Overthinking Creative
I was recently asked if I am neurodivergent to which my flippant reply was “Aren’t we all?’
It led me down an internet rabbit whole where my current conclusion is that I am ‘creative’ but that doesn’t come without a flip-side. Being a creative is a superpower - I am able to juggle well and multi-task and once I can break through the noise in my head I can find a place where I am on a plane of creative focus and lost in the task. The challenging underbelly of creativity is that all the ability I have to make something joyous, I also have an amazing ability to overthink and get lost in thought. The negative can be overwhelming and I have to use all my powers to seek the light and work toward sharing the good stuff. (I think I might have just diagnosed myself as a Jedi Knight)
I wonder if this is a brain type? A lot of the work I do with my online courses in enabling and encouraging creativity is about helping others get off the thought-train and sink into the process of making. It’s about providing enough wellbeing that there’s energy left for the type of functioning that making art requires. In a fast-paced, plugged-in world of adulting, it takes some determination to return to a state of play and slowdown enough to seek wonderment. I have been experiencing symptoms of burn-out where I have been over-functioning, holding space for the day to day stuff as well as the bigger projects that are my heart and soul’s purpose.
I’d love to know if this resonates with you? It’s hard to imagine myself as being anything other than who I am. I love my brain’s ability to process my creative side but I would sometimes like to find the ‘off’ switch and be able to rest and feel accomplished. I would love for the play and art-making to be the first on my to-do list not the last thing.
If this resonates you might like to join me for my Autumn Art and Wellbeing Retreat. You can find out more about the online access here and the in-person weekend retreat here.
However your brain works don’t forget you are beautifully unique and have your own superpowers xx
Worth a look:
Diary of a CEO - The ADHD doctor
From a physiological perspective, I don’t think creativity is accessible when in survival mode. I need to have a certain baseline of “everything is basically ok” before I’m able to make art or even have the energy to rearrange the day-to-day stuff to make room for art. Stress is a creativity-killer for me.