Masterclass: How to Take Your Creative Practice Off The Pedestal While Still Protecting It
Article Published for The Vital Creative Collection — Written by Casey Balon
I’m not going to bury the lede here: You are more important than your creative practice.
Having a healthy comprehension of this can help to release the pressure we put on our creative process, which can actually enhance the quality of our creative work.
The Sweet Spot Between Dedication to Our Craft and Trusting Our Creative Intuition
I’ve always been curious about the sweet spot between employing discipline and following my intuition.
While I am no longer on a quest to find the mysterious intersection between these two skillsets, what I have found is this: Both are vital and inextricably linked. When they co-exist, everything gets better.
In order to deeply follow our Creative Intuition, we must be able to rely on our disciplined nature. What we repeatedly do, who we are as we do those things, and the place from which those actions are born all have a ripple effect on the fruits of our labor.
The quality of devotion enhances our sense of discipline – and Creative Direction – by engaging our heart. When we are truly enlivened and animated by our craft (when we can feel it on a visceral level that moves us), we bring a sense of authentic reverence to the Creative Table.
While creativity is an active practice (hence “a creative practice”), a genuine sense of reverence is not something that can be faked, nor orchestrated… and, when it is, people can feel that too.
Building Our Creative House: The Foundation for Firing on All Cylinders
Reverence for our craft generates a feedback loop, and this particular feedback loop powers our inclination to show up to the creative process over and over.
As we're building our Creative House, there are seasons in which we consistently lay similar bricks. Other times, we bring new supplies. Regularly, we evaluate what we’ve built so far. Once in a while, we deconstruct, renovate, or even demolish what we’ve previously built. Quite often, we take risks or test laying stones in a completely new way, but we show up to the process – curious, willing, and emotionally available – nonetheless.
While there can be many moving pieces throughout our creative work, the repeatable building blocks that support our unique creative ecosystem are often very simple… and simplicity is key.
Opportunity to get honest #1: Spotting the Pedestal & Energetic Leaks
There are many ways we can develop an imbalanced relationship – or hierarchy – with our creative work. Seemingly innocuous or ambiguous at first, this asymmetry of power can become a detrimental source of energy depletion when left unchecked. (When vitality, cognitive capacity, and emotional fluency have direct influences on our creative process and outcomes, our energetic health is a really big deal.)
5 questions we can use to check-in with ourselves about our relationship with our creative practice:
What do I deeply desire to experience before, during, and after I engage with my creative work? (Examples may include: experiencing contrast; feeling satisfied; or other descriptive states, such as peaceful, successful, engaged, neutral, challenged, expanded, enlivened, fulfilled, free, coherent, etc.)
What emotions (or energetic states) am I currently experiencing when I engage in my regular creative practice?
Is feeling this way during my practice ok with me, or does something need to shift for me to feel in integrity with my craft? (In other words, am I in a healthy partnership with my creative practice in this current season? Are my expectations for my process appropriate for me in this chapter?)
Are there ways I am putting my creativity and creative work above my own wellbeing?
Conversely, are there ways I am unconsciously avoiding or deprioritizing my creative work? (If my creative process is a true priority, where can I make choices to engage with it and protect it? Are there aspects of me that are in opposition to creative work? How can I support them?)
Opportunity to get honest #2) Taking Yourself to the Edge for Your Art is Not the Same as Pedestalizing Your Art
There are days (even full seasons) where we choose to give ourselves fully to a project or creative process. From the eye of an artistic soul, these periods of time are known for their true colours; they are a blessing.
Much like a relationship between two people, these chapters carve the practitioner of the craft – the writer, the artist, the creative team – as deeply as they carve out the work.
Devotion in this way does not guarantee quality, nor does it promise a particular outcome for the work… but that’s not the point. Giving oneself to the practice, submitting oneself to the greater process at hand, is an honour.
“Taking oneself to the edge” in the name of artistry is not the same as pedestalizing the art. The former takes us far past our previously explored territory, while the latter secretly idolizes martyrdom. The distinction between the two is this: one is a genuine expression of mutual devotion, and one is not.
The thing is, only the craftswoman herself can tell you what she’s doing. Other skilled eyes can see it – can feel it – but, ultimately, only she can comprehend the truth of what is playing out.
Think back:
When I have gone all in on a project or mission in the past, what did it feel like? What did I experience? What was my favourite part?
In retrospect, what did I learn about myself during this time?
What new angle or approach will I infuse into my next project or process? What qualities will I refine or develop moving forward?
Opportunity to get honest #3) Filling Our Wellspring is a Pretty Cool Way to Make Exceptional Creative Work
What nourishes and magnifies our vitality is unique to each of us. Our primary job as creatives is to intimately get to know what animates us – what opens the flood gates and what brings us to life.
It is still widely acceptable in our western philosophy to pedestalize production over other elements of creation. In some cultures, it’s more important to hold intuitive wisdom, spaciousness, and The Beauty Way in the highest regard.
As in the case of pairing discipline with creative intuition, marrying these approaches is fundamental. When we can trust in our ability to make and ship the work, we can shift our focus to filling our internal wellspring and nourishing our vessel.
So here it is: Filling our wellspring must come first, most often. This means we must come first, most often.
The paradox is that exerting the ‘correct’ energy is often what fills us. (We must take suitable action.) In other words, living in integrity with our authentic expression ends up sustaining us, and it protects our Creative Vitality.
Comprehending the magnitude and role of our Creative Vitality (and learning how to tend to the health and prosperity of the current that moves through us) sets us up for the long game.
4 questions to spark implementation:
What does filling my cup with inspiration and nourishment look like this week?
Where can I intuitively follow the threads of my fascination and imagination? and: What would it look like to let life court me and move me just a little bit more?
Where and when can I intentionally carve out time to explore, go on an adventure, and experiment with my life? How can I take Julia Cameron’s Artist Date (what she describes as weekly “solo expeditions” or “assigned play”) to the next level?
Is my body asking for rest and rejuvenation, or a complete pattern disruption to wake me up?
Helpful visual metaphor:
Imagine creeks, streams, and rivers all pouring into a lively body of water. We could call this our creative wellspring, or even our creationary reservoir. If we were to dam up the waterflow coming in, or only heavily focus on extracting out of that reservoir, eventually it would diminish. Factors such as rainfall, elevation, aquatic life, sediment, soil, storms, and indigenous species all play a role. The same perspective exists for the health of our creative potential.
In-depth side tangent on being equipped for the Creative Job:
Remember: The intention is to alleviate the pressure we place on our creative practice, which means the focus is on uncovering ways to craft a vitalized life.
We are inherently and powerfully creative no matter what; that does not falter. But our ability to facilitate – and allow – the creative impulse to move us (and move through us) quite literally depends on our capacity to develop intimacy with the moment… and intimacy with the moment often requires us to establish or feel some degree of safety (or, at the very least, a sense of frankness or acceptance about how we feel).
Safety is often proceeded by feeling prioritized, loved, and seen – not momentarily, but sustainably. It can be challenging to feel this way if an aspect of us believes we are ill-equipped or not suitable for the Creative Job.
In some ways, this part of us will always attempt to prove itself right. Our job is to lovingly work with this aspect of ourselves while creating evidence for the contrary. On one level, it is right; we aren’t “enough” on our own… but the truer truth is this: we are completely worthy of our creative practice.
So the deeper inquiries are:
Can we locate where we are not currently experiencing that?
What parts of us are asking for our attention?
What patterns do these aspects typically perpetuate?
How can we compassionately work with these parts of ourselves?
Can we redirect their energy in ways that help us to amplify and refine our creative practice?
Opportunity to get honest #4) Paying Close Attention to the Quality of Our Hunger Stirs Up Quiet Confidence
Desperation is a tricky beast.
This is particularly true in the case of really wanting something from our creative practice. Much like in the instance of any human-to-human attachment – when we attempt to manipulate it, smother it, or otherwise coerce it, we’re not likely to feel sustained or satiated from the act (not in a substantial way, anyways).
The conundrum is that “trying to take the pressure off” of something can backfire. Similar to a prolonged calorie deficit, it can make us hungry… but not the good kind of hungry. Pretending to be nonchalant can infuse more resistance into the situation, potentially creating stagnation, avoidance, or fear of the process.
Leveraging self-assurance is the key here.
Much like in the case of a healthy relationship, being willing to communicate one’s current needs and desires (as well as listen to those of the other party) bolsters the foundation of an aligned connection. This doesn’t equate to always getting what we demand; this creates an opening for more mutually respectful and integrous relating.
Self-assurance walks hand in hand with discipline. When we show up for our practice, it begins to trust us. This also fosters a degree of self-trust, which supports our ability to develop an identity as a trustworthy – and self-assured – creative.
This does not mean we deny the sensations of fear. This means we are clear about who we are, even as we feel it.
The roots of this type of confidence are not always apparent on the surface. This is an internal posture, more than external one. This type of confidence can be quiet, but it is easily felt through the richness of our artistic fruits and the voice of our work.
6 inquiries for noticing the state of my subconscious self-worth & my current level of self-assurance:
Who do I believe I am beyond my creative practice?
What does my current partnership with my creative practice show me? (What are the clues and feedback it is giving me?)
What do I believe has contributed to the success I have experienced through my creative work? and: How supported do I feel I am in this process?
What might I be believing on a body-based, subconscious level – about who I am as a writer, artist, maker, visionary, or innovative thinker – that could be contributing to the challenges I am experiencing? (Is there a thread or theme to the dynamics playing out?)
Conversely, what opportunities are these challenges presenting?
Integrity Questions: Do I desire to practice and deepen my skillset or experience? If so, is it because it would allow me to feel more enlivened and integrous as a craftsperson, or because I’m attempting to distract from the discomfort of making imperfect work?
Opportunity to get honest #5) No Matter How Serious the Work Is, It’s Not that Serious
Light-heartedness is a fundamental asset in the Creative Toolkit. It creates breathing room for projects to find their legs, so to speak.
An unwillingness to loosen the reigns of creative direction can be a symptom of a deeper matter, such as the fear of experiencing unfamiliar sensations and exploring unknown territory. With space to evolve, however, a creative venture can take on a life of its own; often times, bringing this lighter touch to the Creative Table opens opportunities for expression that could not be planned or predicted otherwise.
This is not to say the full arc of creative development must be an ecstatic, blissful experience filled to the brim with astonishment. (Contrast can be very helpful and allows us to infuse depth, texture, and potency into the work.) But the ingredient of light-heartedness helps to prevent suffocation and ends up fostering a fertile environment for enchantment, and even surprise.
This also means we must become somewhat comfortable with letting the work be mediocre, or even bad… because, sometimes, it’s going to be bad. The element of levity creates space between who we are as the creative and what we see in the work. When wielded correctly, it can allow us to explore with curiosity about why the caliber or trajectory of a project diverged from our expectations.
Questions to create distinction between the creative work and me:
When is the last time I’ve let myself create without any expectation of the end result, caliber, purpose, or quantity of the work?
If I were to take a step back to create distinctive space between my current project and me, what would I be able to see?
If the quality of my creative work wasn’t indicative of my value as a human, where would I be able to give my current project more of what it needs? (What would a mediocre product or outcome actually be showing me? What could this be inviting me to explore or refine? Would this allow me to soften any tendency to avoid or, conversely, mull over areas of improvement?)
Opportunity to get honest #6) Amp Up Creative Integrity with Body-Based Intelligence
Healthy boundaries generate freedom. Intuitively being able to implement them takes practice.
Building simplistic structures around our ‘creative time’ simultaneously protects our vitality, expression, and work. This protection grants permission for inspiration and lightness to enter the room, which is a recipe for flourishing artistry.
When we’ve deeply cared for ourselves, we innately bring vibrancy into our partnership with our Creative Practice. Deep care begins with listening to the cues of our body. While this looks (and feels) different for each of us, the body’s signals act as a guidance system. She knows when it’s time to take ourselves past old frontiers, and when it’s time to refresh, wipe the slate clean, or plant seeds in new ground.
Listening to her responses allows us to honour her needs, questions, and capacity, while we work with her to bolster and stretch into new experiences.
Her anger draws a line in the sand; her grief commands sacred pause; and she is always telling a story. Sometimes the story is an old one – based in obstructive experiences that deafened our ability to honour our intuition and natural intelligence. Other circumstances gave us opportunities to develop enhanced mobility or deeper layers of fortitude. In other chapters, the stories present multigenerational conversations – ones which propagate patterns many of our ancestors have experienced.
The spectrum of stories held in our tissues is vast and wide. Through consistent practice, we can develop intimacy with our bodies – we can get to know our body’s perception of ourselves and the world around us – in a way that emboldens the wisdom and Creative Intelligence we naturally inhabit.
Ultimately, it is the artist’s job to discern what action to take (or not take), who to inform about our creative boundaries, and how we will be keeping our commitments to ourselves.
6 prompt sets to help form creative boundaries:
1) What simple steps can I take to protect my creative time? (Examples: shutting the door to my office for 90 minutes 4x weekly while I work on my design project or scheduling childcare on Tuesday and Friday mornings so I can have a bath, take myself on a hike for 45 minutes, and write for 45 minutes)
2) Whose eyes do I want on my work, and at what stage(s) of creative development do I typically benefit from receiving feedback?
3) Fill in the blank: When I begin feeling ______ during my creative practice, what is my body telling me? (Can I locate this sensation or feeling in my body? What is my typical response to this sensation or feeling? Is this response currently supporting my overall wellbeing, or is it hindering it? What would a completely different response to this experience look like? How could this enhance my creative practice?)
4) Do I creatively thrive with a fluid schedule, blocked out time to create, or a mixture of both? and: What do I need to schedule out, and who do I need to inform about my boundaries around this?
5) When I experience dysregulation, distraction, or overwhelm in relationship to my creative practice, what is my go-to strategy? (Do I feel safe enough to honour my body in these moments? Could I give it movement, hydration, rest, inspiration, a change in scenery, breathwork, etc.? If I typically push through these sensations, how could I create more balance? Conversely, do I completely avoid my practice when I feel distracted or overwhelmed? How could begin to expand my capacity to devote to my practice?)
6) Do I desire to renegotiate any commitments in my life? (Are there overlooked open loops siphoning my energy and attention? Are there any conversations I have avoided that I am now open to having? Any relationship dynamics that need to evolve? Any processes requiring a substantial amount of time that do not offer an ROI or desirable experience?)
7) Am I plugged into anyone else’s Creative Vision in a way that unconsciously detracts from my own? (In other words, am I am intentionally engaging, consuming, collaborating, and contributing, or are there ways in which I am pouring into someone else’s vision without adequate reciprocity? If this feels true, how can I re-evaluate, take responsibility for my presence (or actions), and shift my behaviour moving forward?)
Opportunity to get honest #7) Increasing Mobility Allows for Higher Quality Creative Work
Becoming a secure keeper of our creative practice invites us to become active keepers of our lives.
In many ways, designing a hand-crafted, yet surrendered, life indicates we trust ourselves to facilitate high-quality creative expression; it also showcases the extent to which we are willing to let beauty flow through us. Recognizing this can be confronting. Thrilling. Stunning. Humbling.
It also reinforces our mobility – our ability to move from one position or situation to another.
While forward progression does not need to be linear to be meaningful, experiencing evolution often contributes to our sense of personal fulfillment.
One way to augment our ability to make move with continuity is by integrating a Creative Check-In process. Designating space to check-in creates an opportunity for us to adjust our sails as we go. A regular check-in trains our body to feel safer with stewarding change. No matter the pace of our creative process, this (pre-emptively) grants us permission to make a new choice, shift our sequence, and refine our approach as we traverse our path.
Ultimately, a sense of Creative Mobility allows us to get out of the way of the greater process at hand. Somewhat counterintuitive, the art of ‘getting out of the way’ enables us to naturally participate in the artistic process without being defined by it. When we bring our innate value to the table, we establish a suitable environment for artistry to thrive.
10 inquiries for the check-in:
What are my current standards for my creative practice?
What am I available for moving forward? (Where am I ready to set higher standards? Where can it fulfill me more? What do I desire to develop or experience?)
What have I not yet dared to ask of my practice?
Where can I meet my practice where it is at?
What am I no longer available for moving forward? (What is no longer working for me?)
Is my body of work evolving, growing, or progressing?
How pleased am I with the role it is playing in my life?
How pleased am I with the impact it is having on the world at large?
From intuitive and rational levels, what will I be shifting moving forward?
What will I be re-evaluating at my next check-in?
A Completely New Way of Relating to the Creative Job
No matter what qualifications or experience we have garnered, no matter how much we have devoted to our craft, no matter what assets we have gathered – nothing can take our creative nature from us. The next time we encounter a deep-seated fear perpetuating the opposite narrative, let’s practice reorienting to the internal posture that declares:
We are more important than our Creative Practice.
It is when we approach the table with this level of intelligence that we move in a completely different way.
-Casey Balon, Editor-in-Chief of The Vital Creative
