Most people struggle to give themselves permission to be creative. We are afraid we don’t live up to our own expectations and we give too much importance on what others think.
We are afraid of making a fool of us, of not looking good enough. We are afraid of being vulnerable. Because that’s in the end what we are exposed to when we are creative. We are walking new paths, paths that no-one before has ever walked.
In his beautiful TED Talk, Ethan Hawk says that courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another. In my opinion, these happen to be the best “side-effects” of creativity.
But he also remarks that one of the biggest enemies of our creativity are our own high expectations. I know this is true for myself and for many of my clients. But we are not the ones to judge and criticize our work, nor is the world a reliable critic.
Why not follow our curiosity and joy instead? Why not leave our judgments aside? How would it feel to give ourselves permission to be creative today?
“Human creativity is nature manifest in us.” – ETHAN HAWKE
