Would you like to have ideas and creations just pour out of you? Who wouldn’t?

Let’s talk about what gets in the way of our creative brains and how to fix it.

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The ideal creative state is flow. It’s an incredible feeling of freedom in which each idea spawns the next, leading you deeper and deeper into new territory.

Time flies. Magic happens.

Then you emerge a little disoriented and blissed out, with treasure in your hands.
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The earliest experience we have of flow is in childhood. We call it ‘play.’

Kids at play are free and uninhibited. Their imaginations take huge leaps. They feel confident and positive. Even the shyest child becomes confident and bold.

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But for kids — and adults — to reach this joy-filled state of free-flowing play, we need to feel safe. We need to know we are allowed to play, that we won't be judged or controlled.

Critics, clients, committees can act as roadblocks for the state of flow. They can stop it cold.
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Sometimes, when we create, no one is watching, no one cares. We are just hobbyists or dabblers alone in the garage.

But then the mere thought of a judge — a skeptical neighbor, a dismissive relative, an ancient memory — can pop up and disrupt the flow.

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We need to feel safe to make mistakes, to look foolish, to be able to laugh and try again.

We need to focus not on the outcome but on the Now, the next interlocking puzzle piece, the move that will advance the game.

Play is an essential part of the creative process. It's also essential to designing the future, to solving problems, to doing just about any job better.

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To create a brand new solution, instead of just repeating what worked in the past, we need to work and play in an environment of safety. We need to feel free to take risks, stumble, experiment, leap.

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Think about your own sense of safety. What might disrupt it?

What steps can you take to protect your creativity?

How can you stand up for yourself?

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We can create and protect time for making, by scheduling it on our calendars like any business meeting. Sorry, I’m booked. Let’s talk later,.

We can shut down critics by refusing to give them a voice. No, thanks, I don’t need feedback right now.

We can refuse to feel guilty and put ourselves first, recognizing that art-making is self-care, not self-indulgence.

We can protect ourselves from outside distractions. Phones down, pens up.

We can push away inside distractions, too, like perfectionism and ancient ghosts from our pasts, those boring old tapes we play over and over in our heads.

We can stop worrying about mistakes and recognize that they’re just teachers in disguise.

Let’s stand up for our inner artist and protect it like a mama bear.

Be fierce in protecting your creative safety from threats from outside and within. Then let yourself go and leap into the new.

Don't worry about falling — get safe and fly.

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Your pal,

Danny

P.S. I once commissioned the most extravagant, expensive, slightly insane sketchbook to treat myself. If you'd like to see it and learn what I learned from the crazy splurge, read this week's Studio Notebook. Click to sign up for your first month for 50% off (just $3.50). Go on! Treat yourself. You deserve it.