Creativity Coaching for non-creatives?
A few weeks ago a lovely woman reached out to me wondering if creativity coaching was for her. As we began chatting and getting to know each other, she explained that she wasn't sure if she had done the right thing by reaching out to me given that she wasn’t an “artist” or “creative”.
She began to explain that as a child she had dreamed of becoming an interior designer. She remembered reading and collecting interior design magazines, imagining how she would decorate her ideal future home, and just how enthusiastic she felt about coming up with ideas for future projects.
But as it often happens because of the lack of family support, financial struggles, and various traumatic life events, this woman felt forced to abandon her creative dreams. Instead, she grew up focused on survival, growing up fast, taking care of others, making everyone else happy, and becoming a responsible adult.
Sadly, her story is far from unique. So many people, especially women of color and people with marginalized identities, are often discouraged from engaging in creative pursuits.
We are told—by people who know nothing about the creative life—that doing anything creative is a waste of time, it’s selfish, it’s childish, and worst of all, it’s irresponsible.
We begin to dismiss our creative curiosity. Instead, we learn to replace it with more respectable things like— being the good girl, being the high achiever, workaholism, perfectionism, over extending ourselves for the sake of not stirring the pot, and a number of other behaviors that give us a false sense of control and predictability in our lives.
Yet at one point or another, these coping mechanisms stop working and we begin to realize just how unhappy and dissatisfied we really are.
We aren’t able to see just how out of touch we are with our own selves. Unable to relax, take breaks, or step away from our caregiving roles without feeling shame and guilt.
We feel like we have to always be on, being productive, doing things that lead to tangible outcomes, being responsible for everyone, and never even considering doing something for ourselves.
It’s not until this breaking point that so many of us recognize that we don’t know how to rest, have fun, play, care for ourselves, and generally live life for ourselves.
Art and creativity have long been out of the picture. So, creating for ourselves doesn’t really cross our mind. It seems like the benefits of art and creativity are only reserved for those who studied art or work in a creative field. We don’t feel we can call ourselves “creative” or “artistic”.
This keeps us feeling stuck, unable to reach out for support, struggling to find an outlet to help us relax and express ourselves creatively, and generally from experiencing more fun and play.
Benefits that would allow us not only to experience more life satisfaction but also help us to show up better in other parts of our life.
The truth is that creativity and art making is for everyone! You don’t need a fancy degree, an authority figure’s permission, or expensive tools to create. You can create because it makes you happy.
In fact, creating later in life can prove to be a total advantage, as you have more life experience, tend to have more self-awareness, care less about what people think, and have lower expectations for what you can create. Things that professional artists don’t always get to develop due to the pressure for financial and external success.
If you consider yourself non-creative and need help rediscovering the power of art and creativity for your own personal growth and self-discovery, I would love to help you! Book a Discovery Call and let’s kickstart your creative journey today!
Renata is a creativity coach guiding women of color creatives to breakthrough creative block with therapeutic art making. She’s currently offering a free copy of her therapeutic art making workbook when you sign up for her email list. Sign up here to get your free copy.
