« Story Ideas – Full Moon at Perigee | BLOG HOME | Writing Resources – Story Idea Generators Revisited »
Your Inner Critic — 5 Steps to Muzzling that Destructive Inner Voice
By Deb Gallardo
In my ongoing series on creativity and our inner critic(s), I bring you advice once again from the inimitable Coach Creative, Dan Goodwin. Dan, like the rest of us creative types, knows up close and personal how destructive that inner critic (or the sometimes seeming symphony of voices) inside our heads can be.
It says/they say we’re not really an artist, a writer, etc.; sneeringly asking who told us we had talent to begin; whispering that we needn’t bother starting a new project because we’ll mess it up, just like we’ve messed up previous projects; chiding us that we ought to be doing something “worthwhile” with our time.
Sound familiar? It does to me. Been there, done that, got the psychic scars to prove it.
The thing is, even though that voice can be deafening so it’s nearly impossible to HEAR what it’s saying, we don’t have to BELIEVE what it’s saying.
Do you remember that classic scene in “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban” in Professor Lupin’s class where he teaches them how to deal with whatever shape a boggart takes in their minds? He has them picture their greatest fear appearing in a ridiculous guise. (Who can forget the sinister Professor Snape suddenly decked out in old lady garb like Neville’s grandmother?!) Well, Dan offers suggestions that put me in mind of this. Here they are in a nutshell:
- Give your inner critic a name.
- Picture your inner critic.
- Understand your inner critic’s motives.
- Thank your inner critic for its efforts.
- Create anyway!
Giving your inner critic a name and visualizing what s/he actually looks like — the more comical the better — brings him/her out of the shadows and into the glaring light of day where all things look less attractive, menacing, etc. Realizing that your inner critic is trying to protect you and then thanking him/her goes a long way toward making peace in this adversarial relationship.
When you think about this beyond the obvious, you can’t escape the fact that the inner critic is really us (with a little bit of our families thrown in, especially if they are/were overly critical like my parents were). Dan says every negative comment has a positive motivation behind it. (This contrasts with the ultra-negative blows that buffet us from family and friends or acquaintances who may NOT be well-intentioned.) And in addressing your inner critic by a ridiculous name, you take away the power of the unknown. How can you be intimidated by a critic with a name like Snookums or Boo-Boo?
Finally, he suggests creating in spite of what the inner critic says. Go ahead! Show ‘em! So maybe you don’t hit a home run. To paraphrase Wayne Gretsky, 100% of the balls you DON’T hit because you’re not even in the game, will NOT bring you a home run.
I would also add that you need to create because it is vital to your human existence. Let me share a bit of my personal experience. In the early days of the clinical depression that plagued me for decades, I stopped singing and acting. (My reasons for stopping are too numerous to go into here.) It’s no surprise to me that it wasn’t long after that when I began writing, quilting and crafting. I didn’t set out to be creative. It automatically manifested itself without my consciously doing anything.
When the depression totally knocked me for a loop and I stopped writing (basically I stopped doing everything I loved), my life hit its lowest ebb. The toll it took on my health was incredible. We are all wired to be uniquely ourselves, and when we deny that, we pay a price. If you’re a creative person (or aspire to be), don’t deny who you are. And don’t take “who you are” to be what anyone else (including your inner critic) tells you. You actually know, deep down, what your heart’s desire is. You know what you aspire to. And if, by chance, you don’t know, I encourage you to take an online aptitude test to point you in the right direction.
So picture your inner critic, name and thank him/her, then get started creating anyway as though your life depends on it. In all the ways that matter, it does.
Read Dan’s article here: How To Silence Your Destructive Inner Critic
Related Posts
- Creativity – Your Inner Critic Has to Go!
- Creativity – Be all That You Can Be
- Writer’s Block – Why It Occurs, How To Eliminate It
1 Comment »
October 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
[...] friend and creativity expert Dan Goodwin addresses this issue in an article at Creativity Portal where you can also find a wealth of writing [...]