We all can think back to messages received from either teachers, parents, or friends when we tried our best to put a pencil or pen to paper and get our creative juices flowing. I remember being in 3rd grade and having the ability to copy a very detailed picture of the inner ear. I seemed to be able to proportionately copy the image of the ear in my textbook onto a larger piece of paper for a school project. I remember vividly coming home and my mother saying “I can’t believe you drew that free-hand without tracing?” I remember kind of laughing as if it really wasn’t a big deal. I guess I assumed that everyone could do that, but to my mother, it was a huge deal. In fact, she told me I had my “aunt Barbara’s gift of art” and then made a point to share my drawing of the inner ear with many family members.
It Could Have Gone a Different Way
I tell you this story because this situation and the message I told myself about creativity could have gone a different way. If my mother had been critical of this drawing, I could have just easily told myself “you stink at drawing and don’t ever take that risk again.” In fact, I often hear clients telling me similar events that got burned forever into their memory where they were criticized by a teacher or told they weren’t good enough at something that was subjective in nature.
Have You Stopped Taking Risks?
If this sounds familiar to you, take a moment to recall the event that may have changed your perception about whether or not you were good at something or not. Think about how that message may have completely changed the trajectory of your belief in yourself. Did you stop taking risks? Did you retreat and get small? Do you fear offering up creative ideas when in a group of people? Do you fear comparison and criticism from others? If you’re nodding your head in agreement with any of these, it’s quite possible that you’ve been operating out of fear of comparison, which may have a huge impact on your joy and ability to let go and feel free to be your authentic self.
In reality, you are not alone. So many of us carry negative beliefs that keep us from living to our full potential. While lack of creativity might not be the thing that alerts you to the fact you might benefit from therapy, I can tell you that fear of comparison and the inability to be free to create can have a huge impact on dissatisfaction with life. When we live in a place of comparison, fearing to express our true self and embrace our creative side (which we all have in some form or another), then we lose our ability to experience happiness. It’s time to stop robbing ourselves of fun, and start creating, even if it’s for your eyes only!