Creative Genius

I have been feeling creatively drained for the past month.  Just didn’t have any motivation to work on creative projects or have any new ideas.  Instead, I’ve been spending my non- clinical hours working on administrative task and duties (that I find to be very boring and tedious). I really need to make a shirt that says "it isn’t all yoga, therapy, and blog posts". Just the simple fact, I’m writing this post tells me that I am coming out of this creative funk that I’ve been in.  Which is exciting and feels way more comfortable then the latter. I have been giving it some serious thought though, why the creative burn-out? To answer that one, I must refer to the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
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In the book, Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert refers to creativity through the lens of Roman mythology.  That creativity is basically a house elf that comes and goes helping you out along the way. The Roman’s called creativity “genius” and sometimes you had your “genius” and sometimes you didn’t.  I love this idea, because it really paints this image that you “genius” is an old friend who comes for a visit and may stay for a time but eventually will leave only to return again.
 
I don’t know about you, but I find it helpful to frame my creativity as a genius instead of me having a genius idea. When I first read this chapter in Big Magic, referring to creativity as “your genius” not a person being a genius it just filled and lifted me up. What a different and unique way of looking at it.  That simple reframe has allowed me self-compassion and gentleness the last month when frankly my genius was out to lunch or something. Letting me remove any unnecessary pressure of having to be creative all the time or perhaps productive all the time.

Social Media can be a wonderful way of connecting but sometimes when looking at creativity through this lens only it can really feel like everyone else is being creative and productive all the time.  That I somehow don’t measure up because I haven’t been producing content or having “genius” ideas. Wow, talk about compare and despair.  That feels awful, compare yourself to the ideas reflected in a screen and viewing creativity=productivity. I found myself doing that early last month when I realized I had no desire to write a blog post or produce any content. I feel down the rabbit hole hard.  Then I remembered Big Magic. Who says that all creativity must translate to productivity?  Sure, it absolutely can but why does it have to? Could it simply be that a person creates just for the sake of creating?  The answer is YES!

Elizabeth Gilbert writes that everyone is a creative and that creativity isn’t meant to only bring us money but that it is meant to give us joy.  That we are being creative when we garden, cook a meal, sew, write, or any other way you create something.   Creativity is about creating, and it doesn’t have to be anything that others will see and praise.  Talk about a totally different lens than social media where it usually is all about creating for others to see.

While reflecting on the past month, I realized that I have been focusing any creativity towards work. Which if I am being honest I don’t love that I was doing that.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my work and I love that I get to show up in amazing ways for others, but I do need another creative outlet than just work. Work can’t be the only place that creativity flows. That perhaps “my genius” had to leave so I could fall a little bit down a compare and despair rabbit hole and realize dang, creativity can’t only be about work and producing content.

Creating simple for the sake of creating because it brings you joy?  Now that sounds a lot like self-care to me.  It dawned on me that my self-care game hasn’t been were I need it to be.  That “my genius” couldn’t stay around if I only demanded from her creativity that would assist my work.  She had to go for that extended lunch because well she was tired of throwing me ideas that I passed up because “I don’t have time for that”.  Yep, I had fallen into a trap of I’m too busy.  Not good, not good at all. 

So, I here I am writing this post because well once I got what my “genius” was trying to tell me she came back.  She came back with an idea for this post, for my website, for a workshop, and I’m going make time for those ideas not at all related to any kind of business.  I used to write poetry, often. I used to play the piano. I used to act. I used to write short stories.  I used to scrapbook.  I used to craft. I used to do a lot of creating.  Frankly, it seems like no better time than the present to create something, anything, it doesn’t matter what it is we all just must start somewhere.