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Creativity is simply the act of creating something that is uniquely us.
Honest. Without pretence. Original.
To realize this, we need to release one of the biggest obstacles of creativity and that is fear.
Fear of letting go. Fear of being exposed. Fear of making mistakes.
Fear of taking risks. Fear of not being good enough.
Very young children don't yet have these fears and so enjoy being creative all the time.
As we got older, outside forces; family, school and society offered us little encouragement to express ourselves and find our true voice.
Most likely we were reminded "not to colour outside the lines".
Class projects had every student making pretty much the same thing. Following instructions, not spontaneous self-expression was taught.
As a result, many of us grew into adults full of fear when faced with expressing our creativity.
Demanding perfection is another fear block to creativity.
While striving for perfection is a good idea, demanding perfection can be the nemesis of creativity. The anxiety and non-accepting attitude of perfectionism can stop creativity dead in its tracks.
Demanding perfection is a form of control and surrendering control of outcome is key to discovering new creative expressions.
To dispel these fears it helps to find things we love to do, which give us joy, something that is uniquely our expression.
Most important of all, is not to judge what we've done....at least until we're finished!
Copyright 2004.
Penn George. owner & publisher of www.womenscreativity.com
All Rights Reserved.
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