I wholeheartedly believe that creativity is synonymous with healing. Creativity is one of the strongest antidotes to stress. The focused act of movement, singing, choosing colors, scribbling, plucking away at a banjo (it could happen)–it’s absorbing. It’s life in action. It’s the externalization of all the inner trials, uncovered beauty, buried desires, unprocessed traumas, manifestations of joy.

We are all creative beings; when we are not creating, we are disconnected from our true selves. I’ve met a lot of creatives disconnected from themselves and from fully living. They were stuck, zapped, constricted by time-sucks, demanding jobs, injustices, outdated inner scripts from childhood vandalizing peace.

These creatives are cranky. These creatives have tight chests and tense muscles. They are mired in dopamine-rich hellholes constructed by tech overlords who thrive off our distractions. They are stressed, uneasy; they want to create so bad, they feel it burning inside but lingering thoughts consume them: what if the effort isn’t worth it? What if I take on too much and I burn myself out? What’s the point of all of this if I’m not getting paid for it and validated externally and praised for how good I’ve done something?

Why is my value tied to commodification and high achievement when all I want to do is express my innate desire to create something from nothing? 

I’ve been that creative. Many times. I’ve had periods of intense, Icarus-like productivity where ideas are hatching and diving into a roaring ocean like baby sea turtles, totally unafraid. My fingers can’t open up the Notes app and type out the flow of information after being inspired fast enough. I push and I push and I push because I grew up in a world where high achievement was awarded, even loved and preferred. The pressure mounted: if I stopped now while the going was going, then obviously I was a failure and not worthy of being loved. I’m so close to the sun.

But of course, the burnout always followed. I have a complete meltdown. I feel like wax in the process of hardening again. And with burnout, the shame of “giving up.” And with the shame came the inevitable isolation. And with the isolation came the inevitable and complete disregard for myself and others. And repeat and repeat and repeat. Instead of living, I was lying to myself. The biggest lies: creativity is worthless; creativity is only worth it if I’m getting paid for it; being creative led to burnout so is creativity actually a good thing in the first place?

I had to learn the hard way how to separate creativity from external validation. I wasn’t making mini comic books starring my imaginary friends or cutting out paper shirts and shorts and taping them to myself or writing short stories about kids with secret superpowers as a kid for external validation. 

I was creating because it is a facet of who I am. It is a facet of who we all are.

And when I am not creating, intrinsically and for the joy of expression, I am not myself. I can be kind of an asshole. 

Creativity is synonymous with healing, but there can be a paradox: creativity can be a burden when external pressures to be perfect, to sell, or to compete with others eclipse expression for expression's sake. For creativity to be healing, the intrinsic motivation to express—to process life’s joys and tragedies —the self needs to be present.

I started Creative Energy Coaching because I want to help creatives be themselves, all the time, without burning out. I want to help creatives relieve stress, reduce anxiety, to get into those warm-feeling flow states. I want y’all to be so absorbed and in love with the process without worrying about the end result. 

Because at the root of this disconnection, this full-stop of creativity, is fear. Fear of being judged, fear of not being worthy enough, fear of disappointment, fear of failure, fear of exhaustion, fear of making the wrong decisions, fear of criticism, fear of not living up to some arbitrary expectation, fear of exposure, fear of public humiliation, fear of being misunderstood, fear of being awkward, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of all your worst case scenarios coming true, fear of being unlovable. 

I want creatives to bring their ideas to fruition instead of getting lost in a buried notebook or Google doc. I want to live in a world with more fearless creatives. 

You deserve it. We deserve it. The world needs to be more creative.

But how do we stay connected to creative energy without being overwhelmed or potentially burning out again?

I’m glad you asked.