There’s a drift in the creative communityOf assuming the reason You are not moving forward on a projectOn maybe your whole careerIs resistance.

And resistance is real!I even resisted reading “The War of Art” Because who wants to read a whole book about resistance?!But here’s the thing!It’s so key.And may be the thing That helps you understand why you aren’t Moving forward!I saw a video of a peony blooming today. Here’s the link to my Insta.It’s in my stories right now.My first thought wasIt’s like a flower waving hello!And I mean it would be enough.If that’s all it was.I watched it again. And again. Was I resisting the annoying to do list? Duh. But was I actually mesmerized?I was.

And after the third Maybe fifth time through(after all there was that list to resist)I realized part of what was happeningPart of what made this flower video So completely compelling Was the retreat.Of individual petals.Even though the flower kept blooming Each individual petal did not move Irrevocably forward!Or outward - to be more specific.

Out and then in.Forward and then back.That’s what made it feel like It was wavingLike a hand.Oh hi!Like the watery wavesCrashing in on the sandAnd then heading back out to sea.I watched some more.The flower continued to bloom.As a whole.But each piece of the flowerEach petalMoved forward and pulled back.Breathed in And breathed out.As the flower flowed onIn a general trend of blooming.

What does this mean for your work?

Sometimes you are not resisting.Sometimes you step back to assess.You take a break between drafts.You put things in the drawer.Becuase you have a question. You sleep on things. Sometimes for years.(Great story in The Ankler today about Cormac McCarthy doing just that).Sometimes you are building the musclesYou are going to need to execute the next piece.Sometimes life.Life is real.And what you are making work about.So.Sometimes you are catching up with yourself.Backing away doesn’t always mean You are resisting.It can.But it doesn’t always.

Especially if you look at the whole Of your workAs the flower.And each piece of your work As a petal.Are you blooming in general?If not - probably resistance.If you are blooming in generalMaybe you are backing up specificallyTo get perspectiveMomentumClarity.And the thing is They may look the same From the outside.Because most peopleWill not take the time To perceive your wholeness.Some people will.A great agent or manager.Your collaborators.A lover. Maybe.A creativity coach.(If you need one, we might be a good fitAnd you can set up a call to explore that here.)But whether you answer aloneOt with helpThe question is the same.Are you resistingOr are you re/treating?

Re-treating after allTreating yourself well.Again.And again.As you must.If you are going to bloomFor a whole career.As I like to re/mind myselfCreate come from a word meaning to grow.Not a word meaning to make.

And growthBlooming Becoming It’s a dance.A wave.A spiral.An explosion.It’s many things.And sometimes it moves In what looks like retreat.Moving backwards is challenging.That’s why they put cameras in cars to help you.Do that for yourself.Give yourself toolsTo back away - dance - with grace.And be gentle with yourself.And tough too.Like a flower petal.

xx B

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