Contents
Crises happen to creative people: the writer cannot squeeze a single line out of himself for the second week, the artist sits for hours in front of an empty canvas, and the architect cannot decide what the plan of the second floor will be. Social psychologist Susan Perry talks about how to start working productively.
The inner critic holds back creative energy. He is trying to convince you that nothing will work out and that what you are doing is of no use to anyone. He repeats: “You do not want to notice the obvious? You’ve already wasted ten years of your life on one book. Are you really ready to repeat this story? Why try? You know you don’t have talent.”
This voice is unfair. He forgot the excitement I felt when I learned that my book had been at the top of the Southern California bestseller list for four weeks.
You may have experienced similar resistance from the inner critic. Sometimes he convinces a person to do what he should not do. I remember one client I tried to teach to write. His lyrics were too intellectual and ornate. Sometimes I lost the thread of the story.
Make a list of inspirational sayings about failure, perseverance and patience and refer to it in difficult moments.
I probably should have been more gentle and positive, because the client did not tolerate any criticism. He began to get angry and said that he would completely stop writing. It seems to me that in that case, the inner critic was fighting with the real. The inner critic was able to convince this person that it is impossible to write simply and clearly, otherwise others will not appreciate his talent.
Daniel Kriza in Your Inner Critic is a Big Idiot. The Truth About Creativity offers five strategies for sustaining creative energy.
1. Don’t Buy Expensive Paper and Notebooks for Work
It’s not easy to start a project when the paper is too beautiful to afford corrections.
2. Make a list of the habits of the person you admire
Many people envy someone else’s success, especially if a person has managed to do something that we ourselves did not dare to do or that we tried to do but failed. Try to benefit from this envy mixed with admiration. Find out as much as you can about the person you envy and make a list of their habits. Does he do morning exercises? Write it down. Does he work two hours and take a break even if he doesn’t feel like it? Add this feature to the list. Try to acquire at least some of the habits of this favorite of fortune. This way you will better understand how a successful person lives, and get a little closer to your own success.
3. Failure is only temporary
Mistakes happen in everyone’s life. However, they should not have too much influence on later life. Make a list of inspirational quotes about failure, perseverance, and patience, and refer to it when times are tough.
4. Learn more about the flow state
Learn to recognize and predict the state when you give yourself entirely to creativity, not paying attention to extraneous thoughts and sounds. Practice invoking this state when you need to get to work. The next time you reach a dead end, force yourself to believe that inspiration is waiting for you, and then a miracle will happen.
5. Befriend your inner critic
If he sometimes warns you against wrong decisions or dangerous actions, you should not refuse such a friend. Despite the fact that your opinions most often do not coincide, you and him have common goals.
About the Developer
Susan Perry – social psychologist, author of “Writing in Flow”, Writer’s Digest Books, 1999.