Writers and Artists Who Have What It Takes

Call it creative block. Call it procrastination. Call it lack of will power, talent or time.

Whatever you call it, every creative person experiences resistance in some form, at some time. If you’re creating, you are stepping outside the ordinary, and the limbic brain sees that as a threat. What makes or breaks us is not whether we experience resistance (we will!) – it’s how we respond to it.

You’ve probably tried bargaining with yourself, pushing yourself, setting self-imposed deadlines and schedules. You may even have gotten to the point of bullying yourself and questioning your talent, commitment and character. These approaches rarely work because they don’t resolve the resistance that is at the heart of the problem.

I’ve helped many writers and artists move through resistance to fully enjoy and succeed in their work. They all share certain characteristics. You are likely to benefit from working with me if:

You’re willing to stop doing what doesn’t work. You’re willing to stop beating yourself up, stop letting resistance beat you, and stop waiting for a miraculous inspiration to save you. You’re willing to take action and start doing what might work.      

You love your writing or art enough to endure discomfort. You don’t have to ‘suffer’ for your art, but you do have to challenge yourself. Trying something new is always uncomfortable at first. Love is what gives us courage and commitment to grow as artists and as human beings.

You balance doing with being. You are willing to work hard when that’s what’s called for. You’re also able to stop doing and just be when that’s what’s needed. You can tell when action is needed and when doing nothing is the best next step.

You have an open mind. You’re willing to explore what’s going on inside your mind and inside your brain. You’re willing to question your own assumptions and consider new possibilities.

You can be honest with yourself and with others. You are insightful and self-aware. You recognize that others can see things about you that you can’t see, and yet you don’t let other peoples’ opinions define who you are or what you’ll do.

You can discern what’s working in your writing or art and what needs improvement without judging your work or yourself. You’ve learned the basic elements of your craft and are always willing to expand your expertise by learning new techniques and concepts.

You can both play well with others and work independently. You recognize that your work builds on the work of others. You want to enjoy the synergy that comes from collaboration. At the same time, you know that you are the primary driver of your own work, your own achievements and your own success.

Resistance is not a character flaw. It is a natural human response. Resistance is not about lack of will power, strength of character or creative genius. To see how I can help you transform resistance into energy and action, go to How We Work Together.