideas are worth … [Read more...]