My fears are most powerful when theyre simmering just under the surface of my awareness. Im resistant to a new idea, Im defensive about holding on to my old ways, I feel excited and panicked at the same time these are sure-fire signs that theres some fear under there. Shining a spotlight on my fear has been the best (and only) way to get to the other side of it. "Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love" - Ranier Maria Rilke My fear is there for a good reason to protect me. If I can have compassion for my fear, and understand what its looking for, Ill be more ready to let it go. Ive been thinking about how fear and creativity often go hand in hand. As creative artists, what is our fear looking for? What does it think its protecting us from? In exploring these questions I decided to brush up on Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow suggested that all human beings have the same basic needs, and that we spend our lives striving to meet them. His famous hierarchy of needs explains that at the basest level we need protection from the elements, food, water and other physiological needs. Then, we need to feel safety and security within our family, our home and in our place in the world around us. We need to feel that we fit in and understand where we fit in and how everything works. Next, we need to feel love and belonging - that we're accepted and appreciated. We need to feel competent and masterful and that we're being recognized for our talents. Finally, when all of those needs are met, we strive for the "top" level, "Self-Actualization" - to really live up to our highest potential, to feel a oneness with God, the universe and all of our fellow travelers on this Earth. For some of us, long after the needs HAVE been met, we still fear losing them and having to meet them all over again. Maybe thats why creating our art can evoke so much fear. Creativity is a direct form of self-actualization. When youre feeling fear about putting your creative ideas into motion, which of Maslows needs are you concerned about meeting or losing? * If I commit fully to my art then I wont be able to support myself financially I could lose everything and be penniless and homeless * If I put my creations out into the world, people may not like them that means they wont like me, they may laugh at me, I wont fit in * If no one likes my work, I wont fit in. No one loves, understands or knows me. Im not fulfilling a need in the world no one needs me. Im not serving a purpose. * If I try to create, I could make a mistake. Ill feel stupid and no one will like me. To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. - Joseph Chilton Pearce * If I go another year without trying to get my creative projects off the ground, I may never break free of my limitations, and I may live the rest of my life with unrealized potential. I may die with my creativity still inside of me. Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully. - Frances Moore Lappe Have I missed any? Probably. Of course each of us have our own unique fears and these are more universal ones that relate to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and to our creative hopes and dreams. A well-known acronym for fear is: FEAR = False evidence appearing real In other words, even though what we're fearful of seems very real to us, it's usually something we've made up in our heads, as opposed to something we're facing in physical form. Studies on the stress hormone cortisol show that our bodies react to our thoughts regardless of what is actually in front of us. Our fears feel VERY real. Andtheyre not. SARK, author of Make Your Creative Dreams Real suggests you to try this acronym on instead: Fill yourself up creatively Julia Cameron advocates something similar with her Artistss Date assignment in The Artists Way. What sparks your creativity? A long drive in the country? Making a vegetable soup? Meditation? Prayer? Explore what stops you looking at your own unique methods of self-sabotage is a cornerstone of the Everyday Self-Care Workbook (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/esc-workbook.html), and of my upcoming book just for creative artists. Accelerate movement Do something, anything, to combat the inertia of staying still. SARK advocates micro movements that take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes to complete. Those micro movements are the building blocks for our creative dreams and most importantly, get us moving!! Repeat luckily for us, this process continues as long as were up for it! Courage is fear that has said its prayers. - Dorothy Bernard (c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services. |
