If I can be frank for a moment: as creatives, we sometimes get too precious about our process of creating art. We need the right conditions, the best lighting, the perfect mindset, or else we feel like we can’t create because it might not be perfect or even good.

The problem is, we can get so hung up on this that we never end up creating at all as we wait for all the stars to align. So in this episode, I’m sharing how I’ve started letting go of this ideal standard of creativity to just get back to creating. 

I’m sharing thoughts from some of my favorite authors on all the different ways they push through roadblocks and just start doing. Because at the end of the day, done is better than good. And to get there, sometimes we just have to start and let go of the outcome. Let’s get started!

What’s in this episode:

• [01:06] A common tendency that keeps creatives from creating
• [03:00] How resistance keeps us from doing our work
• [05:52] How to loosen our grip on perfectionism and get back to creating

Tune in to this episode for a little pep talk on taking our creative process off a pedestal and getting back to just creating!

SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

---

Resources Mentioned

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Did this episode help you rethink your creative process? Check out this episode The Business of Being Yourself: How Embracing Your Uniqueness Unlocks Your Creativity & Helps You Stand Out in the Newborn Niche With Natasha Simpson

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey friend, welcome to the Art and Soul Show. I’m your host Lisa DiGeso, a mom, a photographer, and entrepreneur. Tune in here for pep talks, conversations, and advice on photography, creativity, mindset, business, life, and that messy in between. This is the place where you can go when you need a boost of encouragement, a kick in the pants, and inspiration to pick up your camera.

[00:00:24] This is the art and soul show. Hello, my friend. Welcome back to the art and soul show today. We are talking once again about creativity in all honesty It is probably one of my favorite topics to discuss because it is something that I repeatedly bump up against too Whether it is my procrastination my perfectionism Or just taking myself too seriously.

[00:00:45] So today’s episode, I’m really excited to dive into because it is a topic that has really hit me hard over the years, and it is putting creativity on a pedestal. You know, it’s the idea that your creativity is this rare, magical [00:01:00] thing we can only access when the universe aligns perfectly, the candles are lit, and Mercury’s not in retrograde.

[00:01:06] So today we’re going to be talking about something that can really sneak up on so many of us. It is the tendency to put our creativity on a pedestal, which can really just stop us from creating. It’s something I’ve fallen into myself repeatedly, really just taking my creative work way too seriously. I’m afraid to make a mistake.

[00:01:26] I’m afraid to post something online that isn’t completely perfect. That someone’s going to see, maybe if I did a composite it, that my masking is off, or you know, I show up online and my skin isn’t perfect. You can see my wrinkles. It’s something that I really struggle with myself. So I really wanted to share this with you today because the idea that everything has to be perfect is life altering when we, when we take ourselves and our creativity just too seriously.

[00:01:54] So it can really do more harm than good. So today we’re just going to dive into it. [00:02:00] Why do we feel the need to elevate our creativity like this and how we can just start having a little more fun with it again. Thank you. Now, when we put our creativity on a pedestal, we’re saying this idea must be amazing.

[00:02:14] And honestly, that’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it? Suddenly we are holding ourselves to this idea that has to measure up to some impossible standard, judging whether it’s good enough before you even start working on it. And that pressure turns something that should be really playful into something really heavy.

[00:02:30] And I am 100 percent guilty of this. This is really why this episode came to be. Because in my personal projects, something that I should be doing for fun, I really get caught in that trap of thinking every new piece I need to make needs to be better than the one before. And you know what? That kills my creativity mojo.

[00:02:48] I start procrastinating. I start thinking, well, someone has already done this. Someone has done it better than me. So why should I even really try? And it’s not because I lack ideas, it’s because I’m terrified that I’m not going [00:03:00] to measure up to the standard that I set out in my mind. Now in The War of Art, Steven Pressfield puts it perfectly, resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work.

[00:03:10] It will perjure itself, it will pervert the truth, it will tell you you’re too old, too young, too busy, and I’d add resistance will also convince you that your creativity has to be perfect or it’s not worth doing. And honestly, it’s not the case, here is the thing. When we put our creativity on a pedestal, we stop playing.

[00:03:30] Everything just becomes high stakes. It feels like every project needs to have a clear purpose. Every idea has to lead somewhere significant and that mindset just really makes it so hard to enjoy the process. When we start to relax and we start to play, this is where that magic happens. It’s where those happy accidents occur.

[00:03:51] Those moments when things maybe don’t go as planned, but they end up better than you thought they could have anyway. Now think about the last time you let yourself really just [00:04:00] experiment without worrying about the outcome. And And that’s where real creativity and where that creative flow actually happens.

[00:04:07] It’s not on some pedestal where everything is perfect, but it’s actually right in that mess and in that play. Now, I’ve talked about this author before, Austin Kleon, he wrote the book Steal Like an Artist, and he says don’t wait until you know who you are to get started. Now, if you’re waiting for your work, To feel polished, or just worthy enough, you’re never going to create at all.

[00:04:30] So when we put creativity on a pedestal, it makes us feel like we actually have to perform all the time. Like our art and our ideas are really only valuable if they are impressing others or they’re fitting some ideal. When we’re just hustling for that approval, or those likes on social media, and it feels like a performance.

[00:04:49] And that’s something I hate when my art is tied to the external validation that I get. That’s such a slippery slope that somewhere I’ve been and I do find that I stop creating because [00:05:00] either I’m not getting the external validation that I want or I’m getting too much. So creativity does not have to be a performance.

[00:05:07] It’s not a competition. It’s just you. Expressing yourself in whatever way feels right to you, and sometimes that means things will be messy, or weird, and imperfect, and that’s okay. When we really let go of that pedestal, we start to see creativity for what it really is. It’s just a way to explore, to experiment, and connect with ourselves.

[00:05:30] It’s about being human, and just trying things, and being raw, and even letting things be unfinished. Now, Elizabeth Gilbert says in Big Magic, Done is better than good. And this quote honestly has saved me many times because honestly the moment we stop worrying about whether something is good enough is the moment we start creating from that place of joy and a place of freedom.

[00:05:52] If I held myself back so every image I create was perfect. I actually would probably not put out anything there [00:06:00] at all. So here’s a story from my own experience. There was a time and a season, this is probably in 2019, when I was so obsessed with making every session perfect that I completely lost sight of why I started photography in the first place.

[00:06:13] I was so burnt out, I was uninspired, and every shoot that I was doing felt like I had to one up myself until I was so burnt out I didn’t want to pick up my camera. And one summer I decided I was going to just leave my big camera behind and only use my phone. Well, I spent that whole summer just playing and taking photos of random things, just learning how to make art with my phone instead.

[00:06:36] None of it was actually really important, but it felt fun again, and that little experiment really reminded me that not everything I create needs to be really grand or significant. And when I let go of the idea that every shot I take has to be perfect, I give myself permission to create art just for the sake of it.

[00:06:55] And that’s really when the joy comes back in, when you get that joy just from the [00:07:00] desire to create. So, when we put our creativity on a pedestal, we really take ourselves too seriously, and I probably have mentioned this in previous episodes. It’s something that I fall into a lot. We really make it about success and recognition or just meeting some imaginary standard.

[00:07:17] Creativity doesn’t have to be that complicated. It can be light, it can be silly, it can be bad. And bad art is still worth making because it’s part of the process. We are multi faceted people and artists and just like our personalities have different layers, some are deep and introspective and some are just playful and carefree.

[00:07:38] And our creativity should have room for all of it. Not every idea has to change the world, and some ideas are there just to give us joy. And if you have an idea that you want to create simply because it delights you, do it. That’s absolutely enough. And not every idea you have to have is going to be a masterpiece, and that’s okay.

[00:07:59] [00:08:00] It’s necessary. Creativity is just a process, and not every project is meant to be a hit. Some ideas are just stepping stones for experiments, and just ways to learn, or even failures. Because that’s all part of it. And when we make space for having imperfect ideas, we kind of free ourselves up a little bit to start.

[00:08:20] If you let go of that pedestal and sort of embrace that process, you’re going to find that your best ideas often come when you’re least expecting them. When you’re relaxed, and when you’re playful, and when you’re trying not to be perfect. Because it’s when we’re trying so hard to be perfect is when we get stuck.

[00:08:39] Now another reason we tend to put creativity on a pedestal is because we treat it like it’s just a rare gift. It’s like, I sometimes think, what if I run out of good ideas? But creativity really isn’t something that you’re going to use up. It’s something the more that you tap into, the more you have. The more you create, the more ideas are going to flow.

[00:08:58] And as Elizabeth Gilbert [00:09:00] says, the universe buries strange jewels deep within us all and then stands back to see if we can find them. But we’re not going to find those jewels if we’re too afraid to dig because we think every gem has to be flawless. So if you have been maybe putting your creativity on a pedestal and waiting for the perfect time.

[00:09:19] Or the perfect idea, and just taking yourself too seriously, or just holding yourself back because you’re afraid it won’t be good enough. It could be just the images you’re making, it could be ideas you have, or even how you show up on social media. This is my reminder to you, my friend, to stop. Creativity isn’t about being perfect.

[00:09:38] It’s about being curious, about being playful, and willing to try. So give yourself permission to make some bad art too, because not all of these ideas have to go anywhere. You can create just for the joy of it. Creativity is at its best when it’s free and it’s not trapped, and especially not on a pedestal, but out in the wild, [00:10:00] getting messy and getting real.

[00:10:02] My friend, thank you for joining me today on this episode of the Art and Soul Show. And if this message hit home for you, I’d love for you to share it with someone who maybe needs to hear it. And remember, your creativity isn’t precious or rare, it’s just waiting for you to get out and play with it. So until next time my friend, stay curious, keep creating, and don’t take it all so seriously.

[00:10:26] I am sending you so much of my light and my love today and every single day. We’ll see you next time.