The situation:
You want to do something. Move something forward. Create a new idea, do something new. You have had a lot of ideas and aspirations before but, somehow you’re feeling stuck and frustrated. Blocked and stagnant, you feel like resigning. What is it that you want to do that isn’t moving forward?
The culprit:
Pressure. When we are under pressure, our creativity can only tolerate a certain amount before it says “I’m out!”. Under reasonable pressure, creativity can flow like a great river. However, for each of us, we have a certain threshold, and when that threshold is surpassed, creativity gets crushed and fizzles.
What pressure?
Pressure can be external or internal. Either way, if there more weight on getting something done out of a “should” or a “must”, the less space there is for creativity to come out and play. Creativity is essentially a free energy that expresses itself in a variety of ways. Sure, under tremendous pressure, artists and performers in many fields may have created “excellence” of sorts, but that does not mean that they did it with originality or a creative mindset of producing something new and inspiring in the moment. The more toxic influence of course is internal pressure “I should come up with something now!” or “why am I so stuck, come on do something interesting!” or “figure this out, or else!” are examples of our inner companions that can turn creativity sour and dull and render it lifeless.
What can you do, right now?
Notice the voices in your mind that chatter away at you and comment on everything. Ask if they are “freeing” or if they are giving you more pressure. See if you feel like your playful energy is allowed to come through as a result of the attitudes circulating in your mind or if they seem to give you a buzz kill. After you get a good hang of it, ask yourself what you need to feel free and spontaneous. You might be surprised at the answers that come at you when you ask this question and wait. This may sound easy to you or very bizarre – all the while, the process is really about moving away from pressure and reconnecting with our inner life-force that is full of new ideas. Letting it come through requires opening the door to your inner child who is free of “should’s” and “should nots” and it more interested in curiosity and exploration and play. Think of it as the playful eight year old version of you who will smile and play if given the chance.
You want to do something. Move something forward. Create a new idea, do something new. You have had a lot of ideas and aspirations before but, somehow you’re feeling stuck and frustrated. Blocked and stagnant, you feel like resigning. What is it that you want to do that isn’t moving forward?
The culprit:
Pressure. When we are under pressure, our creativity can only tolerate a certain amount before it says “I’m out!”. Under reasonable pressure, creativity can flow like a great river. However, for each of us, we have a certain threshold, and when that threshold is surpassed, creativity gets crushed and fizzles.
What pressure?
Pressure can be external or internal. Either way, if there more weight on getting something done out of a “should” or a “must”, the less space there is for creativity to come out and play. Creativity is essentially a free energy that expresses itself in a variety of ways. Sure, under tremendous pressure, artists and performers in many fields may have created “excellence” of sorts, but that does not mean that they did it with originality or a creative mindset of producing something new and inspiring in the moment. The more toxic influence of course is internal pressure “I should come up with something now!” or “why am I so stuck, come on do something interesting!” or “figure this out, or else!” are examples of our inner companions that can turn creativity sour and dull and render it lifeless.
What can you do, right now?
Notice the voices in your mind that chatter away at you and comment on everything. Ask if they are “freeing” or if they are giving you more pressure. See if you feel like your playful energy is allowed to come through as a result of the attitudes circulating in your mind or if they seem to give you a buzz kill. After you get a good hang of it, ask yourself what you need to feel free and spontaneous. You might be surprised at the answers that come at you when you ask this question and wait. This may sound easy to you or very bizarre – all the while, the process is really about moving away from pressure and reconnecting with our inner life-force that is full of new ideas. Letting it come through requires opening the door to your inner child who is free of “should’s” and “should nots” and it more interested in curiosity and exploration and play. Think of it as the playful eight year old version of you who will smile and play if given the chance.
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