Part of the resistance that we face when we sit down to try and create comes from the voices that tell us all the reasons why we can’t create. The pressure to “be creative” often derails us from creating. We have to confront these voices to disqualify them. A few of the voices that often come up in conversation:
- My creation is not good enough // If you are creating it, you have decided it is necessary and needed. This is just an excuse to keep us from achieving our goal.
- I am not good enough // You have been empowered to create. You are a designer original in your own right. You are a person and you are not what you do or what you create. You have spent time and sweat learning what you know. We need you to create. What you bring is different from everyone else and is necessary for us to all achieve our goals.
- I have to be first // You don’t have to be the first person to “do” something you just have to be the first person to do it your way. Creativity is the ultimate “file sharing platform”. What makes creativity unique is when we apply our touch, look, and feel to it – when we make it OURS!
- I don’t know where to start // Start with the work. Creativity takes energy and work. It’s not magical, it’s birthed in sweat and execution. What is your story? Find that and you find the beginning.
- Is it finished? // EDIT it. What we say in 8 words we should be able to say in 5 – and what we say in 5 words we should be able to say in 3.
- Why will this connect? // It will connect because you have good instincts. Listen to them. Trust them. Your creative instinct is necessary because if you don’t like what you are creating and it doesn’t connect with you…it won’t connect with anyone else.
- I don’t have enough time // We waste so much time worrying about the time we don’t have that we use the time we do have worrying. Dig in. Get to work.
- I don’t have enough resources // No one does. There could always be more. Limitations create opportunities for us to be more creative. When we lack resources, we are forced to do the hard work in creativity and not just buy our creative concepts.
Stop listening to these lies. We are all waiting on you to do your best to help our movement go forward and regain our position as the voices, faces, and force of creative culture.
What are some of the lies that you have bought that are just not true?
I fall into the last one a lot. Part of creativity should be finding a solution to make it work, even when resources are limited — love that.
ugh…lies…
glad to see the blog back up and running with a great post to re-start it
“it’s not magical, it’s birthed in sweat and execution”
– i love/hate this.
definitely my biggest hurdle in the creative process. if i want to bridge the gap between an idea and a result, it’s going to take more effort than just filling up a few pages in my sketch book…
Since you twisted my arm . . .
I know I fall into the last 2 more often than any of the others. I think, I could do this, but because I do not have 20′ jib and 30′ of dolly track, there is no point to this shoot at all. Ok, that is an exaggeration, but it is not far off. I always compare my gear and resources to Hollywood, blindly forgetting that they are on a multimillion dollar shoot, and I have less than $10k worth of gear . . .
Jumping full swing into something, hell or high water, regardless of time is something I have been learning lately too.
Great post. Thanks for the push!
My creation is not good enough would be one of mine. I fall victim to that at times and your right, it is just an excuse. Great post!
Good stuff. Thanks.
Thank you brandon for taking the time to visit.
One I lie that I fight more than others (that can get expensive if you believe it), and that is a variant of the resources lie, is the Wizard of OZ lie. “If Only I Had A :” .. could be anything — ‘better tools’,’newer software’,’A Brain’,’Courage’, etc.
A good treatment is to find works in your area of expertise that were accomplished with a distinct lack of resources. Another is to purposely limit your pallet.
Yet to find a cure.
there is probably no cure. The resistance wants to fight us from ever achieving our potential. It is going to come back every day in hopes of winning. And every day you are going to defeat it…you have no choice!
Thank you so much for writing this encouraging post!
I constantly struggle with thinking that my creativity is not good enough. However, I know that’s not true. I just have to face my fear of being vulnerable.
Great post! Thank you for creating it, it resonated with me deeply!