You know those negative messages we hear from others, the ones we have internalized from childhood into adulthood? Ever notice that they can suck our creative energy right out of us?

I have heard the gamut of negative messages, which have held people back from expressing their creative selves fully:  Stories of being criticized by professional artists, friends, family, teachers; A teacher ripping up art work and telling a child (now adult) that she did it “wrong”; Stories of individuals who have had a client reject their art.

All of these messages erode our confidence in our creative selves.  The voice of our inner muse becomes drowned out by these other voices, which by now have been internalized.

As children many of us are brought up to seek the approval of others, we want to fit in, to be liked.  As we grow we see the competitive world around us, and play the comparison game. Everywhere we look we hear “be like this” “this is how it/you should look.”

Ultimately these messages can interfere with our creative flow.

Here are 3 things that can help you begin to find that creative flow:

1 Identify the messages that others have said to you in the past or present which has become the story or excuse you tell yourself.  These are the messages that keep you from letting loose and creating fully. Shed the “shoulds”.

2.  Replace the old messages and scripts with new ones. Remind yourself the other benefits of your creating. How do you feel? Why is it important to you?  What do you like about your creative process when you are in the flow?

3. Create for yourself first, then if others don’t like it, it doesn’t matter.  Avoid the comparison game, looking outside of your self for approval is a set up and an insult to your creative muse, she loves you and your creations just the way they are!  When you create in this way, it is coming from your true creative uniqueness, and your beauty will shine through!

I know that this can be difficult to practice. It is easier said than done.  The key is practice. Practicing replacing the identified messages, as well as practicing listening to the new messages and actually doing something about them.  We have to put the script into motion, take action if we really want things to shift and change with our creativity.  We have to put the brush to paper so to speak because otherwise we are no further ahead,

What good is it to our inner muse if she continues to be locked up by the constraints of our excuses, our “maybe later”s, “another time”.  We can wait forever for “the perfect moment”.  It’s not coming.   The notion of “the perfect moment” is fueled by fear.  Fear disguises itself as procrastination and the creative block cycle continues.

My philosophy is: the more opportunities we give ourselves to experiment, to falter, make mistakes, and continue creating despite perceived “failed” attempts, the more we open the doors to our creative genius.  

How about you?