The closer we can be to being comfortable with uncertainty, the closer we are to allowing something really magical to be expressed through us in our creativity.
In this, the first of the “Sunday Mini’s” I explain the intent of these short bi-weekly episodes, which will be everything from chats with listeners as they share aha moments they had listening to Creative Genius, creativity and contemplation prompts, my own musings, and whatever else feels like it will serve us to deepen our relationship with creativity itself.
There's a certain amount of allowing that has to take place for something new to emerge. And when we resist uncertainty, we cut ourselves off from that... magic - because that really is what it is - it's magic.
In this mini episode we’ll explore how to begin to become more comfortable with uncertainty, so that our creative practice’s (and lives!) can really shine.
Do you dread the feeling of uncertainty?
I remember when I was about 7 years old one Friday night, my friend Yulia and I hatched a plan to have a sleepover. We planned out how we would ask our moms and when my mom walked through the door, we pounced. Weary from her work week, she answered that she didn't know and needed some time to think about it. Impatient and panicking that my plans for the evening would be ruined, I demanded to know right now. I'll never forget what happened next: she looked me square in the face and said, "Katie, if you need to know right now, the answer is no. Please give me some time to think about our evening and weekend before I decide"
7 year old me COULD NOT HANDLE this level of UNCERTAINTY. And rather than wait, with the possibility of a yes.... I flew into a full blown tantrum that the answer was no. There was no sleepover.
I'll never know what my mother would have said had I given her what she asked for. But I do know this. My need to know (control) ruined my chances.
I walk around talking to myself a lot. I'm ok admitting that to you. You know, I work out a lot of things that way. I have ideas about a certain topic, things will come up and I'll just kind of talk about it for a little while.
I was doing that a little bit earlier today about uncertainty. I want to share some of what came to me today about it.
Are you comfortable with uncertainty?
When I say the word uncertainty to you, what do you feel? Do you see like a picture of the globe and airplane tickets with a blank space and the destination field or maybe car keys and wide open road - and a road trip that's full of adventure? Or does it make you feel a little panicky?
Does it conjure survival stuff: what if I can't I pay the rent? What's gonna happen in this relationship? Should I leave this job? What will happen if I "x" ?
What does the word uncertainty bring up for you? Because the truth is UNCERTAINTY itself is actually neutral, it's not good or bad. There are times when uncertainty can feel really uncomfortable and point to difficult, hard, uncomfortable things. But that's not a reason to just sort of avoid it at all costs.
When it comes to creativity, uncertainty is something that we can really benefit from making friends with.
The closer we can be to being comfortable with uncertainty, the closer we are to allowing something really magical to be expressed through us in our creativity. If you're a musician, and you sit down at your instrument, and you want to invent a new song, but you have all these parameters about how it has to go, there's a tightness that happens. It's the same thing, if you're an artist, and you're at your canvas, or you're writing and you have to write a certain way.
There's a certain amount of allowing that has to take place for something new to emerge. And when we resist uncertainty, we cut ourselves off from that... magic - because that really is what it is - it's magic.
How to become more comfortable with uncertainty?
What were times over the past week where you were not willing to be with uncertainty. And what might have happened in that situation, had you been willing to be with uncertainty differently.
Now ask yourself, "How am I willing to be with uncertainty differently in this coming week?"
It can be a baby step, you know, maybe it's willing to commit to using a pen in your sketchbook and not knowing how it's going to look. Or, if you're standing at a canvas to paint, can you allow yourself to move your hands in a way that's a little bit less tight, a little more willing to explore and respond.
And put the word uncertainty, somewhere where you can see it over this coming week: on a post it note on your bathroom mirror, a reminder in your calendar app, so that it pops up at a certain time every day for the week - any way of getting in front of you.
Put the word uncertainty in front of you somewhere and let that be something you're just willing to give a little bit of your attention to this week.
Ask yourself: What is my relationship to uncertainty? And what does that mean for the predictable outcomes in my life? And am I satisfied with that? Or is there room for me to shift my relationship just a little bit with uncertainty?
If you'd like to join the discussion on this, join the Creative Genius Community Facebook group. If you had an aha moment, tell us. What was the moment? What happened to you? What light went on? What changed? What did you do? What did it open for you?
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