As a creator, you are your own worst critic. There is a very distinct spark inside you that is always burning, always pushing, and always chasing just a little something more that you know will elevate your work. This is why the act of creation is never as straightforward as it seems. Rather, it almost always involves a series of re-thinking, re-editing and re-shooting, while constantly overthinking.
As creators we also see a part of ourselves in our work; in other words, our work is deeply personal, and because of that there’s often a pressure for it to be perfect. It thus takes an intense level of vulnerability to openly showcase our creative, but personal work to the world, and so often it has to fit our definition of “perfect.”
However, sometimes this cycle of chasing perfection and also displaying it to the world can get overwhelming. As we begin to transform creativity into our careers, the pressure begins to build...fast. That’s why I’m here to suggest how creators can revive that sense of calm that their creation gave them to begin with.
🧠🌪 Experimental Creation
When a lack of motivation or frustration kicks in, it can sometimes be easier to step away from your platform and be open to embracing and experimenting with other creative forms.
Robert Epstein, a senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, put forward the idea that expanding our exposure to unfamiliar topics can fuel a source of creativity that motivates original ideas and nuanced thinking. In his exercise, the ‘Experts Game,’ people heard 5-minute lectures from experts on randomized topics like how shoes are constructed, or about the history of Rolex watches, after which they had to come up with their own unique business ideas. I think that we all can take inspiration from this practice.
If you’re a writer, try sketching. If you play instruments, try singing. If you’re a coder, try poetry! With an openness to creativity in other forms, you may just feel re-inspired to return to your original creative medium.
I spoke to Stephanie Tom, a poet from CC and Creator Studio Mentor, to get some insight about what it really means to “experiment” as a writer. She told me that when the uneasiness of staring at a blank google doc for too long sets in, she makes visual collages, word collages and Spotify playlists in order to get her words flowing.
Placing yourself in a new context could signal an inspirational revival that could redraw the boundaries of your comfort zone and transform your creative potential.
👁🎆 A Beautiful Mess
When caught up in the pressures of perfection, you may sometimes forget to embrace the “create” in creativity. To allow your creativity to flow naturally, without any compulsion for flawlessness, you can rid your creativity of all its structures and formalities and simply - create.
Don’t be afraid to put every word in your head on a blank piece of paper, or hold a paintbrush in hand without any predetermined image in mind for what you are about to create. Don’t think twice before confidently placing your fingers on your guitar strings and letting your creativity freely come to life.
Engage in creation for yourself, finding that sweet spot of appreciating your talent and fueling your inspiration. Remind yourself that creativity is not meant to be perfect. Instead, it is meant to be unique, ruminative, and most importantly - limitless.
🙏🔮 Revisit and Reflect
The process of creation is a wheel that keeps on turning, so take a moment to remind yourself where your journey started. It’s important to recognize how far you’ve come as a creator. Go back and take a look at your earliest forms of creation, whether it be your childhood notebooks, artpads, old mixtapes or videos.
In doing so, look for the small things. Has your handwriting changed? Did your poetic voice transform from rhyming to narrative? Have the colors on your color palette remained the same? What ideas did you explore then? Can you revisit them now?
Celebrate the growth! Merge the past and the pending, and allow your old creative self to inspire your current creative mindset.
Stephanie mentioned how she recently dug through her old manuscripts to get some inspiration.
“I had some pretty good ideas when I was younger, but I just didn’t have the right words to articulate what I thought,” she reflected.
“So what I’ve been doing is taking little snippets from here and there, deconstructing my poems and turning them into new ones.”
Stephanie’s practice is an innovative way to fuse different versions of our creative identities, and can be an interesting method in tracking your growth as a creator and places focus on evolving your craft.
For whenever you forget the power of your creative voice or get overwhelmed by the pressure to create, remember that creativity is about having fun through self-expression.
Keep exploring, expressing and expanding!
Sasha
CC Writer
Sasha is a sophomore in Arts and Sciences from Pakistan majoring in Government. She is a content writer for CC but also loves playing guitar and writing on her blog.
Did this blog post supercharge your creativity? ⚡
We hope so. And we can’t wait to see what magic you make next. ✨
Take this email as the reason you’ve been searching for to dive into your next creative endeavor, and know that you’ve got a creative community backing you at every step of the way. 🙌