TSAS #42: How to develop better self-awareness to unleash creativity?

Hello SAS Community,

Today's Question:  How to develop better self-awareness to unleash creativity

In this week's edition, we cover:

• Being creative is not a matter of being able to paint or make art. It's something else. What's that?

• How to develop self-awareness to release creative blocks

• Reading Time: Long and Deep but worth it!

Last week we explored the downsides of being self-aware. If you haven't then you can check it out here. This week I want to tell you how some of my past clients would tell me things like…I am not “creative.”I am not a “designer.”

The word “creativity” no longer pertains to only artists, writers, musicians, painters, or designers. Modern creatives are pushing and exploring all types of mediums that have opened up so many possibilities. 

You don't have to look too hard and can spot those creatives easily when you see platforms like Tiktok, YouTube, etc. 

Some of them don't have any experience with lighting, photoshop, or using fancy equipment. 

Yet, we are witnessing more than ever people breaking out of their shells to express their creativity. 

The common myth about “creativity”, as most of us have come to understand it, is a random gift from God. In other words, creative brilliance is innate – we're born with it." – Allen Gannet, the author of “The Creative Curve”

Everyone has the ability to adopt creativity when they cultivate self-awareness. 

I would even argue that we are all naturally creative. 

Sometimes, I have been labeled by friends, colleagues, and clients who would say, well, it's easier for you because you have a design degree."

The funny thing is my friends, colleagues or clients have often missed the countless iterations and versions before they saw the final piece. 

Yes, I was naturally curious as a child who loved art, and music and traveled with my parents. 

My parents invested time and money in us so we can explore different interests. 

Yes, we were fortunate in many ways but I wouldn't say that I was born as a creative. 

Unlike a family of singers, artists, and writers, I was born and raised in a family of farmers. 

Our grandparents were taught to raise crops, hunt, fish, and grow fresh vegetables. 

You can see the evidence here in my mother's garden where she planted over 400 trees on a piece of land. She invested over 25k on this land and employed over 10 contractors. It was a huge risk but she wanted to get creative with this empty land that would have gone to waste.

I asked her one day, “How did her parents afford to feed 7 children?”

Her answer was, “Your grandparents were creative in how they made 10 meals out of one thing.” My grandmother apparently was known as “The Midwife” who also delivered fresh meals around the village. 

There were times they paid for her generosity and other times it was an act of giving. 

What gave her more joy was cooking for families, watching them eat well, and becoming the go-to midwife. 

The idea here is that she never pushed creativity but her love grew naturally from just doing. 

Some of it stemmed from survival instincts and other times they simply didn't have the resources or money to waste. 

Embracing creativity is the navigator for new things to emerge. 

They imagined things that seem impossible at the time. 

While everyone was living in poverty and could barely make ends meet, my grandparents learned how to be better farmers and distributors. 

At one point, my grandfather owned 10 to 15 pieces of land that was enough to feed the entire village. 

Now, you can see those types of necessities emerge in today's modern times. 

You are thinking, well how so?

Maybe not farming or growing lands of crops or vegetables. 

Young Millennials are no longer relying on expensive education. 

They are learning how to leverage social media so they can make a living.

Some of them can't afford to dish out 70 or 80K in education to justify the cost of living and annual salaries.

So, they become creative in their process to learn, fail, and iterate to make a name for themselves. 

For some of them, you can tell they are not using the best equipment and yet are better at producing content. 

One can argue that they lack quality but this is where I want to share something important. 

Why and when this unleashing creativity becomes so damn hard

I can give you tons of examples but again you don't have to look hard and the Pandemic is a prime example. 

People have canceled weddings, events, and schools, and disrupted every normal flow. 

I am not a psychologist or neuroscientist but I do love researching how the brain works. 

It is the most fascinating part of the human body.

 Also, considering I have a family history of strokes and brain diseases, again this makes me naturally curious. 

It also makes sense why SO many people are in survival mode. 

Covid-19 has changed routines and shocked our normalcy.

People are trying to make sense of the new environment.

When I am on a crosswalk with my kids, I have noticed the frantic look and people slamming on their breaks. 

There are constant signs of distress, anxiety, and fear of losing and barely hanging by thread. 

Instead of the brain resorting to creative resources, it shifts to our emotional centers. 

“This leaves the prefrontal cortex unavailable for creativity and innovation. And without creativity, our abilities to problem-solve, communicate, and employ strategic agility suffer. A survival mindset consumes neural resources and prevents higher-order thinking.”– McKinsey Research

Here are some of the creative blockers that will continue to stop the water flow.

• Lack of self-worth

• Dealing with the grief of loved ones and handling emotional turmoil

• The depletion of all creative energy after burning out from work stress

• The need for perfection

• Negative self-talk or criticism

• Rejection from a job loss or other opportunities

• Lack of financial support

• Self-doubt creeping into justifying talent or ability

• Procrastinating and avoiding confronting real issues

• Low self-esteem and motivation

The list goes on. 

What's interesting is to see during these turbulent times, when some people thrive during this condition. 

Leaders who do the opposite. You can also witness many brands thriving during this pandemic. 

Here's an article from the NY times about how five small businesses beat the pandemic odds and are thriving.

They didn't contract or went into shutdown mode but expanded their creativity instead. 

Here's how you create better self-awareness to release those creative blocks:

Increase your chances and become honest with yourself. 

To tell you the truth, I went back to freelancing for that reason. 

My business went through a period of pivot, slowness, and lack of inspired actions since May 2021. 

I needed to slow down, breathe, and focus back on marketing online with full integrity. 

When you are in desperate conditions and performing under those creative blocks, a part of you will always feel like a fraud. 

Not the kind of fraud who lies or cheats on others to make money.

But desperate measures can cause both inferiority and superiority complexes. 

Neither of them can contribute to what is actually needed to make things work from a practical and creative standpoint. 

Going back to part-time freelancing gave me the ability to make room for creative projects again. 

Here are some of the lessons that helped me create better self-awareness and enter my creative zone:

Check with your self-consciousness: It is easy to get triggered today when we look to our left and right and come to conclusions. Things like “Oh they were lucky to have rich parents or paid mentors and coaches. Of course, they are more successful." There are over a million stories on platforms about how people finally got sick of watching other people doing it and they get on the bandwagon. This is called the Bandwagon effect. 

A common sales persuasion that many marketers infuse subtly in their messaging and content.  

The only way to get over those fears of self-consciousness is to accept not only the best parts of who you are but the parts that are not so pleasant. I would see this in some of my past clients who only want to express their best selves and hold themselves back to launch, start, do, or create. They would be worried about every little thing that could go wrong. 

Fear of failure is the #1 reason that holds many people back from exploring creativity. Your imperfection is the source of your traits, personality, and character.  

As an Enneagram Type 2, ENFP, my personality traits works better when my clients are seeking clarity and want to be bold in their creative expression. 

If you have never taken any personality tests or discovered what is your true strength and weaknesses, I highly recommend understanding your type. 

This will give you insights when dealing with people at workplaces, clients you interact with while understanding their behaviors, and decisions that will help you align your actions.

Approaching creativity in this sense can free you from aiming for perfection.

There is a ton of pressure on social platforms where you seek approval from others. We post because we want the dopamine effect and it helps us confirm that we are doing something right. 

Approval is not the same as acceptance. When you are seeking approval and want to be liked by the audience, your desire changes from creating to pleasing. 

To free up from this desire to please, create for yourself first. This is true for any new creative project whether you are developing a brand new program or a YouTube Channel.  Accept the freedom to create for yourself.  

Create first, analyze later. Separate those two functions and I think of it as a habit builder. I can count my steps every day and become a stickler with hitting 10K steps or simply build a habit of walking every day. Which one is easier, to begin with?

Have you ever come across people who sucked in their first or second iteration on social media. I used to judge them and now every time, I am starting something from scratch, I have more self-compassion.

But as you stuck with them,  you start to notice how better they are getting at their craft over time. This creative process gets robbed when we give equal standards to someone who has been stuck with their craft for 60 years. 

Do you know the infamous line “Here's Johnny” had over 140 retakes and Jack Nicholson has been performing as an actor for nearly 60 years? This classic horror movie was not even awarded or acknowledged by the academy. The Shining was largely unappreciated when it came out, to put it mildly.

Despite huge expectations based on the combination of Kubrick and King, it placed just 14th at the box office, grossing $149M in today’s dollars. It was not among the top 20 films mentioned in a year-end critics poll, and my sense is that it would actually have been “rotten” at Rotten Tomatoes, had it existed back then.

In fact, Kubrick was nominated for a Razzie Award as the worst director. 

Think about that the most “known classic movie never got recognition at the time” and today people write on platforms every day and they get known. This is insane to me how many possibilities we have but also limited by our self-consciousness and willingness to test and experiment. 

Welcome failure as feedback and take more risks. As they say, become a student of failure. Speaking of failures I want to share some of my mistakes in my next letter. 

I have had many over the last 5 years and from personal experience, it has made me wiser and better. The moment I try to hide from making mistakes, it creates internal conflict that ends up self-sabotaging my own growth. 

Observe the energy that makes you tired. Over the years I noticed that the more I surround myself with people who are building towards more lifestyle, and meaning, and don't drag themselves every day restores my energy. 

Pay attention to your physical awareness. On the days when I am glued to my chair, not getting my steps in or making movement, I feel stifled with creativity. 

I know this was a long letter but I hope it brought you some value. I would love to hear from you about what has put a hold on your creative playground lately. I am all ears for open and honest communication. 

Stay Humble, my friend.Yours Truly, Humaira"Create a collection of memories. Not distraction"