Lately I’ve been thinking less about creating… and more about what stops us from creating. It might sound like an obvious flip, but it’s one that’s hard to make while you’re in the thick of it.
I’ve been observing other people online ‘shouting’ and using shame to get you to work on your creative projects, but that’s not how I roll.
Today’s Creative Urge is a moment of silence for the blocks that block us. An opportunity to pause and look them straight in the eye and say ‘I OWN YOU’.
Block 1: “I don’t know how to do that.”
A genuinely annoying block is not having the skills or know-how to take that vision and bring it to life.
Luckily enough for you, this is an easy solve:
Learn it on YouTube, Skillshare or Coursera (plus countless other platforms)
Find out WHO is the best at that skill and learn from them, or
Set yourself a 30 day challenge to work on it everyday for 30 minutes until you crack it!
The best thing about this block is it’ll become less obstructive over time as your skills improve. And trust me, it won’t take long for that to happen. We tend to underestimate our own abilities and overestimate how difficult something is to learn.
Remember that next time you’re stuck.
Block 2: “I don’t have the energy to do that.”
You’re busy – I get it. But busy doesn’t have to equal drained, exhausted or flat. Paying attention to your energy levels isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity.
Rather than tell you to do less (I wouldn’t listen, that’s for sure, ha), I’m going to tell you to do more of what gives you life.
This ain’t new intel either and I didn’t come up with this one, but one thing I’ll add to it that I haven’t heard anyone say is this:
More creativity won’t give you life.
I KNOW, wild, eh?! But think about it: writing more, painting more, designing more will only take more of your precious energy, won’t it?
Instead, come up with a list of OTHER THINGS that make you feel all jazzed up inside. To give you some inspo, here’s my current list:
BFT workouts
Deep cleaning my apartment (I’m sick, I know, ha)
Sending and receiving voice notes on WhatsApp (they’re like lil private podcasts)
Trying new cafes and restaurants
Borrowing random fiction books from the library, turning off my phone and reading for an hour or two
Decluttering, well, anything
Listening to an album from start to finish
Planning fun things to do in 2024.
Block 3: “I can’t share that – what will THEY think?!”
Hand up if you’ve said or thought this one before? GUILTY AS CHARGED over here officer!
One of the most stupid and lame creative blocks is trying to preempt what other people might think about what you’re doing.
It’s like trying to dress for Melbourne weather – IMPOSSIBLE.
Here’s a quick reframe on this one: next time you find yourself stopping before you start because of other people’s imaginary opinions, ask yourself…
“If I followed through on this idea, would it hurt anyone?”
If the answer is yes, obviously don’t do it. But if the answer is no (and 9 times out of 10 it will be), you’ve got nothing to lose.
No matter what you create, you’re bound to excite, inspire, piss off and offend at least one person – maybe all at once!
The point is this: your self-expression isn’t about anyone else. It’s about you and only you. So if you don’t get the thing out, the only person you’ll hurt is yourself. And that, my friends, is what we want to avoid.
Blocks don’t get smaller – you get better at building.
That’s right, the blocks can’t evolve… but you, my beautifully resilient friend, will. But only if you keep pausing to identify what’s in your way and devise a plan to overcome it.
Creatively yours,
Dr Maz xoxo
PS: I had a delicious chat with fellow Creativity Coach Diane Foy on her Superfan Attraction podcast. We bounce around topics like creative blocks, trauma and mental health. Well worth a listen as Diane asks some insightful questions and gives me free reign to wax poetic about my favourite things!