Feeling the pressure to create? Experiencing a creative block? Try this to relieve the creative constipation (and lower the pressure)
Whenever I notice myself thinking “I have to write a newsletter/post/etc. today”.
Lately, I’ve been saying to myself “I have something to share and I just need to give myself the time and encouragement to write it.”
Here’s why and how it’s helping:
That first thought always cranks up the pressure dial to 10 and induces a twinge of panic, like “The clock is ticking, I better think of something to say”.
That first thought often leads me to look outside of myself instead of slowing down and looking inside myself - my own experiences and stories or the ideas I already have written down.
The pressure/panic combo pulls me into OVERTHINKING and must-create-from-scratch tunnel vision.
But when I think “I have something to share and I just need to give myself the time and encouragement to write it”….I feel a sense of relief and trust in myself/my ability to write.
I remind myself that oh yeah I’ve got plenty of material/inspiration to work with and all I need to do is begin writing and encourage myself to keep writing.
I know that I’m not the only one who feels the pressure to create in some way.
Maybe you find yourself staring at the empty page in your sketchbook thinking it’s day 31 of the 100 Day Project and “I have to paint something”
OR MAYBE… you feel the pressure to make the 15 or 30 minutes of creative time you have set aside in your day REALLY count.
But that kind of thinking usually leads us to become a tightly wound ball of stress with a bad case of creative constipation.
Notice how you speak to yourself when it comes to following through on your daily creative time and how it makes you feel.
If what you’re currently saying is jacking up the pressure and making your palms sweaty try saying something to yourself that slows the pace down AND reminds you of how capable you are, for example….
Image caption/text:
Maybe instead of “I only have 15 minutes to create something” you play with telling yourself
“I can’t wait to see what I’ll paint today” OR “I have so much material to write about and I just need to give myself the space and encouragement to get it down on paper”
