Creativity Rehab! Part 3: Honesty

A Guide To Recovering Your Creative Soul Through Life’s Simple, Guiding Principles

Have you ever thought you were being honest with yourself, only to realize you’d been living in complete and utter denial? Sometimes, it takes the candid perspective of a best friend to point it out when we’re living in dreamland (“hey, the guy you’re dating is BAD news”), or input from a financial advisor, (“I’m sorry, but according to these numbers, you aren’t going to be able to retire next year”). Waking up to our truth requires pulling the covers off of our Selves, and taking a deep dive into a brutally honest, personal assessment. Usually, these “getting real” sessions revolve around relationships, finances, jobs, or our physical and spiritual health. But what happens when we’re stuck creatively? How can getting Honest about our Creative lives help us push through to the next level or (in some cases) thoughtfully move on from a project?

This Creativity Rehab! series is for anyone struggling with finding their true creative purpose, or needing help re-igniting their creative passion. Whether you’re deciding on whether to start a new project, or are stalled in the middle of one, Creativity Rehab! gives you a new approach to unlocking your creativity by applying simple spiritual principles to your creative endeavors. The principles I outline in the series are my own, and are based on the 12 spiritual principles of recovery. Over the last two weeks, we’ve looked at Willingness and Hope. Today, we’ll dive into Honesty. Let’s get started.

Definition of honesty:

1a: adherence to the facts : SINCERITY doubted the honesty of the witness

b.: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct calling for honesty in politics

At conference tables around the globe, executives use the SWOT method (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to analyze whether or not to move an initiative, program or project forward. It provides a solid framework to hang the project on while looking at it objectively from all angles. We can use a form of SWOT on our creative endeavors, too; it can help us to stay honest in our observations. Get out your good-old-fashioned pen and paper and start creating your lists. Some like to do this type of analysis on a four-square grid, with Strengths and Opportunities taking up the top two squares, and Weaknesses and Threats in the bottom two squares. The following prompts will get you started:

Strengths: Ask yourself what you do well, and what others might say you do well. What unique traits or talents do you have? You have amazing talent and gifts that belong to you, and only you. Get them down in black-and-white and own them. Claim them.

Weaknesses Identify areas you feel need improvement. Do you lack motivation? Are financial resources a barrier? What about confidence? Are you consistently berating yourself, telling yourself you aren’t good enough or worthy enough? Do you lack the creative space you need to fully come alive? Do you have a hard time committing to a project, or making time to get it done? Opportunities? Ask yourself what types of opportunities might present themselves if you were to smash through your creativity block. Can you see yourself competing in an art show? Do you have the opportunity to showcase or sell your work online or in local galleries? Do you have the opportunity to be of service or teach others? Threats?

Are there people who don’t support you in your endeavors, and threaten your ability to live your best creative self? Do you feel guilty working on your projects instead of spending time with friends or family? What about finances? Does working on your projects take away from your ability to be economically stable? Are you threatened by the perceived strengths and abilities of other creative types? Is your self-esteem a threat to your ability to move forward? It’s easy to get stuck when doing a SWOT analysis on ourselves. Try the following questions to help you dive deeper:

• Why do I really want to do this? What are my motives… do I have a hidden agenda or are my intentions pure?

• Is this project really important to me… or am I doing it because someone else think’s it’s a great idea?

• Is this project as important to me as it used to be? Have my priorities and interests changed?

• What need is this filling?

• Am I trying to prove something to myself? To Others?

• What do I have to gain… emotionally, mentally, physically, monetarily or spiritually?

• What do I have to lose?

• How do I feel when I’m in the process of this activity? Joyful…stressed…panicked…free?

• How do I think I’ll feel when I’m done? Accomplished…relieved…happy…disappointed?

• Is this pursuit healthy? For my body, my mind, my soul?

I’d love to hear how your creative pursuits are going, and if you find Creativity Rehab! useful to your process. Dash me an email at alipat6@gmail.com. Stay tuned for next week’s column, where we’ll explore Courage. Have a great week!