The uncomfortable tension of creating
The actual experience of creating something is often very different from our ideas about creativity.
Creativity is described as fun, exciting, motivating, exhilarating.
Creating … well, just look around online or get together with friends and colleagues, and you’ll hear people talk about discipline, struggle, and fear. They describe wrestling with writing and beating projects into submission.
Ouch.
Creation is the process of changing state from where we are today, with our creation as an idea or a work in progress, towards the finished result – and towards the ripple of additional results that arise when we create something and release it into the world.
There’s an inherent tension at play during this process of creation: the tension caused by the discrepancy between what we have today (an idea or a work in progress) versus what we want to create (our goal, the desired end result).
This tension is no small thing, especially when we’re not completely clear on how we’re getting to that end result … or about what will happen when we arrive.
Yet the tension is necessary for creation to happen. You must be aware of the difference between here and now and the desired future result of your completed creation.
The problem comes when we believe that the discomfort we feel in the middle of this creative tension is something we have to fix or get rid of before we can get on with creating what we want. And that leads us down any number of side tracks off the main path of creating – side tracks that are all about trying to know things we can’t know, and leading to a single off-course destination: procrastination.
Common side tracks include trying figure out how to be certain about what this creation will actually do for us; trying to overcome our fear about what could happen when the creation is complete; trying to know exactly what each step of the creation process will look like; and trying to silence the voices of doubt and “not enough” in our heads. And of course we all have our own favorite side tracks off this path of creating what we want.
Going down those side tracks is what creates the struggle and the sense that we’re wrestling with our creation or having to beat it into submission.
Of course I’m not saying that we should blindly race down the path of creation without considering whether the end result will actually be, do, or give us what we want. Nor am I saying that we should rush madly into creating something without any sort of plan or idea of what’s involved.
I am saying that when we can be comfortable with the discomfort of creating, we will be happier, more productive, and much more likely to bring our ideas into reality.
Recently, I’ve been noticing how it feels when I seduce my work, flirt with it, play with it, romp with it, get curious about it, engage it in meaningful discussion, and laugh with it.
That may sound odd, but it’s no weirder than wrestling with it, struggling with it, or trying to beat it into submission. And – no surprise, I’m sure – it’s a ton more fun, and the results are better, arrive more quickly, and feel more satisfying.
Plus, I have a lot more energy available to start engaging with my next creation.
Posted under Breaking rules.
Tags: (Re)Definitions, Creativity, Productivity
Comments: 4 - click to add yours!
You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help
me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer,
which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen,
I’ve been struggling with these same patterns and these same issues for 10+ years.
It’s exhausting. I
was tired of trying, and struggling, and things ultimately not working.
Now, it’s like I can relax into my business instead of beating it into submission.
Instead of pulling a two-ton weight behind me, I’m resting into it.
This work is amazing, and I’m so glad we’re working together!
Working together was absolutely key, and I think that’s what made it such a great
experience. I felt like you were my partner in this. I felt like my success was your
success. To me, someone who has that attitude and the skills to go with it —
that’s an unbeatable combination! — Daniel Stone,
I have a website I’m proud of — but for me, the hugest benefit has been
increased self-confidence. Because of the process we went through, and the validity that
came with the process, I trust what I think and I trust myself to speak about it. I have
greater confidence and clarity in my message about who I am and what I do. — Bev
Dwane AICI CIP,
If someone’s looking for a thought partner, not so much an expert to tell them what
to do, but someone who can help them think more clearly and more completely so that they
can take action, then I would say that you’re a good choice. If people want to work at a deeper level than simply tactics or strategy, if they want to
be connected to a sense of purpose that goes beyond the cognitive, your
process is really powerful. And it’s simple. Anyone can do it, and it gives
immediate access to the generative, creative energies that are often untapped.