You don’t need permission to create
What stops most people from being more creative isn’t time, skill or confidence, it’s the idea we need permission.
Many people feel hindered by this belief. It’s not real, spoken permission from a boss, teacher, colleague, friend. It’s an implied, instinctive feeling that creativity isn’t a normal thing to do.
Where does this come from? My feeling is that during school years, we go from starting out creating all the time in the beginning, to a point where everything is academic and results-focussed during senior years. Creative subjects are seen as a soft option, unproductive but nice to do. A bit of a lark.
As adults, this stays with us, as the reality of paying your way through life sets in. People get jobs, often taking up much of their time. When you’re young, socialising takes up a lot of the time left after a job. Then, possibly parenting and other responibilities.
Eventually, most people lose confidence and ignore their desire to be more creative. This often stems from anxiety and fear. We worry that our ideas won’t be good enough (good enough for who?), or that we’ll be judged or criticised for being indulgent, or putting ourselves ‘out there’.
The truth is that creating is an important part of mental health. A way of expressing ourselves and our feelings without needing the world’s permission to do so. It’s a way of taking control of our lives and our experiences, and sometimes feel silenced by a world that doesn’t want to hear about it. Expressing through something that is uniquely our own, is a kind of therapy (without the stigma).
Most adults don’t know it, but creativity really is available to anyone who has the desire to create. It doesn’t matter what skills you have, what your job is, how old you are, or anything else. You have the power and freedom to create something new and unique, and you don’t need anyone else’s permission to do it.
As a designer, most other adults talk to me in the same language – often saying they could never draw, or they’re just not creative. These are limiting beliefs they tell themselves because they feel they need to be good at it to do it.
Also, let’s clarify what we mean by creativity. I’m not talking purely about drawing, painting, or wild ideas. I’m talking about creativity in the literal sense. You could make up a story in your head while waiting for the train. Or draw a doodle while in a boring meeting. The possibilitities are endless.
I’ve explored my creative side many times over. Just because I’m a designer doesn’t mean I’m constantly creating. I have to set aside time to do it in a busy schedule, just like everyone else. Writing this blog is one way I express myself, and process thoughts and ideas.
I’ve also explored my maker-bias in many ways. I build physical things around the home, I’ve learned to make and sell things online. I’ve buil
So if you're feeling stuck or held back by limiting beliefs, or feeling the world doesn’t want to know your troubles – remember that you have the power to break free or process those feelings. Just allow yourself to create anything, for no-one in particular, and see where your imagination takes you.
In a recent email Josh Specter shared the below video, saying “It has nothing to do with drawing and everything to do with creating”. It’s a heartwarming reminder that when we take a risk and challenge limiting beliefs, we let the magic begin.
