Are you unsatisfied with life, even though on paper everything seems like it should be fine? Does it feel like no matter what you do or try, you never seem to find that ever elusive fulfillment that you are seeking deep within? If so, you might be a repressed creative. Check in with the 5 Signs You’re a Repressed Creative outlined below and then catch my 3 solutions you can use to awaken the creator within.
How do we become “repressed creatives”?
Creativity comes in many forms and often times when we are younger we are more tapped into that source of creative flow, but as we age, practical things like education, bills, mortgages, and jobs take over our lives. Even if we are happy for the most part with what we have around us, we can still feel that odd pull within that somehow we are not doing what we are supposed to be doing.
You may have a lot of obligations in your life that you feel keep you from expressing your desires, emotions, or dreams. It may be obligations you chose but might be ones that were given to you, or passed on through family traditions. Usually, through our lives we reach a point where we stuff the creative parts of us away, deem them unnecessary or frivolous and begin a journey into practicality and “realistic” thinking. While it may bring us financial or physical prosperity, the repressed creative will still feel unsatisfied with this abundance because it does nothing to feed its soul.
Look through the following signs to see if you resonate with being a repressed creative and learn 3 ways you can unblock your creativity today and start feeling better.
Sign #1 – You Were Talented/Gifted As a Child
Children are naturally tuned into their creative joy and generally, adults do not steer them toward more “practical” pursuits until later in life (though there’s always an exception to the rule).
As a younger person, you may have been in a special program based on your innate talents. Or perhaps you were told how creative, artistic, or unique you were growing up. Maybe you even played an instrument, wrote songs, sang, painted, wrote stories, or made short films.
Fast forward to today and any trace of that part of you is all but forgotten. You may still have some memories of it lying around in a dusty box somewhere, but for the most part your life hardly resembles that of an artist, writer, filmmaker, or creative person.
Which is part of the reason why…
Sign #2 – You Deeply Admire Great Creators
Even if you don’t create currently, you find yourself admiring highly creative people. Perhaps there is a particular screenwriter or film director whose movies you’ve watched dozens of times. Maybe there’s a musical artist that you never get tired of and you listen in awe at how deep the lyrics are or how innovate the beat is. Perhaps there is an artist whose work you would love to one day own a piece of, or an author whose written “voice” instantly transports you to another world.
My father once told me, “greatness recognizes greatness.” And I firmly believe that you resonate on such a deep level with those you admire because you in fact have a similar innate talent and ability to create amazing things.
You resonate on such a deep level with those you admire because you in fact have a similar innate talent and ability to create.
But you don’t create. Instead…
Sign #3 – You Binge Watch Creative Competition Shows
You could (and perhaps do) spend hours watching creative competition shows like: Face Off, Skin Wars, Master Chef, Project Runway. If there are creative people expressing themselves, you are tuned in and curious. Your interest in these types of shows is primarily because of the same reason mentioned in Sign #2 and that is that you recognize a part of your own desires in them.
Basically, when you are watching, you are living vicariously through these people. As you watch, you may start to imagine what you would create or design but quickly negate the idea with negative self-talk or other reasons why you aren’t as capable or able to accomplish such things.
Which is the kind of thinking that shows…
Sign #4 – You’re Secretly Jealous of Creative People
Although you admire creative folks, you may find your mind turning negative and saying things like:
“I could do a better job.”
“I’d love to give up my job and paint full time but everyone knows that’s impossible.”
“She’s only big now because she knows so-and-so.”
Take it for what you will, but these negative thoughts are all limiting beliefs we have imposed on ourselves. They are lies the Ego tells us to keep us small and protected. Branching out would require us to risk getting hurt, failing, or being rejected and we are far too fragile for that right now. So instead, we watch with envy and prevent ourselves from seeing ourselves as fully capable of achieving the same success.
Which is why…
Sign #5 – No Level of Achievement Satisfies You
This is a HUGE red flag. You may be highly accomplished in your education, career, or domestic life. On paper everything looks fine, but something deep inside you just doesn’t find fulfillment in it all. You may even feel guilty for feeling this way. I know I did.
This subconscious dissatisfaction can start to manifest as addiction issues with shopping, alcohol, food, even sex and TV. You might find yourself doing everything you can to stuff down these feelings because you don’t feel like you have a way to solve them.
So what can you do about it?
Assuming you’ve read down this far and can see yourself clearly in the signs described above, I imagine you want to do something about this.
“So I’m a repressed creative, now what?”
Well, there are a couple of things you can do today to start shifting your mindset and awakening the creator within you.
Solution #1 – Reclaim Your Gift
You’ve probably heard at least once in your life that you have a “gift” but haven’t done much about it. Or perhaps you tried to and it went no where so you stuffed it away.
The Universe gave you this talent because it knew you would need it.
I challenge you to reclaim that gift and here’s how:
First, remember your gift is first and foremost for you. It’s YOUR gift, no one else’s. This means that the Universe gave you this talent because it knew you would need it. You need your gift the same way you need to breathe. It is there to help you feel good…to feel alive. It is not for anyone else’s enjoyment except your own. If you value your gift enough and begin to grow it to where it becomes abundant and want to share it with others, GREAT! But don’t put that pressure on yourself to “use your gift” and start pumping out best-selling novels overnight to try and save the world. First and foremost, you need to start creating to save yourself.
Solution #2 – Be Patient With Yourself
Think about re-awakening your creativity like coming into the light after years spent in a dark cave. You’re going to feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable for a while. Don’t expect your creativity to go from 0 to 60 overnight, even if you are innately talented. Even the greatest artists started as babies, learning to walk and not poop on themselves. Patience with ourselves is essential and requires us to be gentle to ourselves like perhaps no one else has ever been gentle before.
That being said, after my creative awakening, I wrote 40+ manuscripts in 18 months, won a writers scholarship, started painting for the first time, learned to make wire wrapped jewelry, and more. So prepare for an explosion of inspiration, just don’t expect any of it be Oscar-worthy just yet.
Prepare for an explosion of inspiration, just don’t expect any of it be Oscar-worthy just yet.
I suggest getting a journal or notebook or perhaps a camera or voice recording app and keeping track of your thoughts and ideas with the firm intention that NO ONE will EVER see this (even if you plan to share it later). Allowing yourself that bit of privacy will help you feel comfortable putting something out there. Give yourself the space to mess up and stumble around.
Solution #3 – Get Support From Other Creatives
No matter how alone you might feel, believe it or not, there are other creatives going through a similar transformation as you. I was once in your shoes and I know how painful isolation can be. So reach out and get the support you need during this vulnerable time.
Start by joining the Awakened Creators family. Follow @awakened.creators on Instagram and subscribe to the Awakened Creators YouTube channel to connect with other awakening creators who can support you.
Believe it or not, there are other creatives going through a similar transformation as you.
Are you ready to awaken the creator in you?
If you want more support, consider joining the Awakened Creators family on Instagram or YouTube for more inspiring content designed to bring you closer to your most creative self.
