In his blog post…
- How self-doubt kills creativity
- The false narrative of ‘creative block’
- Ways to rewire your brain for creativity
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” — Pablo Picasso
Few things are as terrifying as a blank screen, a deadline, and no idea where to start.
When faced with a creative block, my brain jumps straight into panic mode. “I can’t do this. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m not even qualified to be here.”
If I let myself fall into this mindset, even good ideas start to look worthless.
See how this works?
When confronting a mental bottleneck, you start to doubt yourself. But the more you doubt yourself, the more it limits your creativity… exacerbating the creative block.
How do we escape the cycle?
Recognizing How Self-Doubt Limits Us
Back when I was seventeen, my Tae Kwon Do instructor made a (surprise) announcement that I was going to demonstrate wood breaking for the whole class.
I was completely caught off guard.
It wasn’t like I was unqualified. I was just a few weeks away from my black belt test. But the self-doubt still surged up in me like a tidal wave. I whispered to my instructor, “I don’t think I’m ready. I don’t think I can do it.”
He responded, “Don’t think about the moment before your foot meets the wood or even the moment of impact. Think about the space behind the wood, and put your foot there.”
When my roundhouse kick plowed through those three inches of wood, I realized just how much self-doubt was holding me back.
Self-doubt is a choice we make. And we can choose differently. This isn’t my opinion; it’s science.
Rewiring Your Brain to Overcome Self-Doubt
As an adult, your brain has finished developing.
False!
Research has shown that we are unlearning and learning all the time, constantly forming and organizing new neural connections and pathways in our brains.
Most of those neural connections are formed in response to the world around us: new experiences, habits, traumatic events, etc.
But we can directly influence those thought patterns by consciously changing our habits and/or thought patterns.
Which means we have more control over our brain than we think.
As Dr. Kelley Yates puts it, “There is now a growing body of evidence to suggest that adult brains are in fact plastic and that with the right technique and a good amount of persistence and effort, adults can rewire their brains to achieve startling results.” (You can read the full article here.)
What does all that mean?
Your thoughts and beliefs quite literally shape your reality. And you can choose (and practice) the thoughts and beliefs that lead to the reality you want.
Read that again. Out loud.
If you think you’re facing a creative block, then you are. Those words in your head matter, because they convince you that the story you’re creating is real.
Rather than allowing self-doubt to limit your creative expression, what if instead you made a conscious effort to rewire your thought patterns?
Okay, but how?
Experiment with different ways to take a brain break. For me, movement of any kind is my go-to activity for quelling self-doubt and flexing my creative muscles. A walk around the block, playing with my dog, riding the spin bike, or even a few push ups or stretches can help. These activities get me out of my brain and back into my body, which can spark creative thinking and distract my mind from those creeping, limiting thought patterns.
Or allow your brain to go idle. Ever notice how ideas tend to come when you’re driving, in the shower, or daydreaming? It’s not a coincidence. When we allow our minds to wander, we allow creativity and problem-solving to blossom.
The next time you’re facing a creative challenge, instead of giving power to the doubt (and strengthening that neural pathway in the process) by saying to yourself, “I’m having a creative block,” try reframing the thought to one of curiosity and possibility.
→ Change location
→ Change position
→ Take a brain break
→ Ask yourself different questions
→ Approach the problem from different angles
→ Gather inspiration from other people
→ Learn something new
The fact is, facing creative blocks doesn’t mean you’re boring, uncreative, or incompetent.
It means you’re reinforcing the wrong neural pathways; magnifying doubt instead of reigniting your innate creativity.
Don’t underestimate yourself. Your brain is capable of incredible things, and you have the power to move doubt out of the way.
Every thought is a possibility.
