Our own negative experiences and limiting beliefs cloud our ability to tap into that creative energy. For example, the time we felt embarrassed in front of our peers for saying or doing something that others made fun of. Or when we expressed how we felt to someone we loved, and it was met with rejection or disapproval. These experiences pile up and create negative beliefs about our ability to create and the value of our expression.

The way to rediscover your creative self is to identify and challenge those limiting beliefs that are holding you back, then replace these beliefs with something more productive and helpful.

Here are a few examples of limiting beliefs that may come up when you begin to get creative, and how to reframe them.

Fear vs. Courage

Fear is likely to come up when we think of our creative potential because it's something new that creates feelings of uncertainty or anxiety. The first step is to identify the fear and the thought behind it. Once you have done this you can make an intentional decision to challenge the limiting belief with something more positive, productive, and helpful. Doing this over and over again will improve your creative potential and eventually become your way of being.

Fear of Failure

Limiting Beliefs: I don't know what I'm doing. I'll probably make mistakes, or it will turn out bad.

​Courageous Reframes:  I am capable of learning new skills through effort and practice. I may not like it at first but with practice I can get better. Many artists and creatives make things that they don’t like or turn out to be different than they expected. That doesn’t stop them from creating and I won’t let that stop me either. The value is in the process of creativity and not just in the finished product.

​Fear of Not Being Good Enough:

Limiting Beliefs: I can’t draw, paint, write, sing, etc. I’m no good, I’m not talented.

​​Courageous Reframes: I can draw just by picking up a pencil and making marks. I can play an instrument just by sitting in front of a piano and pressing the keys. I am capable of learning the skills needed to improve and create something and even to excel. Mastery comes from persistent failure and correction. I become good at something through effort and practice.

Pride vs. Willingness:

Pride may arise when our creative effort doesn’t meet our own expectations or challenges our self-perception. During these initial stages, we start as beginners, which can cause us to feel silly or childish, so we often avoid these emotions by giving up or make excuses to justify not doing it at all.

Apathy vs. Reason:

Apathy may be the most tenacious of all the emotions we discuss here, because it is often the result of multiple life circumstances weighing on the individual and breeds thoughts of inadequacy or helplessness. If this is your experience, the first step is to take one. That’s right, take one step in the direction you want to go by noticing the thoughts that arise keeping you from healing. Notice the thoughts, and ask them to step aside. 

Limiting Beliefs: Who cares? What’s the point? It's too hard. It's not worth it. No one will see it anyway.

Reasonable Reframes: The importance and value of creative expression is not the outcome but the act of creation. I can do one thing for myself today by expressing how I feel in a simple way. 

Additional tips: 

Becoming a Creative will happen only after you attend to your limiting beliefs. If you skip this step your creative output will likely be a struggle, an uphill battle, or be unfruitful.

​When you practice addressing limiting beliefs and choosing positive reframes, your creative self will begin to emerge, and your creative endeavors will become enjoyable and at times seem effortless. Here are some actionable on how to initiate and cultivate your creative practice.

1. Set the intention to become more creative:

What you focus your attention on will grow. With an intention to be more creative, opportunities will present themselves. By making an intention to be more creative you are priming your mind and body to act accordingly. You will begin to notice creative acts or ways in which you can be creative in daily life and ideas and inspiration will flow.

2. Train your artistic eye:

Observe something in as great detail as possible. Notice the texture, curves, light, shadow. Imagine you could recreate this in art. For other types of art notice the details of this creation - for a musician...the notes being played; a dancer...the body part being manipulated in a particular way; a writer, imagine describing your environment or event in detail with impeccable wording.

3. Visualize:

Look around and notice things that have been created…buildings, signs, furniture. Imagine what it took to create that thing? What tools were necessary? How much time did it take? Imagine the act of creating that thing. Practice imagining yourself in the creative process in your creative mode of choice. The brain does not know the difference between imagining and doing the act in reality. Studies have supported this claim by testing those who imagine and those who don’t and see significant improvements for the group who visualize, meaning that you can learn simply through this mental exercise.

4. Create ephemeral art:

Practice the creative process by making art that is temporary. This will help you to focus on the process and reduce resistance and fear that often accompanies creativity. This will also lessen the burden of perfection and reduce focus on the finished product. Creativity is infinite; therefore, we don’t run out of ideas by getting them out, in fact this practice will increase the frequency of ideas. The more you have the more there are.

Examples:

Drawing with Water

Nature Art

Nature Art by Chelsey Bahe

Now, go out and try your hand at some of the examples listed above. Even if you are not a professional artist, there are many benefits to artmaking as a creative practice (link to art/mental health blog).

Have a creative week!