Does it really take courage to be creative? I am believing more and more that it does. As I continue to work on this book about creativity, I am writing about my own creative experiences. Much of what I experience in those creative spaces is far out there. For me it is not such a big deal, I have embraced my inner weird a long time ago. I have let go of notions that I am crazy. It took quite awhile to come to that place, where I could accept my own experiences as valid and true regardless of what the general public believed. In many ways, creativity it opening up to a new perspective on reality. To engage in this space of creative-possibility we are working with our Creative Self. Opening up to this space where anything is possible can challenge our convention mind. The part of us that needs to fit in and be validated. This I will call the Inner Critic. The skeptical Inner Critic is always there, shutting down the wild ideas of our Creative Self. The Creative Self is not bound by convention, it lives in the magical world of imagination. Even moreso, the Creative Self has access to our highest aspirations, all the ideas of what we think to be. The Creative Self will imagine the life of our dreams, and the Inner Critic will tell us all the reasons it is impossible and why we are stupid for even thinking of those things. We can compare the Inner Critic to the ego, and Creative Self to the soul. Think about the great works of art that move us at this deep and soulful level. Those are works that transcend our skeptical analytical mind and touch us deeply. The Creative Self has access to those soulful moments, and is capable of understanding them and moving them into a form. Sharing those soul creations can be terribly frightening. If people judge my soul, my inner self, it feels so much more painful than if they judge the outer self, the one that I put on to please the world. At the same time, this act of sharing strengthens my connection to my higher self. I become empowered by this act. This is what courage does. It empowers us. So yes, I do believe being creative takes courage, and indeed it builds courage at the same time. Being creative in the basement is one thing, but putting those creations out for the public to view and critique is another. There is nothing better than feeling so comfortable and confident in who you are than to be willing to share it. When I decided to write a book about creativity it all started with a giant mock-up. I journalled and drew and colored my way through the idea of being creative. The How of it, the Why of it, the Audience and the Inner Critic. Now I am putting it all into words, and I am becoming more and more worried about how my own thinking will be judged by others. It is interesting, because here I am writing about creativity, the importance of non-judgement, and even a section on the role of the audience and now I am struggling with the very problems of fear of judgement that I am encouraging others to step-over.
I have made the decision that I am not going to filter as I write. I say this in the very first section of the book, "Turn off the Filter". I need to let whatever it is my soul is longing to share, come through without judgement. Whether I ultimtely have the courage to publish, I will cross that hurdle when I come to it.
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Abigail LarrisonEducator, Scientist and Art Maker. The purpose of all life is to spread joy. What brings more joy than making art? Archives
November 2023
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