AIC Stories 043 - AIC Original S142 - Are you trying too hard?

We know creativity and art requires hard work. But are you trying too hard to make it happen and what is the danger of pushing too hard? 

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I posted this quote to my Instagram recently because it spoke to me on a day when I felt like I was struggling with my own creative process.

The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.

Julia Cameron

View this post on Instagram

Sometimes we fight too hard when we really just need to let go and let it happen. #creativity #creativityquotes #remember

A post shared by David Szweduik (@davidszweduik) on Aug 24, 2019 at 5:57am PDT

Even though it wasn’t anything related to the struggle or frustration I was facing at the moment, it was an excellent reminder to remember to just relax and let things be what they will. Enjoy the ride and realize that some things we just can’t control, so there’s no reason to let them get you down. 

It wasn’t more than a day or two later that I heard the most recent episode of Jeffery Saddoris’s podcast, In Between, called “Who Owns Your Happiness”.

In the episode Jeffery and his guest, Jon Wilkening, were discussing how Jon had pushed himself to a point where he had “Squeezed the art so hard to make it successful that he accidentally squeezed out the joy at the same time.” 

As I listened, I realized that I was dangerously close to doing that very thing myself. I had begun to focus too much on the results, on trying to control the end “product” or result, and it was the sole reason I was feeling frustrated. 

I walked away from the whole thing for a couple days, didn’t even let it enter my mind. I needed to let go of trying to control and force things to happen. I needed to find a way to just surrender to the process. In doing so, I felt some of the joy return and the project continued to move forward. 

It’s important to be able to realize when you are trying to control, trying to push too hard, so you can step back and surrender to the process of what you are doing.  

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How To Catch The Show & Contact Me

Listen anytime on the Official Website of Adventures in Creativity, or in the podcast player of your choice by searching for “Adventures in Creativity”!

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Thanks for listening, see you on our next adventure!

Theme Music:
Music: Funk In The Trunk by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Additional sound effects from https://www.zapsplat.com

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