The Idea of the Week
In a 35-minute video, Dr. K from HealthyGamerGG breaks down a case study from his community to unravel Why You Can’t Turn Your Creativity Into ANYTHING.
When you engage with your creativity, are you trying to replicate this formula:
Explosion of Creativity + Discipline – Impatience or Frustration
= Success to Creativity.
You may view the explosion of creativity as the good part and your impatience or frustration with follow through as the problem. So if you develop discipline alongside your explosion of creativity, you lose the impatience and find your way to success.
However, Dr. K notes that the explosion of creativity is also part of the problem. When we get an explosion of creativity and we act on it, we are giving into an impulse, even though it’s a “good impulse.” So when the impulse of “I don’t want to do this anymore, let me take a break” comes, we act on that impulse, too.
But, what if you have the skill already? You know how to write stories, or draw, or play piano, but you struggle to engage in it even when you know it’s your passion. In another 15-minute video, Dr. K breaks down this case: when we throw our all into a craft and aim for to be that success story, we find that we paralyze ourselves and struggle to create. We are paralyzed because “what if I give it my all and it’s enough?” But, this fear can become our liberation, so check out the video to find out how Dr. K weaves this fear into a liberation to start creating your art.
❝Paradoxically, the more we invest into something
—the more we view ourselves as an author,
—the more we strive for success in writing,
the harder it becomes to write.❞
Dr. K from HealthyGamerGG
The Practice of the Week
Problem 1: We have creative bursts of energy that fizzle out.
- Develop discipline. Discipline is always a good skill to have in your repertoire. Here is an 8-minute article on How to Be More Disciplined.
- Train your impulsivity. Use any meditation technique, and when you meditate, recognize that the reason you are meditating is to level up your willpower. Impulses take willpower to restrain; the more we engage in impulses, the stronger that the connection is made to act on impulse, and thus the more willpower it will take to restrain the impulse.
- Slow down the process. It may seem counterintuitive to slow down when you have bursts of creativity. But, notice that when you act on the impulse to start the creative project when you have the burst of creativity, you spend a lot of time in a short time span using up that energy that you lose the energy and momentum before you’ve made it a habit. So instead, slow it down and space out your creative energy to last into habit formation. Here is a 6-minute article on How to Build New Habits.
Problem 2: We have the skill, but we are paralyzed and struggle to create anything.
- Recognize that you cannot be a successful artist. The idea of “being a successful artist” comes from the ego and focuses on the “being successful” (which is not in our control) rather than doing the writing (which is in our control).
- Engage in art for yourself—connect it to your values, and dig into why you want to create. If you focus on creating so you can be successful, you focus on the outcome (which is not in our control) rather than the action of creating (which is in our control).
- Focus on action, not identity. Acknowledge what you can and cannot control: you can not control whether you are successful or not, but you can control whether you create or do not create.
- Separate from the ego. Comparisons are consequences from the ego; for example, “this person is more successful than I am,” or “they make better cookies than me,” or “I am more organized than they are.” All comparisons require a sense of identity, and in our case with struggling to create, we are attaching our identity to “being a successful artist.” The more we invest into this identity, the more we are paralyzed, because if we fail, then what are we? Probably, no longer “a successful artist.” The paralysis and struggle to write protects the ego.
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News of the Week
Paint & Process
Young Adult Support Group
for Ages 18-24
Art-making is often therapeutic and a wonderful way to relax and process the events going on in your life. Join Melissa, LCAT, LMHC, and Kayla, MHC-LP, for this young adult support group and chat while you create art.
Meg Tobin, LMHC is now an End of Life Doula!
End-of-life doulas provide emotional and physical support, education about the dying process, preparation for what’s to come, and guidance while grieving. Though Meg is not doing traditional doula work, she will work with end-of-life clients and their families utilizing ketamine.
DID YOU KNOW?
OVS may be able to help if you have unreimbursed crime-related expenses, such as medical bills, counseling costs, and funeral expenses, or assist with loss of earnings or support. They can help pay for therapy for crime victims, including Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy!
Another Upcoming Retreat
Unlocking Your Mind:
A Journey to Self-Discovery
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Retreat
Two Ketamine Journeys—lots of deep dives into experiential therapy incorporating meditation, writing, art making, yoga, and other body-centered modalities. Step away from the stressors of daily life and fully immerse yourself in the therapeutic process. We will use Ketamine and experiential therapy to break through the stuck places to find more freedom, pace, and motivation!
Zoom Preparation Session: Thursday, January 25th from 6-8 pm.
In-person: Thursday, February 1st from 4-9 pm.
In-person: Friday, February 2nd from 8:30 am-8 pm.
In-person: Saturday, February 3rd from 9 am-5 pm.
In-person: Sunday, February 4th from 8am to 9am.
Zoom Integration Session: Thursday, February 8th from 6-8 pm.
You may be able to finance the retreat. Use the QR Code below to see if you prequalify!
Are you ready to elevate your team’s well-being?
Breathing Space Psychotherapy can offer your company a partnership to provide personalized support for every member of your company. Our counseling team offers confidential and expert guidance to help navigate both personal and professional challenges.
Are you ready? Contact Jackie at [email protected] to explore tailored solutions for your team. Together, we’ll create a support contract that reflects our commitment to a healthier, more resilient, and thriving workplace.
The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
