Breaking Free of Creative Purgatory
Learning to work without the muse
There’s this thing that happens when you’re doing Important Work That Matters or feels deeply personal to you. Your brain, seemingly out of nowhere, goes:
“NOPE.
Not doing this.
We are done here.”
Then it implodes, which is very annoying and inconvenient. And then, it starts giving you the 6,457 reasons why this awesome exciting idea you had yesterday is the dumbest worst most horrible idea ever.
These include things like:
You are a talentless hack.
You have nothing to say.
You are not qualified to do this.
You’re too old.
You’re too young.
You don’t have what it takes.
You need permission to do something like this.
You should be able to do this alone.
You shouldn’t want to do this.
You’ve missed your chance. Go home. Bye.
There’s a reason your brain does this. Some call it “self-protection,” others call it “fear,” and most call it “resistance.” We call it: Part of The Process.
The Process is as follows:
Most people aren’t familiar with this map because no one teaches it in school, which is why so many people quit too early. They abandon their brilliant ideas when they hit the “Everything Sucks” stage (above) because they don’t realize they’ll hit the “OMG I'm a Genius” in a few more weeks if they stay put and continue to slog through the process and stay the course.
There are a lot of reasons why people get stuck while trying to complete a Dream Project, but the main thing you need to know is that it is completely normal. In fact, it’s expected. You are doing something you have never done before. Of course you aren't going to know what to do at every turn. Of course it's going to be hard to decide whether to take a Dream Project this way or that way. Of course, your resolve is going to wane and your energy is going to flag at points along the journey. You are not a machine. You are a human. Humans get stuck. It’s not personal or a “sign you’re not cut out for this.” It simply means you are one of us.
Many amazing humans remain forever locked in what we call, “Creative Purgatory,” which is the space between, “Everything Sucks,” “Still Sucks,” and “Crawl in a Hole and Die.”
No matter how talented, smart, and capable you are - you have to face the moment when you want to crawl and a hole and die, judge all your work as horrible, and fail to move forward.
And then you have a choice: What do I do?
Answer: You do 10 minutes a Day
We are all subject to the same five stages of the creative process.
We all must traverse this perilous and circuitous journey hundreds of times, sometimes 500 (though scholars estimate Brontë went through this process 17,146 times). Experts suggest there is only one way to ensure safe transport from "I am a Genius" to "My Finished Work Now Reflects My Genius.” And it is this:
STAY THE COURSE.
Keep going. Keep making. Even if it sucks.
Building consistency is hard.
For one, it’s boring. So. Boring. We want inspiration. The Muse! Who can work without the Muse?! Well, you. You are going to learn to work without her because she’s unreliable and if we wait for her you’re only going to work on your Dream Project once every three years since that’s about her cadence.
She’s like your favorite flakey cousin. You love it when she shows up at Thanksgiving, but you never know which Thanksgiving she’s actually gonna show up for.
We keep creating with or without the muse.
At Brainstorm Road we recommend spending 10 minutes a day on your Dream Project. Yes, we know “it’s not enough time,” but we also know that ten is more than zero. And if you start with ten…magical things can happen.
The creative process is a beast. It’s personal, it’s hard, and it’s easy to quit. It’s much easier to say you’re waiting for the Muse than it is to sit down for 10 minutes and paint something horrible.
It’s much easier to say you’re waiting for the Muse than it is to sit down for 10 minutes and paint something horrible.
It is easier to quit than to do one small stitch on your quilt, write four lines of your screenplay, send the one email asking to interview that guy you want on your podcast, book the photographer for your new headshots, edit the audio for that video, or fix the lighting on that image.
Those who wait for the Muse will spend their life waiting.
The rest of us sit down and do one small thing. Even if it’s not enough. Even if it’s only ten minutes. Even if we’re not inspired.
That is how you break free of creative purgatory.
📣 Brainstorm Road is taking new members
Our next session starts September 18th. Click here for details and save your spot.
📣 Get Some Clarity on Your Project
We’ve got a workshop on Thursday designed to help you clarify what you’re working on and what the next smallest step is to move your project forward. Join us on Thursday at 12PM EST/11AM CST/9AM PST/5PM GMT.
Sign up for the workshop here.
We’ll send you a calendar invite once you sign up.
The process map is a keeper. It’s funny cos it’s true.
Cracking up. Didn't know we all have that cousin!! This process map is going next to my screenshot of the "All the work done while crying" creative process timeline meme!