I’ve dabbled on a book for three years now and still haven’t finished. I finish copywriting projects for clients every day, why can’t I finish this one thing for myself? I think I’m afraid to fail.
Writing marketing copy (my day job) is impersonal, but writing a book is like opening the door to your soul and letting everyone peek in and take a look around. (I think mine would look a little like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, the Gene Wilder version.) What if people hate what they see? What if they love what they see and I can’t follow up with more and I become a one-hit wonder on VH-1? I know, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One fear of failure scenario at a time.
I call it creative dissonance. I want to write but I’m afraid of what may happen when I do. Creativity coach Dr Eric Maisel calls it fear of making a mess, and that’s a great analogy. We teach our kids to color inside the lines, don’t spill your milk, pick up your room. Everything is expected to be neat, tidy, orderly. That’s fine for your room or your clothes, but creativity doesn’t work that way. It’s a messy business, creativity. There are papers, paints, oils, brushes, clay, dust and all the other creative tools, but factor in all the emotions involved and you’ve got a big mess.
It’s not writer’s block. Instead, I find distractions to Continue reading ‘Avoiding your creative work? 3 tips to get back on track’
Want to be more creative? Be a failure!
Published July 14, 2010 Business , Creative Families , Creative Life , Creative Parenting , Creativity Coaching , Kids , Social Commentary , Work Life 3 CommentsTags: afraid to write, business creativity, corporate creativity, creativity management, Dyson Vacuum Cleaners, Fast Company, fear of failure, imagination, innovation, James Dyson, writer's block
I am telling you this because taking chances–in your creative work, in your life, in business–is a tricky business, unless you are eight years old and don’t realize that no one has a pet cantaloupe or you have heaps of self-esteem and could give a hoot what people think of you. Since the only eight-year-old who reads–ok, glances at–my blog is my daughter, I’m guessing you are somewhere in between that rock and hard place.
Think about it: when was the last time you did something silly, something really out there, without needing 5-10 adult beverages first? No one likes to say, “I failed,” or
Continue reading ‘Want to be more creative? Be a failure!’