If you’ve read my article about The One Simple Trick Big Creativity Doesn’t Want You to Know, you’ve seen that creativity is as easy as noticing, naming, and following.
But even with that trick, sometimes initiating a creative action can feel scary. Especially when we start thinking scary future thoughts like, “Will it be any good?” or “What will people think of my creativity?”
Yep, those are scary thoughts, but remember, they’re out there in future-land. We’re here in now-land. So we just gently corral those thoughts back to now-land. “Come on, thoughts, come on back, stay close, no need to go wandering off, there ya go, that’s better.”
We can remind ourselves of helpful thoughts like, “I don’t have to worry about the future, just be here right now,” and “What other people think of me is none of my business!”
Once you’re back in now-land, all you have to do is take the next small step. And yes, sometimes that does feel scary. We don’t know where to start. We don’t know where it’s going to lead. Anything could happen! It requires a leap of faith.
Check out this scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: It’s just about a minute and a half, so go check it out, then come back.
That scene knocked me out when I saw it for the first time, and whenever I feel afraid about taking the next step, I think of it again. The path was there the whole time; he just couldn’t see it until he took the first step.
The path appeared when he stepped onto it, and it’s the same with creativity. Creativity appears when we take the next small step of noticing, naming, and following.
“I don’t know where to start!’ – Just notice one small thing. Notice it and name it: the sunlight right now; my upper lip feels itchy; there’s a smudge on the counter; I should clean my keyboard; that deep breath felt good; something green. Even if the only thing you notice is that you feel stuck and don’t notice anything, perfect! Name that! “I feel stuck and can’t notice anything!”
Whatever it is, just name one thing. Then follow it. Now you’re on your way.
Drop me a line and let me know how this resonates for you. And if you’re in the Los Angeles area and interested in experiencing this with me, check out my Creative Freedom workshops.
