Like Opening A Door Within Yourself : Tap Into Creative Courage
Creativity is the human capacity to see things from novel perspectives and think in new ways. Courage is the capacity to actively try them out. We need courage to play around with creativity because the dreaded zone of uncertainty and vulnerability is both uncomfortable and unavoidable. The process can be like opening a door to a part of ourselves that is highly sensitive to criticism — and therefore well-defended — and equally responsive to what is unexpected fun and interesting.
The strength we can only achieve through the creative act is not about any specific outcome. It is about the experience of navigating the unknown, and how that can transform our approach to change. When reality presents something we had no idea could happen — when an event or idea shocks the system, is disorienting and upsetting — our creative capacity gets a workout.
Creative arts therapy is grounded in the fundamental idea that creativity is innate to all human beings, and can be activated and made available for managing the painful, difficult, and unthinkable. Through tapping this inner resource, we will also discover unexplored strengths and uncover feelings, memories, or stories about ourselves that have been hidden by old beliefs and defenses. This does take courage, but the intent to tap into creativity and use whatever we find in some way can help shift from fear to fascination.
No matter what the goblins of old thinking may have baked into us, everyone has creative potential. Tapping into it has significant mental health benefits. But just as building up physical muscle strength requires some discomfort and tension that activates growth, psychological “muscle” grows through direct engagement with the unfamiliar, with ideas and experiences that stretch our thinking and capacities. To tap into our creative capacities in ways that “stick” and are available for real life scenarios, what works best is a highly supportive social environment, a balance of structure and safety, and a generous amount of fun.
We cannot predict what will happen next in the world, but we can prepare for managing the unexpected, through engagement with the unknown in a structured, purposeful way. Every risk we take increases our capacity to tolerate the discomfort of the new. Some classes and workshops focus on this and those are wonderful because of the immediate and tangible social support.
But we can do small things regularly that open this same door to our well-guarded treasure of creative energy. Try out a different route on a routine errand. Make mental notes of what is on that road. Notice everything. Write it down. Make a terrible drawing. A scrawl is just fine. Be a little bit “out there” in a small way that no one else even knows about.
Embrace uncertainty
Notice everything
Actively play with ideas that are unusual for you
Try the opposite perspective of what is familiar and comfortable
The courage to open the door to the untapped potential within ourselves will take us to a growing edge where we might glimpse the possibilities of the unknown. This can include rejection and being misunderstood. One of the most important and therapeutic real-life benefits of creative expansion is the capacity to deal with both. With that kind of courage, we can be more truly autonomous thinkers and actors on the stage of life.
Feelings of autonomy are essential for human flourishing, especially in the face of adversity. They are associated with an array of positive outcomes: Greater intrinsic motivation
Heightened interest in what needs to be done
Cognitive flexibility
Learning new concepts
Positive emotions
Self-esteem, trust, persistence, physical and psychological health
Creativity is the energy of change. We need it now, more than ever. And the courage to activate it can make our lives not just more fulfilling, but a positive force beyond our self-interest.
