Creativity Takes Courage + Free Coloring Page Download

Why Creativity Takes courage

Pressing through fear of being judged while being bold and non-conforming enough to express ideas in a way that is different from what society expects is an exercise of the creative muscle that takes both practice and a whole lot of courage.

Creating art, or anything new and out-of-the-box doesn't just happen automatically, or every time an artist creates. 

Some of the time, the result of creative play is a beautiful masterpiece that makes you beam with delight, and the rest of the time, it is a hot, ugly mess because it is not at all what you envisioned it would be. 

This is where the courage comes in. If you begin to let fear creep in after a few times of pushing your art too far, it's easy to lose courage and quit pushing.  

BEATING CREATIVE RUTS

I have been chasing creative pursuits through my whole life while also struggling with bouts of self-doubt & creative ruts that bring me to tears. I fail often because I find it difficult to rein in my visions with reality of what I have time to do. 

Those creative ruts of mine have been catalysts for teaching me lessons I may otherwise not have the opportunity to understand.  

I now realize that most were caused by a lack of focus, letting my brain by in charge, pulling in many directions due to my lack of courage to practice and embrace the failures, reframing them as the “learning experiences” i now understand that they were.

Looking Forward

Continuing to build my courage and be more creative by breaking in this blog and using it as a tool to connect with all of you who want to be more creative too. 

The creative ruts and time spent practicing my art and running my art business is what lead me right here to Inspirational Zest. 

The combination of all those things now allows me to share the things I know, spread the love of creating art, learning new things, and getting better at crafting!  

I hope you will JOIN ME!

6 WAYS TO BE MORE COURAGOUS

The wonderful thing is, even though creative courage doesn't always come naturally, it can be developed as a skill, if you put your heart and spirit into it! 

If you are a creative person or are struggling to push through fear of not being creative, here are some tried and true suggestions of things that I am consciously practicing more of in my own life and I hope it helps you too!

1. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION​

What permission to be creative looks like is different for everyone, but it all adds up to resisting fear of making the wrong decisions by being compassionate to yourself and understanding that you do have good instincts that you can trust!

Sometimes, permission will look like allowing yourself to spend the money on creative supplies that you don't quite know how to use yet, other times it will be acknowledgement that the act of spending creative time and being creative is important.  

What holds you back from doing something new?  

Reminding myself of my permission to be a creative explorer is an ongoing thing. 

Yes, I try to talk myself out of it, ALL THE TIME. The good thing is, it has gotten easier to dig deep because of the practice.  I am on a journey to remind myself eternally that I can trust my instincts to make a good decision and pursue my creative desires.

No one else is going to do it for us and without doing it, we just won't know what possibility it will unlock and where it will lead. Even if it doesn't work out as expected every time, it's part of the process!

2. MAKE THE TIME

This one is the hardest, at least for me. Giving myself permission to be creative is one thing but taking the time for myself to do it without something else getting in the way, is another. 

The belief that always seems to creep in when I am thinking about just doing something creative for myself, is that I could use that time for doing something else “more productive”.

How about you, does your brain have a script when it comes to talking yourself out of making the time to do something that is just for you?

3. Make it a Habit

Having a habit makes it all easier to be courageous. If you don't have a daily creative habit, it's a great idea to start one and see if it helps you be more confident after 30 days.

The habit itself is a way of making a non-negotiable time slot for yourself and helps pique your curiosity, because the more you do something regularly, the more curious you get about learning new ways to go about it.

4. Maintain a healthy perspective

We all have our moments, but your ability and determination to work through the ups-and-downs that every creative person goes through depends a lot on your attitude, overall. 

Having a positive attitude and acceptance of what it will take to uncover new methods that will draw out your unique skills and talents is important! If you are always trying to skip the steps or cheat the system, it is only you that will feel defeated in the end. 

If you start feeling that negative unhealthy perspective creeping in, know that you are not alone, it is something everyone battles with from time to time, the most important thing is to look closely at your thinking and make sure that your perspective surrounding creativity isn't getting negative and self-defeating and if it is, reframe it! 

Healthy Perspective

• I won't have time to do everything I want to do.
• It takes a lot of practice to learn a skill.
• A work of art is never ruined, I can come back to it later with fresh eyes.
• It is important to do something for myself just for the sake of it feeling good to do it.

Unhealthy Perspective

• I just can't do it, I'm not a “natural”
• I should be able to do that, too.
• Practicing is a waste of time and supplies.
• It's silly to spend so much time on something that doesn't earn me money.

The way you value Creativity and what the process does for your mind and soul changes everything

5. Be Curious

Being curious is what develops your unique perspective and skill.  Give yourself many opportunities to explore your imagination through deliberate, creative play! 

Explore new topics by reading about them and observe other creative people doing what they love and give it a try yourself! 

6. Define your Strengths

Knowing what you are good at right now and what do you want to be good at in the future is a great reminder that you know what it takes to be resilient and develop skills!  it may not feel like a big deal because you already did it and it's hard to remember how scary it was or how it made us feel fearful at first!

Take that confidence and when you are having a struggle and remind yourself of that skill, find strength in the comfort of you, you don't always have to innovate or re-invent the wheel for it to be successful and most importantly, FUN!  

Reflection & Meditation

In celebration of my very first post on my brand-new blog, I was inspired to draw this coloring page to thank you for being here and encourage you to give coloring meditation a try!   It's a wonderful way to start a creative habit without spending a lot of time on it. 

A fierce lioness, a symbol of feminine strength and empowerment.  She fearlessly hunts for food and cares for her young while doing it. 

Just 10 minutes a day coloring and in a week, you will have a completed colored picture to remind yourself of you dedication to being curious, making new habits, reminding yourself of what you are good at, maintaining a healthy perspective even when you are struggling and making the time for it because your needs are important! 

Before you Go…

Hey There Crafty Web Traveller!

A Note from Carrie: This site is new for me, I am still learning the ropes, but excited and working hard on making this a place to inspire creativity through Arts, Crafts, and fun DIY Projects. There may be a few things out of whack, but I'm fixing it! Thanks so much for stopping by, I really hope you find something useful and come back and visit me again sometime soon!

Ways you can keep up with what's happening at Inspirational Zest

• Sign up to my weekly ‘Creative Juice' Box Newsletter 
• Pin Images from the best of IZ, so you can easily find them again!
• Spread the word about https://www.inspirationalzest.com to your friends who would also enjoy high-quality Free Printable Art and Creative Inspiration!   

Carrie Stephens