Creative wins always a desire for celebration, happy dance or a fist pump – maybe even all three, but how do you honor creative disappointment? What steps do you use to process emotions around missing the mark of personal expectation, or to face the possibility that an idea is not as sparkly as you had hoped?
Strange as it may feel, it’s OK to celebrate your losses in a way that feels fitting, too. Instead of jumping right into a process of over-analyzing and “shoulding” all over yourself, it might help to flip the script and tell yourself, “good game”. This short phrase is taught in sports at an early age, and shared as a ritual between opposing teams after a match. This mutual expression between players who were rivals for a little while demonstrates gratitude for showing up and playing, and honors the effort of every player – regardless of the outcome.
Instead of wondering about all the why’s and details that came together and somehow caused an idea to fizzle rather than fly, why not look at all the amazing ways you stretched yourself and grew because of the attempt? What about the new people you met, or the insight you gained about your inner strength and creative self? Most importantly, why not honor the courage it took to TRY?
Playing doesn’t always mean you win, but it does mean you have a chance to use the creative disappointment you may feel and turn it into something even more powerful than winning.
Clarity.
Without the creative disappointment you experienced, you might have held onto the idea of a project or dream for years without ever doing something about it. The energy that locks up or leaks out because of dreams never tried is so much more draining than doing something that (in your eyes) seems like a failure.
So while the fear feels very real, the inertia of your self expression is much more powerful – especially if you are willing to push through the “threat” of creative disappointment created by the mind.
I think walking tall is the biggest favor you can do for yourself, opening up room for inner growth, expanded vision and development of a better overall attitude. Or you can keep wallowing in something that isn’t going to change until you decide to take action.
What are you going to choose?
Need a bit of insight to move past a recurring creative block or creative disappointment? Let’s connect for a creative reflection reading. Want to make some headway on your own first? Check out my Mini Guide for Connecting with your Intuition and Creative Fire.
Photo Credit: Jack Keene