Dear Creative who is afraid to create,
Oh yeah… we’re going there today. It’s been 4-5 months since my last blog. It was right before covid-19 hit. Then we were put in quarantine. I got furloughed from all my teaching gigs and could no longer hold in-person events (the heartbeat of how we do things at The Lion’s Den).
But there's something about being faced with a challenge, an obstacle that just somehow puts me right into gear and I hit the ground running.
I taught myself how to take The Lion’s Den (community organization dedicated to holding spaces for people to freely express themselves, connect and create through mediums of dance, movement & the arts) online, run my own classes and integrate it all into this very website that you’re reading this on. Who would have thought?
If you told me a year ago that I'd be running classes online and that you could sign up through my site, I would have told you you were crazy.
But grit… “Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” - Angela Duckworth. And no I haven’t read her book yet, but it’s on my shelf!
Grit, determination, discipline.. whatever you want to call it, that’s what got me through these 4 months of quarantine. Well that and my dope, supportive, creative friends. As well as my fiance and new obsession with oreo cookies.
Does that mean I didn’t feel anxiety, fear, self-doubt, sadness, grief? No. I definitely felt all those emotions while being willing to go for it, try things out and see if worked. Curiosity and play were right behind all of it.
Fast forward to where we are now, our country is trying to get back to a sense of normalcy as if the pandemic is over. How do you expect to pluck us out of quarantine and throw us back to our pre-covid life? You simply can’t. Life has officially changed and there’s no going back.
If you’re a fellow yoga teacher, dance teacher, fitness instructor - I don’t know about you, but I have been LOVING teaching from home. No more driving, looking for parking, being stuck in traffic or having to eat in my car before the next class.
Being home has been sweet! I managed to attend some amazing training webinars, make time for my movement practice, connect with friends and family on a surprisingly more intimate level, and prepare for my podcast launch (more on that later)! Outside looking in, it looks like I’ve been crushing it in quarantine.
On some levels, hell yeah. But I am human. I too struggle with analysis paralysis, slight anxiety, and some doses of self-doubt.
There’s many reasons why I haven't written a blog in months. I thought I needed to have the perfect topic, more free time to sit down and do it, and a million and one other excuses. All of that was fear and my need for perfection in the pretty package of procrastination.
I wasn’t writing because I was afraid.
Today is no different, I just got sick of not doing it and here I am at my laptop writing this. Still afraid and all.
So how do we create when we're afraid?
The first question to ask of yourself is “Why am I afraid?”
The follow up question would be “Is this productive, truthful, or a lie?”.
The next response could be “So what?”
“What’s the next best step in the right direction?”
“I will create despite the feelings I feel… freedom may be on the other side of this.”
We must investigate our inner mind chatter. Our brains are wired to look for the negative more than the positive due to our ancestors who were trying to survive and look out for possible threats. It’s also easier to remember more negative events than positive ones. Couple that with a fixed mindset (rather than a growth mindset) and your actions will follow suit and affirm your negative thought patterns. It can be a vicious cycle.
Fear not though. You can reframe your negative thought patterns. You can choose to show up, put in the work, and try, try again.
You are creative. You are worthy of creating. Your creativity is needed in this world.
Don’t create for others validation, but because you want to. That’s simply enough reason… because you want to.
Your “art” (replace with anything: writing, choreography, blog, design, photography, podcast, wardrobe, interior design, speech, etc) is the light to someone else’s darkness.
And if you're thinking your creativity doesn't matter, you are wrong my friend. There is only one you.
Your voice matters.
Prime yourself first before going all in.
Maybe the first step is clearing your work/creative space.
Second step may be pulling out the supplies and setting them in your space.
Third step could be making the perfect playlist on Spotify to accompany your creative juices.
Start small, but just start. Don't wait for the right moment, or perfect environment. Just do it! Now’s the time, because the world so desperately needs our light.
Go get it. I’m cheering you on. 💥💕