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It’s not exactly rocket science. In fact, you’ve heard it time and time again. So have I. So, there’s no buried lead here. The secret, plain and simple, to winning your creative battles is pushing past “it.”
Maybe “it’s” familiar excuses. Like lack of tme, money, access, direction, inspiration.
Maybe “it’s” the unexpected loss of a loved one.
Maybe “it’s” added stress.
Maybe “it’s” loss of focus.
Maybe “it’s” fear. An illness. Office politics. The economy. Uncertainty. Perfectionism.
Whether internal battles or external battles, the solution is the same.
First, simply, you must move. Go. Act. Push. Innovate. Create.
So, if it’s that simple, why haven’t you done it already?
Unpacking Your Creative Baggage
I’m not sure how the term “baggage” became a negative metaphor for the things that weigh us down or keep us from moving in life, because really, what we’re talking about here is, plain and simple, life itself. The things that happen to us, the circumstances of our reality, our memories, our experiences, our family, our mistakes, our commitments.
But I do know that for the past few months, I’ve been taking things, circumstances of my life, packing them up, and letting them weigh me down creatively. And there it is: Baggage. “It.” Real, difficult, painful, frustrating, heavy life.
But today, I’m done with that. I’m unpacking that baggage right now, taking each piece out one by one to see it for what it truly is.
Instead of letting it weigh me down, I’m releasing it so that it can build me up creatively.
That’s the funny thing about creative baggage. The same source of obstacle can be a source of celebration, reflection, insight, creativity itself.
The Paradox of Time
It’s a simple secret. An easy answer.
But never confuse simple with easy. Or quick. Or effortless. After all, we call it a secret because it’s something we discover. Sometimes, winning creative battles takes time. Time and a lot of seeking. Time to reflect, heal, accept, investigate, relax, meditate, escape. Time to gain clarity and understanding.
The funny thing is, the sooner you give yourself permission to take your time, to put on the breaks, to examine your inner life, the sooner you reach the answer, and the clearer it becomes.
“Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed it with power by our fear of it. Master that fear and we conqueror Resistance.”
— The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
Good inspiration for the day – thanks for writing this post! In the quick, constant churn of doing PR every day, it’s easy to forget that some things just take “time” in order to help you grow, develop or move on.
Hey, Kellie!
Thanks so much. Actually writing htis post was very therapeutic for me, and part of the very process I was writing about. Glad it made an impact!
Of all the blogs I read, your posts seem to resonate with the things that are currently on my mind. This year I decided I really want to SEE the stuff that triggers toxic, sabotaging behavior, look at it to find out why it has been scaring me all this time, and reframe it– or let it go. Thanks for bringing the idea out for conversation.
Dorthy – thanks for adding your thoughts. I think you might really enjoy reading The War of Art.
Just a few pages in and already it’s a kick in the butt for me. Actually, I just picked it up as I was finishing this post, opened to a page, and found the quote at the bottom of this post, so I decided to read the whole thing.
Another idea I ran across from the book at lunch was that it’s really important to understand where resistance comes from, because it can point us to our North.
“We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action we must follow before all others. Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”
– The War of Art
I like the introspective on time. Writing something like this is good for the soul.
Hey Tiffany-
“The funny thing is, the sooner you give yourself permission to take your time, to put on the breaks, to examine your inner life, the sooner you reach the answer, and the clearer it becomes.”
^This subject is fascinating to me at the moment. In fact, I’m reading a book right now called, “The Time Paradox,” that touches on some of the same ideas albeit from a different angle.
It’s been one of the more useful books I’ve ever read. I’m going extremely slowly with it.
For an idea of what it’s about, check out “Zimbardo Talks Time Perspective TED” or some such search term. That TED talk is what fired me up for the book.
Thanks for the recommendation, Chuck! I’ll have to check it out. This fascinates me, too.