Motivational Monday: The Creative Life

My goal with Motivational Monday posts is to encourage myself as much as others, especially since I thought it might be helpful to start a long work week with what little bit of enthusiasm we can muster to keep us going.

Today's little piece of inspiration spoke to me because I have creative goals and aspirations in my life - namely creative writing and collage art (and I hope to try my hand at book binding soon). I've found that when I set out to complete a project, I have a specific stumbling block, and I often wonder if anyone else has the same problem - analysis paralysis. Like most women (so research says), I am an overthinker. 

"...Overthinking has actually been shown to impair problem solving and rational thought, and interfere with initiative and motivation." (via Refocuser.com)

However, I only overthink certain things. Oddly, in some areas of my life, I am very spur of the moment, but when it comes to creative pursuits, analysis paralysis somehow takes over. And, as we know, overthinking is rooted in fear - fear of making the wrong decision. Compounding this fear is the bad habit of comparison.

When I wrote my first story, I was a kid who scribbled the story, complete with colorful illustrations, on notebook paper and stapled it together to make a book - and I was proud of myself. Somewhere along the line, many of us lose that self-confidence as adults, and begin to question our abilities. As I grew older, I continued to write, but I also read other authors and negative thoughts like, "I don't have enough life experience to be taken seriously as a writer," and "I'm not good enough" took root in my mind.

By the same token, I was happily moving along with my collages, until I began browsing collage art by other artists. As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. I saw collages and methods I felt were better. I also realized that I harbor the fear that one of my ideas will be too similar to someone else's. The next thing you know, I'm wasting time watching videos or reading tutorials on collage art methods while unfinished projects languish on my desk.

I now realize that when I go back and read something I wrote on a whim, the writing is better, and I feel that my best collages were those I threw together quickly - without any forethought. To put it plainly, my best work happens when I don't care what anyone, including myself, thinks of the end product. My best work happens when I don't agonize over methods and materials, or if it measures up to pre-existing pieces by other artists. Our best work happens when we operate without fear. My goal is to get back to that place of confidence in my own creations.