“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts the moment you get up and doesn’t stop until you get into the office.” – Robert Frost. This is so true for so many people, you have loads of ideas in your head and the second you go to write them down- gone. Did you know this could be due to habits you don’t even realise you’re doing? Below is a list of creativity killing habits. Learn how to recognize and avoid them!
"I'm an Expert"
How many times have you heard this in your field?! In my opinion, no one is ever an expert, there is always something new you can learn. Being told what to do or write by an ‘expert’ and religiously following their advice will always put a dampener on your own creativity.
The same goes for if you believe that you yourself are an expert and refuse to be taught anything new. Once you are in that mindset your creative juices will be killed. Always keep an open mind when it comes to getting a piece of advice, and by all means- consider the advice you are given, but add your own pzazz!
Fear of Failure
This is a common trait for a lot of, if not all, people. You are never good enough at something that you don’t fear failure. Always take chances, sometimes you will fail and sometimes you will massively succeed. The good times will always outweigh the bad.
No one wants to make mistakes or fail, but if you try too hard to avoid failure, you’ll also avoid success. Try meditating or listening to soothing music before doing anything you’re worried about, this will clear your mind and hopefully put you forward for succeeding.
Keep it Neat!?
It has been said that the messier you are, the more creative you are…Now isn’t that the truth! Trying to keep your rough pieces neat and organised will only lead to more stress that you don’t need. I like to call my pieces ‘an organised mess‘, it might look chaotic to everyone else, but I know exactly where everything is- and when I am ready I bring it all together and then make it beautiful.
No one but you are going to see the rough copies, so try not to worry about messy writing, keeping your notes in check and making it aesthetically pleasing- just let the creativity roll.
Analysis Paralysis
This condition is used to describe someone who sits and overthinks things that don’t need overthinking. This causes any decision making and forward-thinking to become ‘paralysed’. A lot of writers do this, wondering if their piece is good enough, or if they themselves are good enough. If you could have done something better or used a different word…
This is actually one of the biggest creativity killers and it is so hard to overcome. The first step in overcoming paralysis by analysis is to differentiate between big decisions and small ones, don’t sweat the little stuff. Meditation is also great for this stifle!
Limiting Choices
Creativity is all about thinking outside the box, not the norm. Limiting choices on what words, pictures, subjects you use will obviously put a stop to your ideas. When you start with a piece give yourself several different choices to choose from, step by step lose one- do this process until you are left with one or two to write about. Remember to keep the other ideas locked away for later use though. Premature judgment of choices stops creativity in its tracks…Never limit yourself!
Being creative can be hard work, no one really understands unless they also use creativity in their work. Breaking the habits above will help you on your way to let yourself shine.
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