Why your creative process sets you apart
The creative process is a personal journey, as much about your self-worth, confidence, and beliefs, as it is about the craft and skills you have. Your creative process is also what sets you apart in your creative business.
Every client I’ve worked with has had their own personal challenges with the process of doing creative work. They are all brilliant, trained, educated, and experienced, with huge hearts and big dreams. They all have inner drive and motivation and they work hard, so why is it they stumble in their process to the extent they get stuck?
On paper, it looks like plain sailing. But a degree or piece of paper doesn’t guarantee emotional well-being, and it doesn’t protect you from feelings of not being good enough or comparing yourself to others in a way that derails you.
Whatever creative work you do, creating is a constant process of dealing with insecurities. Your brain wants to protect you from failure, and your amygdala thinks creating something new is dangerous. That part of your brain is obviously not where reason is located, but where fear is, and it reacts with a fight, flight, or freeze reaction.
“It’s not just about creativity, it’s about the person you’re becoming while you’re creating.”
Why your creative process is what sets you apart
Your personal creative process is where you set yourself apart because it’s your own, and you can build it, design it, use it, and create it, how you want. You can decide how you want to show up to yourself, where you want to work, what tools to use, how your desk looks, and so on. You have a lot of say in how your working process is.
For example, do you work with your phone next to you and allow yourself getting distracted every few minutes, or do you work in a deep focus 20 minutes at a time?
I have to be really mindful of my impulse to be distracted, especially when I’m writing a blog post like this one.
When your personal creating process becomes your superpower is when you know how to work in a way that keeps you moving forward with awareness and intention, and with your bigger “why” and joy as driving forces.
That’s not to say it’s easy to create. It isn’t.
But I think you’re really doing yourself a favor by creating a working process with thought and intention, and in a way that suits your personality, energy level, and life situation.
The fastest way to get stuck is if you listen to what other people say, is the way to work and be “productive”.
How to create a personal creating process that becomes your superpower
The first step is to get really honest with yourself about your answers. The whole point here is that you can’t find the answers in someone else.
Maybe consider some of these questions:
When is your energy level high and when is it low?
Knowing yourself and how you work best can be such a game-changer. I know I’m fresh in the morning and at my most creative, with my energy diving in the afternoon. My evenings are for light work, consuming, and not doing something where I have to be “on”. Knowing this means I have to be careful about what I do in the mornings to utilize this energy.How much of your day can you use to create and how much time are you spending scrolling, watching TV, and pottering about?
You might hate me, but I bet you can find half an hour in your day that you can dedicate to your art or interest. My aim is to create more than I consume on a daily basis. Not quite there yet ;)What is your intention with your work and why is it important to you?
Knowing your bigger why can be a really powerful motivator when you’ve lost your mojo. Take a step back and remember the bigger picture. You’re building a body of work, so taking a break or skipping a few days won’t matter in the big scheme of things. I know the feeling of getting so wrapped up in the little details that I get totally stressed out over something that doesn’t matter in the long run.
What are your non-negotiables?
If you feel a little overwhelmed, think about what 2 non-negotiables are. What are 2 things that feed your soul and creativity in your daily process that you will not give up?
For me that’s self-kindness. I know self-kindness makes me feel better, makes me more creative and inspired, it makes me a better Katja, a better wifey, and a better mom. That’s not to say I’ve got self-kindness down and don’t ever feel self-critical or unsure of myself. I do, all the time, but self-kindness, as a practice in my creating process, is non-negotiable. And I know beating myself up only keeps me stuck and feeling crap.
Another non-negotiable for me, when I sit down to create, is to feel comfortable. This can be wearing my Birkenstock, tidying my desk a little, or whatever I need at that moment.
So, what are your non-negotiables when it comes to your creating process?
Is it a favorite pen, a cup of tea, a clean desk, a candle, or a ritual that puts you in the right state of mind for doing your work?
Your process vs. how people receive your work
We can never control how people react to the work we do, whether they’ll like it or connect with it. This is why your strength, joy, inspiration, fulfillment, or however your define superpower, is in your process of creating your work and your process of doing business.
As much as we can’t control life and what happens on a daily basis - thank goodness, right? - we can decide to trust our intuition, we can control how we listen to our bodies, and respect the emotions, feelings, and signs we get. We control whether or not we allow ourselves to minimize distractions, and whether we set goals and intentions for ourselves. There is so much we can control in our creating process and in the process of running our business. And that’s exactly what I believe is important to focus on, and it’s what I help my clients focus on.
If you want help with creating your own epic process for your work and business, have a look at my coaching page.
