CREATIVE R.e.s.i.s.t.a.n.c.e

Let’s be real.

If you are a creative person - and love creating something from nothing - then you will eventually experience creative resistance.

What is creative resistance? Steven Pressfield coined the term in his book “The War of Art” as an internal force that keeps us from doing our most important creative work.

Here’s the type of creative resistance I typically confront: Should I write today? (lack of planning). What was that deadline I set for myself? (lack of revisiting my plan). I think I’m scared to do that (fear). What should I do first? (lack of clarity). This is going to cost me too much money (what does my budget say?). I think I’ll mop the floor for the next two hours and I’ll write tomorrow instead (distraction).

Below are some examples of resistance you might encounter (many of these are from biz genius Seth Godin’s daily blog). Some are not obvious at first, but think about them a bit and you can easily see how we masterfully dodge, circumvent, by-pass and avoid getting the real job done.

  • Giving my music savings away to a friend in need

  • making my space perfect before I start working

  • Procrastination means delay

  • Perfectionism means delay

  • Criticism of myself and being a critic of others

  • Breaking up with my band just before a big show

  • Refusing to learn about new technologies

  • Failing to do adequate research

  • Looking for shortcuts when we know the long way is better

  • Not planning ahead

  • Dismissing my calendar

  • Aiming too high

  • Aiming too low

  • Refusing to set a budget

  • Neglecting my budget

  • Going over budget

  • Canceling meetings with key people

  • Blaming others for things going wrong

  • Not willing to be uncomfortable doing admin/marketing stuff

  • Ghosting

  • Being in a hurry to get things done

  • Too tired

  • Too busy

  • Thinking about how scared I am - all the time.

  • Thinking everyone’s better than me

Fear (otherwise known as resistance) raises its fugly resistance head in many annoying ways.

To combat resistance, be gentle with yourself first. Be grateful you have a gift to share and an impulse to do it, then make a soft plan and put it on paper - the paper part is important. Based on your plan, take your first 3 steps and… you’re golden!

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Love & Laughter Music Group