Be More Creative - How To Avoid The 7 Deadly "Shoulds" That Could Be Killing Your Creativi
One of the quickest and most effective ways to kill your creativity is to try to live up to a whole collection of "shoulds" defined by other people.
"You should do this", "You should do that"...
What does it really mean to be creative? Follow what you're told you "should" do? I don't think so...
Here are 7 of the most deadly "shoulds" to avoid to help you be more creative on your own terms: 1.
You should only create when you feel inspired.
Yes and how often does that happen? How conveniently? Creativity is a way of living and being, it's about seeking out new inspiration and ideas in everything you come across, not sitting, hoping and waiting for inspiration to suddenly hit you.
2.
You should tell yourself you're useless to motivate yourself.
This kind of perverse reverse psychology might work for some people.
But not many.
A far better approach is to acknowledge and celebrate all you create, keep encouraging yourself to learn and evolve.
3.
You should work on every creative project until it's perfect.
If this was true, we'd all still be on our first creative project.
For the rest of our lives! Of course give each project your best effort at the time.
Then let it go, learn and move on to the next.
4.
You should listen to what every else says is best for you.
Because everyone knows you better than you know yourself? Noooo! If you listen to yourself closely and honestly, what you enjoy, what works well for you, that's all you'll ever need to be creative and happy.
5.
You should accept your creative work will only ever be a hobby.
Only if you want it to be.
This is your creative life and your choices.
If it's your ambition to make a full time living and beyond with your art then seek out the people that you can help you make that real.
6.
You should finish every creative project you start.
Otherwise you're a failure.
The only true meaning of failure is not learning and developing when you get results you didn't expect.
Sometimes projects don't work out.
That's ok.
Take what you can from the experience and move on to the next.
7.
You should create whatever's popular.
This is a recipe for unhappiness on 2 levels: Not only would you be creating work you're not fully comfortable with, but also you'd be chasing a moving and constantly changing target.
Create what you're passionate about, create what really MEANS something to you, and the rest will follow.
Which of these deadly "shoulds" do you relate most to? What steps can you take to start to change the way you create in this area?
"You should do this", "You should do that"...
What does it really mean to be creative? Follow what you're told you "should" do? I don't think so...
Here are 7 of the most deadly "shoulds" to avoid to help you be more creative on your own terms: 1.
You should only create when you feel inspired.
Yes and how often does that happen? How conveniently? Creativity is a way of living and being, it's about seeking out new inspiration and ideas in everything you come across, not sitting, hoping and waiting for inspiration to suddenly hit you.
2.
You should tell yourself you're useless to motivate yourself.
This kind of perverse reverse psychology might work for some people.
But not many.
A far better approach is to acknowledge and celebrate all you create, keep encouraging yourself to learn and evolve.
3.
You should work on every creative project until it's perfect.
If this was true, we'd all still be on our first creative project.
For the rest of our lives! Of course give each project your best effort at the time.
Then let it go, learn and move on to the next.
4.
You should listen to what every else says is best for you.
Because everyone knows you better than you know yourself? Noooo! If you listen to yourself closely and honestly, what you enjoy, what works well for you, that's all you'll ever need to be creative and happy.
5.
You should accept your creative work will only ever be a hobby.
Only if you want it to be.
This is your creative life and your choices.
If it's your ambition to make a full time living and beyond with your art then seek out the people that you can help you make that real.
6.
You should finish every creative project you start.
Otherwise you're a failure.
The only true meaning of failure is not learning and developing when you get results you didn't expect.
Sometimes projects don't work out.
That's ok.
Take what you can from the experience and move on to the next.
7.
You should create whatever's popular.
This is a recipe for unhappiness on 2 levels: Not only would you be creating work you're not fully comfortable with, but also you'd be chasing a moving and constantly changing target.
Create what you're passionate about, create what really MEANS something to you, and the rest will follow.
Which of these deadly "shoulds" do you relate most to? What steps can you take to start to change the way you create in this area?