When we are stuck, it’s easy to become consumed with getting unstuck. But maybe that’s not the right way to go about getting unstuck. “If we stay where we are, where we’re stuck, where we’re comfortable and safe, we die there….When nothing new can get in, that’s death. When oxygen can’t find a way in,you…
creative process
What To Do When You Get The “Mean Reds”
The mean reds can rob us of our calm and creativity. “To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one’s self.” ~ Søren Kierkegaard “The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid, and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?” ~ Truman Capote‘s character,Holly Golightly, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s My client,…
Being An Outsider To Your Creativity
Being cut off from your creativity can feel like you’re an outsider in your own body. “If you’ve ever had that feeling of loneliness, of being an outsider, it never quite leaves you. You can be happy or successful or whatever, but that thing still stays within you.” ~ Tim Burton I grew up in Highlands,…
The Tyranny of Perfectionism
If you’re feeling stuck in your work, it could be the tyranny of perfectionism. “Nothing can be beautiful that does not take a calculated risk with ugliness.” ~ Alain de Botton “I can’t do it,” my client, Carrie said. “I mean I literally cannot even get started. The woman who routinely cranks out all kinds of…
The Anxiety of Change
Transformation can lead to the anxiety of change, even if the changes are inherently good. “Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.Nothing is that important.” ~ Natalie Goldberg My client, Trey, and I took advantage of a bright, unseasonably cool, summer day recently and decided to have our coaching session on foot….
Judgment and Journals
Judgment is the enemy of creativity. How do we manage judgment to let creativity flourish? “To keep a journal is to learn how to play. Deeply. Even when a page is recording hard, impossible things, if judgment is suspended, there’s always a surprise or shift. Connections made over time suddenly link, opening and transforming.” ~ Alexandra Johnson…
