It’s not always easy to stretch creative sore spots for one very simple, but silly, reason.
Complacency. Often self-imposed.
We get stuck in a routine. There are expectations, excuses, and distractions of all kinds. Other people blindside us with their demands and drama, and we are all too happy to let them because we don’t realize how stuck we feel.
After a while, we think of our creativity as something that’s a shadow in the background of our lives, instead of something real inside us.
Soon, our creative sore spots become the norm. The ache is easier to ignore, and the stiffness or pain seems like it’s always been part of us. We just chalk it up to “being a grown ass adult”, and the responsibilities that come along with it.
The truth is, we forget to stretch those creative sore spots regularly, and/or push beyond the comfort zone that lulls us into settling for creative “ok-ness.”
Feeling the Burn is a Good Thing
When it comes to any type of exercise, there are growing pains when we first start. We are pushing ourselves in new directions to meet higher levels of physical health, mindfulness, and emotional clarity, and it stings in unexpected ways.
At the same time, our creative muscles have become weak and flabby, used to the sedentary way of life. No wonder it’s harder and harder to go back and stretch those creative sore spots! They are way under worked, and doing anything with them in their current state can feel like more time and energy than it’s worth.
This condition can creep up in subtle ways and easily appear is “life happens” drama. For example, up until recently, I drove a really old car. As in, I couldn’t drive it out of town because I could not travel on the highway or higher than 50 miles an hour. (Note, I held onto my car a few more years after this post).
As a result, I stayed pretty close to home most days. Even though I HAD access to another vehicle, I used my aging car as an excuse to keep my creative activity and outreach local, letting my creative sore spots stay under-worked. It also meant I was not building connections with new creative souls – even though it’s something my heart craves.
Spending time at my coworking space in Fort Collins helped, but I continued to unintentionally limit myself to local activities. And after a while, I just got used to it. Traveling to Denver or Boulder seemed like a hassle, and I always had an excuse.
My creative sore spots were in full-on hunker down mode – and I didn’t even realize it.
I can’t say why exactly. I think I just got used to the limitations set by my car, which sounds ridiculous. But the truth is, I wasn’t ready to branch out, either. It was easier to let my creative sore spots get grumpier and grumpier, while I felt more and more limitation.
And, as it is with things we need to learn, soon I felt REALLY uncomfortable and stuck, and my regular go-to creative and self-care tools like nature, yoga, and meditation weren’t helping.
Now, almost a year later, I finally see how my “sore spots” weren’t being stretched, and kept me swimming in a limiting mindset. I let comfort, habit, and convenience rule my choices without realizing it. And I missed out on doing something that truly feeds my creative soul – connecting with other creatives and entrepreneurs for connection and a collaboration boost.
So take my experience of complacency to heart, and do things differently. Practice stretching your mind and heart in new ways as much as you can. And remember…
Small things done consistently can become great, empowering habits, OR slowly creep up on you, turning into creative sore spots you forget to love on and heal.
What are you going to choose?
Looking to read something on a similar topic? Check out What’s Your Biggest Obstacle to Creative Wholeness?, or listen to my podcast on Follow Positive Experiences Instead of the Rules, and Why It Matters. Want to tag team to work on your creative sore spots? Connect with me for creativity coaching or intuitive support.