When You Stop Your Creativity Before You Even Start

Painting by Don Pack

I know a yoga student who has been quilting like a banshee during the pandemic.    Another has been knitting like we’re running out of wool.  

But some friends are telling me they can’t get started. Even with more time at home or a more flexible schedule that allows more space to create, friends say that when they pick up an old creative project, they stop themselves before they get very far.  These folks have a real desire to rekindle their creative lives, but something is getting in the way.

What’s in the way

You may be like a lot of women who stop creating because they get focused on the finished product instead of the creative experience.  That would be fine if you believed everything you made was good enough for the Guggenheim or NYT best seller list.  But it’s more likely that you’re a harsh critic of your own creative work.  With a finished product focus, you’ll deem it not good enough before it’s even finished.

If you’ve told yourself crappy things about your creative projects in the past, you’ll stop before you start just to save yourself the hurt of being so harshly judged. 

On the other hand, when you’re creating to follow where your creativity leads, the pressure is off.  There’s no reason for your inner critic to come up.  You leave room for the piece to unfold in it’s own way.  And it’s possible to tap into an experience of deep communion with your creative soul.  

Creativity is the Point

I’m going to tell you about my dad.  Dad started painting watercolors only a year ago.  He knows his paintings are never going to hang in a gallery or earn him any money.  But, every day, without fail, I get a text from my dad with a picture of his paintings for the day.  He paints some of the sights from his recent travels. Or he paints animals for his grandchildren.  He even painted with my 7yo son when Eli went for a visit last month.  Sometimes the pictures are great, sometimes they’re not.  The finished product isn’t the point.

The point is the painting.

Check in 

If you’re stopping before you get started, or stopping along the way because of a harsh inner critic, ask yourself where you’re putting your focus.  You might find that you’re thinking about the finished piece instead losing yourself in the creative process.

So how do you change your focus? 

Go back to your Intention

Switch gears by remembering your WHY.  Why do you want to sew or paint? What was it that made you want to pick up knitting needles in the beginning? Your why has more to do with expressing what is uniquely inside of you than becoming famous and making a ton of money.  Going back to your deeper intention helps you remember that there’s more to your creativity.

Drop into your longing to create, and let that be the guiding force as you step back into your creative life.

Start Creating Again

Letting your focus get ahead of you is a sure way to slow or stop your creative process. And then you miss out on the joy of a rich creative life.  Taking a few minutes to get intentional and connect with the longing of your heart can get you creating again.  I hope you’ll give it a try.