3 Specific Ways to Move Past Your Creative Anxiety So You Can Do the Work You Love
I went 8 months without picking up my camera to capture images, my pen to draft pitches and outlines, and I didn't even bother to log on to my websites to make important updates. These are just a few of the important things the I didn't bother to attempt to do. Things that were important to progress my mission, business, and personal goals.
I was in a space of creative paralyslys, what I thought was a block, and very well in some aspects could have been. So many ideas of things I wanted to execute, new ways of approaching problems, and new strategies I wanted to implement were heavy on my mind; but they were being held hostage in my head. The creative process is full of anxiety traps that if we’re not careful can and will leave us at a creative standstill.
Dealing with creative anxiety is very common to anyone who creates, produces, and executes ideas for public consumption for a living.
Here are some signs..but mind you, I AM NOT a medical professional; just a creative professional with some insight and experience in overcoming my creative anxiety #sodontberunningaroundsayingIdiagnosedyouwithsuchandsuch.
Let me know if any of these sound familiar to you…
You do not create or produce as often as you want, yet you have the time to do so...
Sometimes you just avoid doing the work all together, but the thought of the work still stays on your mind…
You procrastinate on doing the work and sharing your work..and sometimes have a difficult time deciding which projects to take on…
There are moments when you feel cold, idealess, irritable, and absent from yourself…
If you are a creative professional or someone who produces work for mass consumption for a living, then I am sure you’ve experienced any one of those emotions at one point or another. But, many times we don’t know how to articulate what we’re experiencing when we feel these types of creative blokages.
Here are three helpful ways to help you work toward pushing past your anxiety to create.
Believe and affirm that the work and the stories you create for the world matter, are purposeful, and are necessary. What made you decide to get into this line of work, is this your purpose? Believe that you do this work not because you should but because you WANT to. As creative professionals it is easy to forget the work we do is purpose and passion filled and it is tied into someone else's dream.
Action. Action cures fear. Yes, just start. Even if you only spend 5 minutes working on said creative activity or job, there is grace and magic in every little bit of effort you put into it. One foot in front of the other.
Prepare. Anxiety is the price we pay for unprepared mind and mouth. Whether you have a performance, a speaking gig, or a shoot...whatever the case may be, no being prepared will cause you to have anxiety and will lesson your desire to even do the work.
Hopefully these tips going your mind going on what direction take when trying to push past your creative anxiety. If you do feel creatively overwhelmed contact me for a one on creative clarity session.