Transcript

Okay, so this is a video for anybody who's in the midst of some kind of creative process and wants to f*****g tear their hair out.

I am in that place.

I am creating something and I feel like the whole thing is s**t.

Everybody's gonna hate it.

Nobody's gonna like it.

It's not even gonna work.

It's just garbage and all my thoughts are garbage.

Everything about it is garbage.

It’s unclear and I don't know what I'm doing and it feels

JUST

AWFUL.

And here's what I know, having been through this type of process before with other things that I've created:

This stage is totally normal.

This is something that my brain just does as I'm creating something where it tries to convince me that it's a piece of s**t.

And so, if you're in that place right now and need a witness…

Hi, I see you. You're doing awesome. You're doing the work. If it feels like crap right now, that's okay. You're not alone. We can do this!

The creative process can be really f*****g messy and I want you to keep going and you can keep going.

We can keep going.

One of the best tricks that I've ever figured out in terms of getting that process to stop feeling as messy and uncomfortable is to stop focusing on “This is s**t. Everything's s**t. This process is awful. This is horrible.”

You acknowledge that. You're like, "Oh God, this is where I am and it's hard and I know that this will pass."

But then you start focusing on why are you doing this? What is it that you want out of this creation? Why do you want to tell this story? Why do you want to put this piece of music out into the world? Why do you want to create this thing and share it?

When you focus on “the why” that usually takes the focus off of you and it puts it on the audience, somebody else, the people that you're going to share it with and what it will mean to them.

And what it could mean to them, because we don't necessarily know what it's going to mean to them, but what it could do for them because that's usually why we're offering our art, our creativity, whatever it is that we're offering into the world.

Think about the other people that will benefit.

Think about why it is that you want to share this thing and put this thing out into the world and that might help.

But again, I see you.

I know it's hard.

We can do this.

Yay!

If you need help with any kind of a creative process, I’m probably the coach for you. As a professional actress, I know the ups and downs of living life as a creative person. We can explore your goals and get you focused on them in a way that excites you AND allows for a lot of self-compassion as you navigate the labor pains of creativity. I’ll hold you gently and playfully accountable so that you can keep sharing your gifts and talents with the world.

Find out more about me as a coach and use my Google form to get set up with a totally free, no pressure, full 60-minute coaching session. Honestly, it might be all you need. And it’s free, so what have you got to lose? 🥳

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thealignedactor.substack.com