Your “creative self” is hiding

There are many selves within you. The reason you find it so hard to stay consistent with your creativity is because, for years, your creative self was told to stay in the corner, to not take any risks; to only speak when spoken to. 

Who knows how it got that way. Maybe a classmate made fun of your drawings as a kid. Maybe a teacher gave you a bad grade on a creative project. Maybe a family member wanted you to do something that resembled their dream, instead of yours. Or maybe it’s some combination of a few of these experiences. Getting to the bottom of that takes time. But all we need to know is that somewhere along the way, you learned to say, “I’m not creative.” 

Now, when we try to add in a new creative practice, your whole being says “what’s going on here?” and kicks against it. The creative self learned to stay in the corner over the years, so when it’s asked to take the lead more consistently, it’s shy and makes excuses. It calls in sick. It thinks it’s doing the rest of you good by not getting involved. 

If you hold space for it, slowly but surely your creative self will learn that it serves the other selves, and makes their existence better too. It just takes time.