📸 Watch Face Illustration by Jarred

The Breakdown:

You’ve probably heard of the “Serenity Prayer” before—most likely from Alcoholics Anonymous. It reads “God, help grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” At its core the serenity prayer is simply a call for us to practice mindfulness. John Kabat-Zinn defines Mindfulness as “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” Regularly practicing mindfulness (even just 5-10 minutes daily) is a pathway to developing self-awareness, which ultimately is a core aspect of developing mental fitness. Having a strong sense of self-awareness allows us to gain an understanding or “wisdom” to know where to focus our precious attention and energy. Being self-aware is fundamentally different than being self-conscious, and goodness knows we creative folks have enough self-consciousness already 😬!

Every Creative Practitioner knows that wasting time is unacceptable when it comes to meeting tight deadlines. With that maxim in mind, let’s consider this: We all have creative fuel tanks—and creative fuel is the magical stuff we use to get things done. The key ingredients of creative fuel are attention and energy…hmmmm, maybe this stuff isn’t so magical after all? When a car runs out of fuel it is impossible to continue driving it. This is a fairly crude metaphor (because a car is a machine and we are humans), but the same is true when trying to practice creativity with nothing left in the tank. It’s pure misery! We limp along running on fumes and then generally start beating ourselves up with negative thoughts (i.e. interpreting the situation through the filter of frustration and fatigue). This is akin to running low on fuel and getting out to kick the car and throw a tantrum. In these moments we need to become skilled at monitoring our creative fuel gauge—and—remember that fatigue and stress are separate from, but can impact how we apply our knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). We’ll have more on KSAs in a later discovery. By learning to pay attention to our creative fuel gauges we can discern how to vector our time and energy, which ultimately is at the core of keeping our tanks from running totally dry. Here’s a tidy mantra that basically sums it all up: Where your attention goes your energy flows.

But sometimes, even when we’re doing everything right, unexpected things happen (in and outside the scope of the creative work) that cause anxiety. Anxiety devours creative fuel without any beneficial return. At this precise moment is when self-awareness and mindfulness practice can help us get back on track. Accepting a situation and teasing out what we can and cannot control can help us re-focus our energy to conserve creative fuel or to pause and refuel. Be on the lookout for tips on re-fueling in future posts! So, let’s re-imagine the serenity prayer for creative practice:

“Allow me to have the self-awareness to pinpoint what is affecting my ability to use creative fuel with intention.”

When adversity arises, check in with yourself and repeat the prayer. Noticing your fuel tank is running low may give you all the information you need to make a decision. Think about the things you need to accept and the things you can and cannot change with intention and without judgment—particularly judgment that is self-critical in nature. Even if you made a mistake that caused the issue, tearing yourself down is a criminally offensive use of creative fuel. If you caused the issue, simply accept responsibility and rely on your knowledge, skills and abilities as a professional practitioner take effective action—not your knee-jerk reaction to the stress. 

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The Practice:

Recall a specific time in which something went wrong with a project that caused stress. See if you can pinpoint a specific action or decision you made under duress that worsened the situation. If it was something like an email, pull it up and take a look at it if you can. Now try to think back at the emotions you were feeling that made you do that—what could have changed if you would have taken a few moments to pause, think, then act?

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The Inspiration:

The video ⬆︎ is a tidy synopsis of The Power of Full Engagement. Originally published in 2003, the book feels a little dated in terms of look and tone. However, the conversation about managing energy and how that relates to time is more valuable than ever—even though it was written before the first iPhone was released (ugh we’re feeling old these days 😅)! It’s an OG of its kind and definitely worth the read.

📸 Mural and process images by Jarred—Painted in Gainesville, FL

The Breakdown:

Our desire to get things done faster is a reflection of our low tolerance for discomfort. Rather than sit with or mindfully engage with discomfort, we search for shortcuts to find relief as soon as possible—or worse, we procrastinate. This is natural because avoidance is an evolved biological imperative with the intention of keeping our species safe. Consider this scene: you are walking through a path in the woods and hear a rustle from the bushes near you. Our brain interprets this information as potential danger and triggers an avoidant reflex. Instead of pause and investigate whether the noise is a real threat (i.e. snake, bear, rabid tourist) it’s safer to assume it is dangerous than to take a chance and risk getting bitten (aka death!)—Protip: that rustle is more often than not a harmless squirrel or just the wind, but again better to be safe than sorry right?! Taking the path of least resistance is a physical manifestation of our fear reaction and translates to our anxiety—it bypasses opportunities for unexpected encounters, thus denying us the opportunity to diverge from established norms. So, you might be wondering, what kinds of threats exist in our creative landscape? If you’ve ever practiced under a deadline or promised a deliverable you weren’t sure you could execute then you probably know how threatening this can feel 😳. Deadlines and deliverables are inevitable when you practice creativity for a living; however, quality work often means doing things with more care and intention—particularly during the ideation phase of a project. Intentionally doing things the hard way can reopen pathways for experiencing the unexpected. And remember, the hard way is usually the way more aligned with analog process, at least initially. Analog is generally a slower process, but as the Navy Seals say “Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast.” We have so many tools at our disposal these days to do research for us and optimize workflow—and these things can help us get things done efficiently. But it is important to recognize the inevitable tipping point where we sacrifice intentionality for efficiency. Sometimes we allow conveniences or the easy path to detract us from an unexpected discovery, a moment of interest, a new surprise. Don’t allow external pressures or the latest greatest technologies to suck the humanity out of the most important parts of your working process. We are humans; we’re designed to move slowly and consistently and that’s ok! Ever have jetlag? We’re just not designed to move super fast. Our bodies keep us honest and tell us this with the lag we feel. Learning to accept that creative work is in fact meant to be quite hard is imperative. Trust yourself to do hard things on purpose. The scenic route is not always slower even though it might feel like it. Sometimes shortcuts require backtracking to makeup for the quality lost. Allow yourself to move at a human pace. Take your time—your path is the process.

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The Practice:

Sit down in your favorite spot without your phone or computer. Hand write a letter to someone you love that has passed away updating them on everything happening in your life since they’ve passed. Be as granular as possible. Take a nice slow walk afterward and notice how you feel (yes, still without your phone). Time box: 1 hour

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The Inspiration: Richard Linklater / Boyhood

Boyhood is a film that took Richard Linklater 12 years to make. Rather than finding actors to play different stages of the characters’ lives, he chose to stick with the same cast and film a piece of the movie every year. This is next level dedication to process and requires patience and trust—not just for Linklater to have trust in himself and the integrity of his idea but in his entire team to stay the course. His willingness to commit fully to his process led to a truly unique outcome.

It’s a simple idea to watch time work through a film, really, but it’s so impractical on a production level.
—Richard Linklater 

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Care to Share?

If you’re willing—feel free to share notes about your practice exercise or any thoughts about this month’s discovery in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you about how to make our monthly discoveries work best for your creative practice!

✍️: Discovery Diagram by Jarred

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The Breakdown:

Ever think…“I’d rather disappear than share my work?“ It’s true—there are risks associated with putting yourself out there. To make is to expose yourself. To create is to be vulnerable to the scrutiny of the spectators. That is the nature of a performer. This is scary. Therefore, it may seem easier to just throw your hands up and decide not to share at all—or—to withhold your most honest work out of fear that you (along with the work) might be rejected or worse ignored. Even though the process of making work may feel deeply personal, it is important to remember there is a separation between who you are as a person and your work outcomes. In short—you are not your work. Your work may be an extension of you or vice versa. However, this stands repeating, you are not your work. Work is something you make. As creative practitioners, we need to make astute judgments when it comes to iteratively making projects better—it’s literally what we’re trained to do! But this judgment can become a double-edged sword. When we cross the work / self boundary, by judging our character because of what we perceive as shortcomings in our work, big problems will arise. Let’s call this work-judgment vs. self-judgment. Passing judgment on our personal character (worth) because we’re not happy with our work production is a direct path to low self esteem, creative blocks, and eventually total burnout. In psychology, there are three strategic steps that can help you get unstuck from the trap of self-judgment vs. work-judgment. These steps are 1) self-disclosure, 2) self-distancing, and 3) self-compassion. We’ll explore these strategies in more depth in future posts, but today’s practice (below) is a trifecta of mental skills training to fortify your ability to go forth and produce confidently!

*PS We are only a little embarrassed to admit that launching Creative Performer took over three years due primarily to the produce or recluse phenomenon. So, we see you in solidarity and together we’ll keep creating 🫶.

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The Practice:

Wait until you’re home alone. Now look in a large mirror. Verbally recall a time when you did something embarrassing that made you feel awkward or ashamed. This could be related to work or your personal life. Consider the emotions and sensations you feel during and immediately after recalling the experience and jot them down. Step 1, self-disclosure, complete. Now, look back in the mirror. Sincerely consider what you would say to a good friend or loved one if they disclosed this to you. Alternatively, consider you see the situation play out in a movie as you’re watching and aware of what’s happening but from a distance. Step 2, self-distancing, complete. Next, reframe your language and attitude to offer what you would to that friend or that movie version of yourself. Try to verbally forgive yourself for whatever happened, acknowledging that you are here now in the present and have moved on despite the embarrassing event. Offer a gentle, compassionate, friendly attitude toward the situation and the people involved, most importantly making sure you don’t leave yourself out. Step 3, self-compassion, complete. This doesn’t need to be shared with anyone else if it feels too personal. Remember what you practiced during this process. If you start feeling these things while working on a creative project, it is likely you have crossed the work / self boundary. Remind yourself you are not your work in that moment. When possible share your work and your feelings with at least one trusted confidant to break the curse of creative isolation and shame. Take the next 5-10 minutes to reset your focus and intentionally make a small step towards your creative goal. Rinse and repeat as needed!

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The Inspiration: Iris Apfel

📸 : John Huba

“Doing new things takes a lot of energy and strength. Most people would rather just go with the flow; it’s much easier. But it’s not very interesting.” —IRIS

Iris Apfel truly understood that crossing the work/self boundary was a waste of precious attention and energy. She is unapologetically experimental and shows us the possibility of maintaining a creative edge while keeping personal integrity and self-esteem intact. She led a productive and high profile creative life until she died at the age of 102. The full length documentary about her titled “Iris” is worth a watch—see the trailer below:

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Care to Share?

If you’re willing—feel free to share notes about your practice exercise or any thoughts about this month’s discovery in the comments below 🙂. We’d love to hear from you about how to make our monthly discoveries work best for your creative practice!