Work In Colour - Work. Think. Live. In Colour
Wednesday 12th January 2011 | 4 comments
Over the break, I reflected on 2010 and the opportunities I had taken up or created for myself - and the ones I had let slip. I realised that in many cases I had let feelings of anxiety (or self-doubt or flatness or uncertainty or even anger) cripple my impulse to go into the world and do the work I wanted to do. I was kind of horrified when I took the time to see how often I had held myself back this way.
It all came together for me while I was doing a very excellent online program run by Robert Fritz (author of The Path of Least Resistance, Creating and Your Life as Art). It's called Creating Your Life and I recommend it for fine-tuning your goal setting and creating processes.
But back to the feelings stuff.
As Fritz has said: 'You feel what you feel. Your feelings change from good to bad and back. If you stop your creative process every time you think you need to cheer yourself up or rid yourself of emotional conflicts, your life will be over before you can create anything of significance. Get used to the truth: Reality includes feeling bad at times. In show business there is a long tradition of professionalism that is captured in the phrase The show must go on. It is not necessary to stop the show simply because you are feeling unwanted emotions. When you are able to separate yourself from your emotions, you will be able to feel whatever you are feeling, without any compulsion to take actions designed to change your feelings. Then you can more easily take actions in favor of what you want to create.
The difference between consummate professionals and talented amateurs is that the professionals can create what they want to create, no matter what they happen to be feeling at the time, but amateurs can only do well when they are inspired. One reason this is true is that professionals are more able to be separate from what they are doing. Separation leads to greater involvement. Creators can move in and out, towards and back, close and away from their own actions.'
Of course, there are times when you must pay attentions to your feelings about your work - if something is wrong at a fundamental level, then you need to do whatever is necessary to right it. I've written about this before, as part of the topic creative commitment.
But in general, my resolve in 2011 is to create what I want in my life and in my work, without letting anxiety or any other feelings get in my way. What about you?
Tag: creativity
Great post Joanna. Timely reminder while dealing with the emotional roller coaster of coming off holiday break and back into business building. Thank you!
Thanks Claire, I know I underestimated that roller coaster this year, glad I wasn't the only one :)
I really appreciate your post. It can be so easy for me to get caught up in all of the emotions and forget that I have some choice around what to do with them. I remember reading Robert Fritz's book years ago and resonating with his point that the structures we create in our lives determine our behaviour and outcomes, and that we have choices about what structures we create or adopt. I'm also going to commit to making those necessary changes in 2011 to create what I truly want. Thanks for the reminder!!
Bruce, thank you. I have had the same experience, forgetting that living as a victim to feeling states is a choice...it is remarkably liberating to slowly but surely create a life that works for you, no matter what your current feelings!