The thing with creative resistance and its relationship with you

Try not to fall in love with the first idea but give yourself time to fall in love with it. - Mark Frauenfelder.

- Mark Frauenfelder

It’s been a while since I sat down to write a decent post. Rather than blame it on some writer’s block or other excuses, I’ve decided to call it what it is: resistance to create.

Mental block or inability to think creatively. It is what it is. I’ve been in a slump where all I do is observe the happenings in the online business world and in the world at large. Strangely, it all seems like the wave of change has hit the entrepreneurial space faster than I anticipated.

Facebook groups are closing. Business models are being revamped. Some offerings have closed. Others are evolving and scaling their business with experiments and faith.

However, at the center of all this, there is something we all know very deeply: It’s the human ability to shrink when on the cusp of something great. It’s the feeling of surrender to something greater, even if this call to greater heights is wrapped in a mysterious shroud called resistance.

This has led to the discovery of 3 uncomfortable truths that I would love to share with you today.

Positive resistance is great. Embrace it.

If you operate in faith and are in tune with your alignment, there is always resistance to creating shitty work and this needs to be respected.

When all you feel like doing is going on a rant about how someone else’s business isn’t authentic enough and passing it off as business advice, listen to that still voice within you that stops you from hitting publish.

When all you feel like doing is chronicling someone else’s success markers and using them as benchmarks for your own personal and professional development, listen to that nudging in your belly to stay in bed for just one more day.

When all you feel like doing is watching TV all day long without regard to whether you’ve made the best use of your day, listen to that pressure you feel in your belly to get your butt off the bed.

Because at the end of the day, even though we have questions about where we’re going and how we will be received, we all want to feel at peace about the things we do and the people we impact.

Great work needs to be refined.

I’ve fallen in love with quotes these days, and here’s one of my favorites:

“Try not to fall in love with the first idea but give yourself time to fall in love with it.” Mark Frauenfelder.

If you’re creating meaningful, impactful, and mind-blowing work, there is always going to be an uphill battle. You can’t escape this. But most importantly, your best work isn’t always at the surface level.

You see it in movies. Before the becoming of the hero, there is a tragedy. There is some sort of unfavorable coming-of-age event before those innate superpowers can be awoken and put to good use. And before this hero takes the flight to save the city, he’s practiced getting hit a thousand times by his mentor and enemies alike.

You don’t wake up in the morning full of insights after a good night's sleep and automatically birth your masterpiece. Yes, insights are amazing. You should start with insights.

However, your masterpiece is something that takes a great deal of time, reflection, research, and refinement.

Creativity is not elusive. It only requires courage to be discovered and cultivated.

No one is born with a super creative gene, while others grapple with the reality of a “recessive” one.

It’s all in the ability to discover and cultivate this creativity. There are moments of personal discovery and identity crises strewn along the path to being called a “creative.” But ultimately, we have to spend a lot of time trying to understand why we do what we do.

This requires we be brave enough to stand back from consuming what is readily available and retreat into ourselves. It requires that we question the system that has sustained thousands who have lived before us and led successful lives. To finally be a creative genius, there is a question of “what if.” And this, too, needs to be respected and enabled.

Then, there still is the issue of resistance.

You will experience resistance before you break any barriers to change. And you don’t even have to be in law enforcement or an activist.

If that is the case, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I on the cusp of something new and exciting?

• How do I feel about what I’m doing and the impact it’s going to make?

• Where do I see myself with this project in the future?

Great. If these questions seem more challenging than you thought, awesome! If we’re being truthful about this, this should take a couple of days before real clarity about your purpose can emerge.

And that’s the issue with resistance and creativity. Your ability to unleash your true creativity depends on the truth you tell yourself.

When you experience resistance about the work you create, there are probably several layers of “truths” that need to be peeled away from the work you’re presenting. It could be in form of pricing that doesn’t sit well with you. Or maybe you don’t really want to do webinars because that isn’t your style.

The whole point of this article is this: resistance to creating good work can be great. Listen to it and unleash your best work with insights gained.

What are you experiencing resistance against right now? Hit reply! I wanna know! :)

To recap:

• It's okay to hold pause on doing work that you don't feel at peace with.

• You don't suddenly wake up and automatically birth your masterpiece. Your masterpiece is something that takes a great deal of time, reflection, research, and refinement.

• It's okay to be brave enough to stand back from consuming what is readily available and retreat into ourselves.

• You will experience resistance before you break any barriers to change.

Next step:

I write about the intersection of creativity, passion, and profit. I also share my own process towards doing my other creative endeavors via email. Sign up to be notified when the next post drops!