Stop being a b*tch to the creative you!
Creating is a beautiful and complex process. Coming up with new ideas takes a lot, and it often carries the feeling of doing something wrong, because ideas rarely develop the way you imagined. You can become your own worst critic in a harmful, destructive way, forgetting how important it is to be kind to yourself. Stop it!
Nobody said it was easy. Getting inspired is not as straight or as pure as many think. It is almost impossible to summon a simple idea when you are looking for one, and then it arrives from nowhere, at the most inopportune moment. By the time you want to use that spontaneous spark, you have either forgotten it or it no longer feels as right as it did.
And when inspiration finally arrives, you still need the motivation to begin. If you love creating, why would you need encouragement? Yet finding that first spark of energy can be exhausting. Once you start, you have to keep up with the process and face problems you never anticipated. Then you finish, drained, and you are probably not happy with the result. Was it worth all the stress and frustration? Stop being a b*tch to yourself!
You carry an internal voice that criticises your work nonstop, sometimes before the work even begins, as soon as a new idea appears. It tells you the concept is not good enough, that you are not talented enough, that your skills are not at the level, that none of it is worth it. This voice is part of you, so you cannot simply silence it, but that does not mean it has to stay in control.
You have probably heard of impostor syndrome: that feeling that you are faking it and that someone will expose you at any moment. It is paralysing, laced with anxiety, and it stops you from giving your all. That is the real reason you allow yourself to be so disrespectful to your creative self.
Social media does not help. You are flooded with talented people, excellent work, and polished results. But many of those same creatives will tell you how much they struggle. Even seasoned professionals live with impostor syndrome and are cruel to themselves sometimes. Remember that social media shows curated content; there is a lot of work, failure, and tears behind those posts. If you don't believe me, take a look at your own feed.
There is no standard recipe for this. As with any problem, the first step is to acknowledge it, because recognising it is what lets you act. Start by being kind to yourself and respecting your own voice and intuition. If you are creative, you already know you create because you love it. Keep that in mind, even when the process is a struggle.
As Pablo Picasso said, "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." You shouldn't wait to feel inspired before you begin. Start, warm up, fail, and let your ideas take shape. Don't get frustrated in the process; let it flow and enjoy watching something new come to life.
So stop being a b*tch to the creative you. They deserve more compassion. Learning to be kind to yourself takes time, but the results are worth it. Why does creating have to mean suffering? Change your attitude, change the way you talk to yourself, give yourself new opportunities, and keep making.
