Which Creative Practice did YOU choose? Let’s EXPERIMENT, Together!
In my STUDY, SAVOR, & SUPPORT Each Other CHAT☕️🍵, we’re doing a deep-dive into our Book Club selection! This week is Chapter 7 of BECOMING AN ARTIST: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity by Dr. Ellen J. Langer.
In Chapter 7: The Myth of Talent, psychologists report that talent is “normally distributed throughout the population,” but EL says most of us think we fall in the “we don’t have it” bucket.
Problem is:
We often make false assumptions about the “Talented” people we admire.
Even world-famous artists like Picasso wouldn’t have had the confidence we assume he would’ve had.
I doubt he’d believe, “I’m the best,” without ever wavering or doubting himself. Instead, I bet he’d proclaim a willingness to try, to explore and see what happens.
Perhaps that’s the main difference between the Picasso he was able to become and us. And maybe, just maybe, we could become prolific Artists if we adopted the same exploratory Mindset, one that relies on curiosity instead of some mystical innate “Talent” that doesn’t actually exist.
Most times, “talent” is simply a set of skills that we can learn.
Indeed, as EL so aptly states, “The distance between those who do and those who don’t is not as great as it feels to those who want to but are afraid to.”
Sadly, those who are afraid to are often Mindlessly afraid.
When we’re truly mindful, we’d see the truth:
THE MINDFUL TRUTH #1: The “Talent” We Imagine Would Actually Be Boring
If the Talented were gifted beyond reproach, the way that we imagine them to be, to the point that they could “do no wrong,” where would the fun be in that?
If every sportsman knew with 100% certainty that s/he’d get a slam dunk or a hole in one, wouldn’t s/he get bored?
Where would the thrill be, if nothing could change, no matter the difference that might present itself, in various terrains or opponents on the field?
THE MINDFUL TRUTH #2: We actually want some level of uncertainty.
To see what each surprise evokes in us. To challenge our skills. To spur our creativity.
We want to explore the edge of our skills and be surprised when we make progress, perhaps more than we’d ever hoped to achieve.
THE MINDFUL TRUTH #3: Flow’s the Reward Along the Way
Even when we haven’t reached the finish line, there’s a reward along the way: that blissful state of Flow, when we become so engrossed in what we’re doing that we lose all sense of “Self.”
Our ego doesn’t get in the way anymore. We get to be FREE.
That, alone, is reason enough to get started, get going, and see where the path leads.
Now, take a Mindful Minute, to ask yourself:
⭐️ Last week, I asked, “Do YOU want to LET GO of Social Comparison?” and
⭐️ I invited you to JOIN ME IN AN EXPERIMENT:
To choose a creative activity to pursue alongside me.
Not necessarily the same creative practice as I’m choosing.
But, the creative practice that YOU choose.
One that would allow us to practice the empowering kind of Social Comparison that would allow us to not only THINK that Talent’s just a set of skills that can be developed, but to practice DOING it, Mindfully.
Let’s make the Mindful choice:
(1) to look at others for suggestions only — to show us that possibility and opportunity exists;
(2) to see Talent as a set of skills we can cultivate; and,
(3) to experiment with what it’s like to let go of perfectionism, drop the mask, release the urge to perform, and feel what it’s like to enjoy the creative process as it unfolds, no matter how imperfect our “Messy Middle” might be.
As I said before, I look forward to hearing which creative practice you choose.
But, before you do, I invited you to consider lowering the stakes.
So we don’t trigger our Sympathetic Nervous System to launch into a fight-flight-freeze-fawn-or-flop response.
Instead, we want to encourage our Parasympathetic Nervous System to stay engaged. Not to the point that we’re in “rest-or-digest,” but to the point that we’re relaxed enough to PLAY.
If we choose a creative endeavor that is too closely tied to our sense of identity, it will be that much harder for us to NOT engage in the undermining type of social comparison that we’re trying to avoid, because the stakes will be too high.
Instead, let’s choose a creative activity where if we succeed or fail, it will not trigger any type of over-identification with the Self.
⭐️ I’m excited to hear, which creative practice did you choose?
Personally, I choose MUSIC.
Why am I choosing this?
Because I LOVE music. I love to sing. I love to play piano. I love to dance or do martial arts, whatever, while listening to any tune.
But, I don’t have any illusions that I’m going to be turning into some type of Pop Superstar if I perform music, release it, or even post it for sale on a music distribution platform.
In other words, music is not insanely intertwined with my sense of Self. It is a big part of who I am, but not the entirety of who I am as a person. I love it and I am passionate about it, but it still allows me some wiggle room to stumble, fall, and even fail, and I will still survive with a strong sense of Self intact.
It will allow me to experiment and PLAY, and that’s the Mindset I encourage you to have when we start our experiments next week!
To make it extra fun, I’m going to couple it with something BIG that I’ve been planning for a while now…
So STAY TUNED!
🧠🎨The F.E.A.R.-Busting Creative in Me🎨🧠
🧠🎨honors & respects the F.E.A.R.-Busting Creative in You,🎨🧠
Marisa
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