For as long as I can remember I have always believed "I am not good at arts and writing" "I am not good at being creative". It was the usual story I repeated to myself and anyone who asked me about my creative talents. There were several experiences in my life that made me think this way.
Early childhood experiences made me believe that I am not worthy of love which fueled a general lack of confidence in myself.
In the eighties, some “old school” teachers made me think that art can be right or wrong. I started to believe that I am not good at it, because my art was not fitting into their frame of reference. I was slower than other students to learn how to read and write. With a grade 1 teacher who knew only rewards and punishments, my confidence in writing and creative skills was already very low at 6 years-old.
By age 25 I had written three eighty-page master’s degree thesis (French system) and with compliments on my writing skills, completed a course in mapping (yes I can draw maps...). Yet, I still believed "I am not good at writing" and "i am not good at art and creativity".
When we have had negative emotional experience with creativity (or any other chapter of our life), the confidence and assertiveness drop. We are stuck with hindering beliefs. We cannot even see the reality unfolding in front of us. It is like wearing glasses with a “hindering belief” filter.
After working on myself in my thirties, I realized a shift happening in me. I believe now that I can create, I can write to inspire others and I am creative in many other ways. At the moment my creativity is vibrant, I created my website, I create my own instagram posts and write regular blog posts. It is each time a creative process.
When Lulu Kitololo invited me a year ago to create a workshop on creativity for Afri-love Fest, I was so happy and felt I was on the right track. On 3rd November 2019, I did the third edition of my workshop to reconnect with creativity. After running this workshop a few times, I am ready to share with you 7 tips to reconnect with your creativity :
Connect with different ways of being creative.
Cooking/baking, visual arts, writing, doodling, drawing, photography, creating an event, music, movement, dance,etc ; the ways of being creative are diverse and multiple. This is an invitation to be creative just for the sake of it, no pressure just going with the flow of your imagination and intuition
Prioritize self-care
“I don’t have time” is not an excuse. It actually mean “I don’t create the time for myself”. Yes life in the 2010s is overwhelming, we have some many lives, goals, relationships and jobs. And we need to consciously create time to fill our cup and to be creative.
Work on your hindering beliefs
“I am not creative”; “I am not good at arts”; “I can’t draw”. What if we start challenging ourselves? Where are those hindering beliefs coming from? Are they based on a current reality? Are they 100% true? How do you know they are 100% true? You can make a reverse positive affirmation for yourself: “I am full of creative ideas”; “Being creative brings me joy”; something that resonates with you.
Connect your creative inspiration and moments with pleasant emotions and feeling
How do you want to feel when you are creative? Look for joy, happiness, play, contentment, fulfillment, etc, when you are creative.
Befriend your inner critic
What you fight with will fight you back. Imagine if your inner critic was your friend, could you give her some attention and love? and ask her/him in return to give you some space for creativity.
Focus on the process- not the outcome
So just start a creative project with the energy of just wanting to start. Without expectations for yourself, but just the willingness to tap into your creative mind and heart
Get to know yourself and reflect on your life’s mission.
Self-reflection is relevant these days in the rat race we are all engaged in. Take a pause. Who am I? what is my mission in life? What drives me? What are my values and beliefs about life? Where am I going?
Try at least a combination of 3 or 4 of these tips and you will see the difference!
Do you have more questions? write them in the comments of in an email.