I’ve been writing a book now for a couple of years. It’s a work in progress and sometimes I feel it will never end. I love writing it though, and that’s all that matters for now. It will get finished in its own beautiful time and I’m cool with whenever that may be.
Sometimes when I mention to somebody that I’m in a book-writing phase, they get a concerned look on their face and tell me how hard it is to publish a book. Maybe. Probably. But where I’m at right now with my creative process, publishing is the furthest from my mind. I’ll face that dragon when it’s time, and honestly I’ve always had a soft spot for dragons anyway.
The creative process, I think, must be similar to having a child, though I have no direct experience with the latter. A person generally has a child because they feel the drive so strongly, no other option will do. It’s the same with writing a book. There’s an entity inside of you- a story, an energy- that needs to be birthed into the physical realm, and not allowing it is more painful than letting it flow. A person can ignore the creative drive for years and finally its force will become so loud and pervasive and demanding, procrastinating or suppressing is no longer physically possible. This thing has to come to life or it will devour you. That’s been my experience anyways.
But focusing on the outcome of that drive, such as- this thing has to be published, or this thing had better be a best-seller, or I better win an Oscar for a screen-play or I won’t continue- can be just as destructive as demanding a child still gooey from birth be a Nobel laureate, or Pulitzer Prize winner, or Ascended Master. It’s just not a good idea. What a cruel fate, this child born into these demands, who will likely accomplish nothing more masterfully as the resentment she feels for her parents.
Letting go of the outcome allows the fun to come through. Detaching from the demanding energy of perfection equals freedom of expression for expression’s sake. This book I happen to be writing, my creative process, is as innocent as a little baby. I can nurture its growth or I can squeeze the life out of it with the constriction of my own demands and fears. My choice.
Is there something waiting inside of you? Hoping to be written, or danced, or painted, or orchestrated into life? I hope you can listen with an open heart and a mind free from demands. Trust and honor your process. Like any child, it will grow into its own magnificence, its own identity. We’re just here to guide, nourish, and support. And if that kid grows to be a Nobel laureate, or a Pulitzer Prize winner or even an Ascended Master… well, that’s just the sweet icing of life.
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