The evolution of your creative identity is one of the most fun aspects of being human. You get to experiment, play and build something, over and over, in new ways. There are opportunities for healing through self-expression, and chances to bust out of a comfort zone and really test your potential.
On the flip side, you have an ego with basic human needs that wants validation, a sense of connection and safety.
To balance these forces within you takes a willingness to see yourself, and that’s not always easy to do without a “mirror”. Yet, it’s the only way for you to clearly view your true creative identity as part of a connected human community, rather than solely cater to the whims of the ego who always sees itself as most important.
While the ego is not something you want to dissolve completely, you do want to be able to clearly see how it’s messing with you, or in some cases, holding you back. The best way to do this is to learn to discern between the voice of your core, natural creative identity and the voice of the ego.
When you Test Your Ability to Discern, You Learn your Core Motivations
In order to get a clear sense of where you stand in the relationship with your creative identity and ego, I believe it all starts with intention. What is the core intention of your thoughts and actions? Are you willing to hear the answer?
To explain further, let me share a few things I noticed this past weekend – just by chance.
One was in the grocery store, where a teenage girl slipped a phone out of her pocket and quickly posed for a one-handed selfie while in pursuit of groceries. She caught my eye and looked a bit embarrassed, after the fact.
The other was on my morning walk. As a tween girl was getting ready to leave for school, standing at the front door of her home, she pulled out her phone and shot a mini video. She began to talk at the screen as if an audience was ready, waiting and listening.
I share these examples because while it may appear they are ego-driven actions, I saw their behavior as a way for the girls to test their self-expression, to experiment, share and stretch the dynamic of their ego and creative identity. While they may not realize it consciously, their ego need for acceptance and worthiness could be altering their true creative identity. They could also be playing out a number of learned behaviors to feel as if they “belong”, or simply fulfilling the innate desire for human connection.
These typical teenage behaviors are nothing new, just expressed in a new online medium, but I think it’s worth using these girls as example to reflect on the imbalance between the ego and creative identity that shows up for many of us.
Creative Identity Becomes Stronger in Community, When the Ego Stays in Check
There is so much clutter in the online world. It feels like everyone is clamoring to share, express or “get out there”, but not nearly as many people are listening at a deep level. How can they, with so many more choices, options and creating their own “stuff” to add to the pile?
Yet, it’s these simple, online avenues of sharing your thoughts and pieces of yourself that allow you to feel freer to express your creative identity more than ever before – to take it out of the mind, notebook and computer, and test drive new aspects of creativity in a way that expands human connection while learning to manage fear of acceptance.
I also see the expansion of connecting with others through creative expression, both online and in-person, as a way to build mad skills for crafting a healthy balance between ego and creative identity. Think of this discernment skill as the “next step” to sharing more of our creative selves in a healthy way.
Here are a few statements to help explore your motivations more deeply. Sit in a quiet place and get centered before tuning into how your heart responds.
- My creative identity needs outside validation to have value
- I need evidence I’m doing the “right” thing (a completely normal human thing to do, by the way)
- I’m driven by the desire to share parts of my creative self because I feel deeply called to do so
- I have a desire to teach, inspire or connect with others as part of my creative identity
- It’s not worth expressing myself in this creative way if I’m not getting paid for it
Keep in mind there’s no “right” answer – that’s an ego way of thinking. However, the answers you receive will help you craft a clearer, healthier balance between meeting the needs of your ego while still honoring your creative identity with love and acceptance as it grows and changes.
Can you notice when the ego gets the better of you, holding you back from your fullest expression due to fear or uncertainty of being accepted? Or have you found tools to create a healthy balance between your ego and creative identity?
Want extra insight to dive a little deeper? Check out my previous blog posts; Tips for Tapping into your Inner Creative Advisor and Time to Dispel your Own Creative Myths. You can also connect with me for creativity coaching or an intuitive reading, helping you to clearly see things in your life more clearly.
Like podcasts? Check out my podcast Flirting With Enlightenment – a blend of creativity, mindfulness and spirituality.
Photo credit: Leo Reynolds – first pump Veronica Tays – Connection