Burning Your Uncertainty
Transforming fear through alchemy
I believe that everyone is creative. It’s just that each person expresses their creativity differently. Look no further than a feed of your friends on social media for examples of this. Some people express themselves through travel, some through footage of themselves mountain biking, and others through the display of their recently prepared meals or children.
But what sets you apart from people who express themselves through fairly generic activities is that you did the work to go places that not many people are willing to go. This is your Most Creative Work in action. Deep in the belly of the unknown, you will get in there and see what you can find.
I can’t give percentages on this but I am aware that a fairly low percentage of people take up artistry and entrepreneurship, even as a side hustle. It’s just far easier to do anything but these projects.
So level one is you’re willing to expose yourself. You’re willing to take one for the team of humanity. This is the amateur, which is a word that refers to doing it for the love of it as Austin Kleon reminds us in Show Your Work.
Level two is what Steven Pressfield coined, “Turning Pro”. You don’t necessarily have to earn a living from your work at this stage, but you treat your commitment to it differently than in level one.
I think Turning Pro is a lifelong pursuit from my first-hand experience. You will know you’ve turned pro when you don’t need to be “in the mood” in order to sit down to work. Or better yet, if you’re not in the mood you know that simply starting the work will get you into some sort of mood, enough to keep the ball in play.
How to Transform Fear
There is a pain that hovers over the creative person. It can be dreadful to do things and not know if anyone will like them or if they’ll work out. Alchemy is the process of burning that pain into something useful.
Before you sit down to work, be aware of the pain that is trying to hit you, and then start to cook it on the stovetop of your mind. It might be helpful to try to feel where exactly that pain shows up in the body. It’s usually in the throat, chest or belly.
At the end of the day, the way you spend your time is a statement in itself. You don’t need to become an activist or a pop artist to make a statement.
The way you allocate your time is the statement that you make.
My next workshop is going to address the topic of Staying in the Flow of your projects. How to get unstuck if that’s where you’re at, and how to stay unstuck as much as possible while you move through the trail.
It’s taking place on Thursday, August 10th at 7pm EST, and will cost $43 CAD.
Registration will open up soon and i’ll send it out in a separate email.
Thank you, please do your best to keep the momentum going with your Most Creative Work.