You engage in creativity all day long, even if you never thought about it that way. Fantastic, fun, creative ideas can show up at any time, thrown in amongst thoughts of errands, irritations and obligations. And as those moments of creative brilliance shine through, do you say WOO HOO! I gotta write this down! Or do you immediately start picking them apart, reviewing all the angles to convince yourself why it will never work, why it’s not perfect?
Humans have super powers when it comes to our ability to talk ourselves into and out of anything. This very powerful skill helps us move through challenges and stuck points, heartbreak and tragedy, to grow and transform into a more evolved version of ourselves. The very same skill blows up a great idea before it even gets out of the starting gate, especially when it’s fueled by the drive for perfection.
So, have you ever stopped to think what’s behind your drive for perfection? If it might be a creative block?
Fear and Expectations are Partners with Perfection
Being infused with an amazing idea is a gift! Let it sink in and savor it. Daydream and play. Visualize how it can be expanded or improved and infuse it with life. Just be open and see how it shapes up in your mind and heart.
And as you play with it, see how it feels in your body. Does it make your heart jump with excitement, or dread? Are you already seeing obstacles or are you just playing with the creative energy? As you gather “intel” you may decide to jump in with both feet or start picking it apart, right away. But just because a particular idea or undertaking is hard, does it mean you should abandon it all together? Is it a “sign” that it just won’t work? Depends on the difficulties you are envisioning.
If something is hard to achieve because you need to train, learn something new or there is stiff competition, well, that’s just life and there is a practical solution. But there could be a sneaky hidden factor at play as you examine the potential of something new and different — fear. It can lurk in the background as you entertain the idea of trying something new, especially if it pushes your threshold. It’s also fear that can hold you back, driving you to overanalyze every idea. The result? You never pull the trigger to set something in motion. Great ideas languish with no creative desire to push them forward because you can’t see them as already perfect as they are, a new exciting idea waiting to be explored. Perfection is just an expression of fear.
Ask Fear What’s Up
There is a common belief that fear must be eradicated. As you move through life, unique experiences and explore tools that open your mind, the fear can become manageable, but is not demolished. It does, however, change into something you learn how to co-habitate with, so-to-speak. Then you have an opportunity to transform fear into healing.
Do your best to move past the worry and explore angles that may be cloaked in fear. Sit in meditation, walk, do yoga, journal, opt for some energy healing, whatever may work to help you clear a fresh path for you new creative idea. Then, see if you still feel the same way. Perhaps you have a real, legitimate reason to be afraid? Family dynamics, old bosses that tore you down, crappy experiences you can’t forget — there could be any number of things pushing your “panic button”. So now that you’ve spent the time to actually see the root of the fears and why they exist in the first place, the only way to release their hold is to be open to making friends with them.
Fears develop over time, starting out as little seeds watered by frustration, doubt and other misinformation. So what better way to break new creative ground for peaceful coexistence then getting to their core? Connection and understanding of your fear is the most powerful way to finally set it free, and notice when it likes to show up.
Face to Face with Fear
How you do this is so intensely personal so there is no specific “method”. What I can say is that regular meditation, time alone to process the emotions related to each fear and patience with yourself are all important, but most of all, the willingness to finally face your fears is the most critical piece. Then you can see the same creative idea with a fresh set of eyes, and reconnect with it to see if it’s a song that wants to be shared from your heart or is best left on the drawing board.
So instead of smothering your creative ideas with a drive for perfection, re-frame that creative energy into a desire to come face to face with your fears. It’s truly a transformational experience.
Photo: cloud_nine