I put it off for far too long: Shopping for health insurance. Without going into all of the details of the situation, not to mention the irony that a health care provider can’t even get decent health insurance without selling her soul to the….okay, maybe I’m getting a little hyperbolic and off track. Perhaps that is a soapbox for another post in another context.
What does my beef with the insurance industry have to do with creativity vampires?
I mention this not to get sympathy, unsolicited advice, or visits from trolls. I mention this to make a larger point about the care and feeding of creativity.
Before my foray into the stress-inducing experience of shopping for insurance, I was pretty hyped to write a fantastic, unique, insightful, and inspiring newsletter for you all. What happened instead?
The ups and downs of daily life have an impact on our creative lives.
Instead of feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment that I finally crossed a significant task off my list, I feel drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. Instead of wanting to engage in creativity, I want to curl in a comfort ball under a blankie with my favorite pillow, put some Star Trek on, and enjoy a vicarious romp in a future with characters who feel like a pseudo-
family in a world where there is no health insurance.
The flotsam and jetsom in the waters of life can knock us off track when it comes to engaging in our creativity. And that’s okay. It will happen; what’s most important is how we respond when we feel knocked off track or as if an energy vampire has sucked all of the creative soul out of us.
What’s the story?
When you get knocked off track or sucked dry, what’s the story you tell yourself? Do you tell yourself you’re a failure and will never reach your creative goals? Do you rant and rage at the unfairness of life and the world? Do you feel sorry for yourself? Hate yourself? Or do you see it as an adventure, as obstacles to overcome, an adversary to defeat (or befriend) on the journey to becoming the creative hero of your life story?
If you find yourself off-track of your goals or lacking energy, creative or otherwise, pause and ask yourself, what is the story I’m telling myself? Is this story helpful or inspiring? If not, how can I change it so that it is?
My Story
The story I’m telling myself is: After indulging in her comfort ritual, Machelle, with an A, reminded herself of the power of storytelling to bring a sense of comfort and connection to people. And so, filled with inspiration from her favorite television show, she returned to work on her novel. A story that, she hoped, would serve her readers in the same way, bringing them a felt sense of comfort, connection, hope, and joy.
What saps your creative energy?
In addition to paying attention to the story you tell yourself when you are feeling sapped of creative energy, having a sense of the conditions or situations that drain your energy in the first place can help you in crafting a new narrative. I now know that shopping for health insurance is best done after the creative work. How might you change your to-do lists, rearrange your schedule, or modify who you spend your time with, and for how long? Knowing your creative energy vampires will help you better manage your time and energy and help you bounce back after a setback.
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