Regaining Creativity
The question was never whether you're creative. It's how much anyone encouraged it.
I work with a lot of artists — painters, musicians, writers, people who make things and people who used to. What brings them in is rarely a lack of talent. It's that something has gone quiet.
It shows up in different ways. Some people can't start; some finish things and never show anyone. Some stopped years ago and have never quite been able to explain why.
When you're struggling, life narrows. Fewer feelings are available, fewer possibilities seem real, and the part of you that makes things is usually the first to go underground — it needs more room than the rest of you does.
If your creativity feels shut down, it's worth considering that something shut it down. Often it started early: someone who made it clear this wasn't a serious thing to want, or who praised the results so much that the making itself became dangerous. Whatever it was, it's usually still operating, and it usually isn't conscious.
Psychodynamic work is well suited to this because it doesn't stay on the surface. Your dreams, your imagination, the things you find yourself thinking about when you're not trying to — all of it is material, and none of it has to be useful to be worth attention.
What we're after isn't productivity. It's getting back the range: more of what you can feel, more of what you can imagine, and less standing between you and the work.
One of the experiences I value the most is when I feel I have encountered genuine art (in any form). I am grateful for artists who contribute meaningfully to our efforts to know ourselves better. A recent example I found quite powerful and engaging was the film Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier. Have you seen it?
A short film I also love, The Tables, does a wonderful job of showing us the value of coming together and connecting. Check it out.
If this sounds like where you are, I offer a free [15-minute] consultation call. You can leave me a confidential voicemail at 805-307-7066.
I work with a lot of artists — painters, musicians, writers, people who make things and people who used to. What brings them in is rarely a lack of talent. It's that something has gone quiet.
It shows up in different ways. Some people can't start; some finish things and never show anyone. Some stopped years ago and have never quite been able to explain why.
When you're struggling, life narrows. Fewer feelings are available, fewer possibilities seem real, and the part of you that makes things is usually the first to go underground — it needs more room than the rest of you does.
If your creativity feels shut down, it's worth considering that something shut it down. Often it started early: someone who made it clear this wasn't a serious thing to want, or who praised the results so much that the making itself became dangerous. Whatever it was, it's usually still operating, and it usually isn't conscious.
Psychodynamic work is well suited to this because it doesn't stay on the surface. Your dreams, your imagination, the things you find yourself thinking about when you're not trying to — all of it is material, and none of it has to be useful to be worth attention.
What we're after isn't productivity. It's getting back the range: more of what you can feel, more of what you can imagine, and less standing between you and the work.
One of the experiences I value the most is when I feel I have encountered genuine art (in any form). I am grateful for artists who contribute meaningfully to our efforts to know ourselves better. A recent example I found quite powerful and engaging was the film Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier. Have you seen it?
A short film I also love, The Tables, does a wonderful job of showing us the value of coming together and connecting. Check it out.
If this sounds like where you are, I offer a free [15-minute] consultation call. You can leave me a confidential voicemail at 805-307-7066.
