When we have something inside that’s gnawing at us, some weakness or wound or difficulty, and we don’t address it somehow, our creative expression suffers.
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My son and I recently learned about electric motors. In fact, thanks to our friends Gretchen and Bill, we were able to build one through a service called Tinker Crate, which I highly recommend.
So we were working on this motor, trying to get the wheel to spin, and nothing was happening. Just before throwing it against the wall, we discovered the problem: our electric current was being stopped by the insulation on our copper wire.
Ever felt like throwing your laptop or notepad against the wall?
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We sanded off the insulation, ran the current, and shazam! The wheel took off. It was exhilarating. That’s how it is with our creative lives too. Have you ever felt stuck creatively? Like no matter what you try, you’re not getting anywhere? Ever felt like throwing your laptop or notepad against the wall? It can be extremely frustrating.
This post is about one major cause of creative blocks and how to bust through them.
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The Cause of So Many Creative Blocks
Creativity is about self-expression, getting what’s inside out. When we have something inside that’s gnawing at us, some weakness or wound or difficulty, and we don’t address it somehow, our creative expression suffers. The creative “current” has no place to go.
We are holistic beings. Your creative life is influenced by the rest of your life.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying everything has to be perfect before you sit down and write or design or paint or otherwise create.
“Creativity does not demand perfection,”
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“Creativity does not demand perfection,” writes psychotherapist Diana Pitaru, “rather honesty about who one is and what one’s experience in the world is. Creativity requires honesty about who you are and how you feel.”
In other words, if you have something significant that’s bugging you, pay attention to it. Maybe it’s a wound or a regret or anxiety or fear or negative self-talk or self-destructive practices. Maybe it’s physical pain that you have never really addressed. Maybe it’s a conversation you need to have.
Hear me; there’s no shame in any of these things. They are part of what it means to be human.
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Fully Present to Our Art
When I open up with a good friend or my wife about something going on internally, often the very act of getting it out is the most important thing I can do for my creative capacity. I feel healthier and more free, and so I’m able to give myself fully to my creative work.
Here’s how another writer puts it: “I allowed myself to go deep into my feelings and see what was actually going on. And what I found/learned was astonishing! I didn’t have writer’s block at all, as it turns out. But I was afraid and hiding, which is why I wasn’t able to find my voice.”
We all want to be free of obstructions so that we can find our voice.
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We all want to be free of obstructions so that we can find our voice. We want to be fully present to the art we want and are called to make. When we try to create without dealing with what’s inside, our work is less than our best.
You know the feeling you get after a great workout? That feeling of tiredness mixed with gratitude and vitality? That’s how it feels to deal with an internal block. We feel cleansed somehow and ready to go.
It is from this place that we can thrive creatively.
This post originally appeared at ChadRAllen.com
Photo:Flickr/Alexandra Zakharova