Ask a 5 yr. old to paint you a picture and he will. With enthusiasm. Fast forward a few years and ask that now 12 yr old to paint you a picture and he'll shrug you off and say he's not an artist. What has happened in the intervening years to dampen his enthusiasm and change his perception? Maybe he was given a coloring book and praised for staying in the lines. Maybe his schedule was so full with more important pursuits there was no time to doodle or draw. Maybe his artistic expressions were criticized and not encouraged.
We are all creative although we will not all be great artists. Creativity needs freedom to flourish. Fear kills it. Give yourself permission to play. Sit down with a pad of paper and a fresh box of crayons. Don't worry that you can't draw. Stop the inner critic. Embrace the 5 yr old you once were and recapture that earlier joy.
This is exactly my struggle. Erasing years of negative feelings and just letting myself feel the pleasure of the act of creating itself. The "how" and "why" and "what is it for" all need to take a back seat. The "I'm not good enough" needs to take a hike.
ReplyDeleteThis is so encouraging.