Flexon and The Art of Self Sabotage

What a Cutting Edge Titanium Alloy Can Teach Us About How We Restrict Our Creativity...

Isn’t technology wonderful when it actually improves our daily lives?

An example is a product that’s used for the frames of many modern pairs of glasses. Flexon is a laws-of-nature defying material that has its own “memory”, allowing the frames to instantly return to their original shape when they’ve been bent or distorted.

So if you accidentally twist your glasses when removing them, rather then permanently bending out of shape or even breaking as frames of the past would have, the Flexon frames simply flex then snap back to their original shape. How clever.

We too are like Flexon!

But this is not a promotion for Flexon, nor is it an article on new technology. It’s about our beliefs and behaviours as creative people. And as it happens, we too are very much like Flexon. Here’s how -

When we do something new, something different and outside our normal state and range of behaviour, initially we may just go with it, experiencing a mixture of feelings of fear, trepidation, challenge and excitement.

For example, say you write for a local newspaper. You’ve had a regular column for a few years that you’re comfortable writing and it’s not too challenging or time-consuming.

Then an offer comes in from a national magazine. One of their journalists has been keenly following your column and mentioned it to their editor, who’s also recognised your talent and potential to reach a wider audience. After a productive meeting, the magazine offers you a contract to write a series of articles based on your expertise.

At first you’re delighted. This is the break you’ve been waiting for, a chance to reach a national audience and share your views and knowledge, and you begin brainstorming and writing in earnest.

The “snap-back” starts to take hold…

Pretty soon though this brave new world starts to get a little uncomfortable.

You become aware of feeling outside your regular comfort zone, and slightly daunted by what you’ve been asked to produce. You worry about whether even accepting this project was such a good idea after all.

Little by little, habit by habit, the doubts creep in and you begin to revert to old patterns of thought.

Negative beliefs reappear and you berate yourself with comments such as - “What makes you think anyone wants to hear what you’ve got to say?”, “You just haven’t the talent to write at this level”, and “You’re getting above your station, stick to writing your cosy local column.”

And so, before too long, like the Flexon frames, you once again faithfully snap back to your former position, the one you believe and accept is your natural state.

How can we overcome this cycle of behaviour?

So what can we do in this kind of situation? How can we break free from this behaviour and avoid reverting back to our previous safe levels each time we step out of our comfort zone and get closer to realising our full potential?

Well, a warning from one of the leading suppliers of Flexon frames gives us a clue. They state – “However, Flexon frames are not indestructible. They can break if repeatedly twisted.”

And the same again is true for us. If we continually and repeatedly twist our existing beliefs out of shape – the core beliefs we have about ourselves, who we are and what we “should” be doing, the ones that we always revert back to – then they too will break.

Because these beliefs ultimately define our behaviour, the only way to sustain a new behaviour is to change the belief that underlies it to one that will fully support and nurture that behaviour.

Put into practice, this means identifying then replacing those negative beliefs that keep us small, limited and achieving way below our potential.

Developing new empowering beliefs

The key word is “repeatedly”. Once we recognise negative beliefs, we need to replace them with new empowering beliefs that become deeply embedded in our minds and our ways of thinking.

Doing this once, twice, even a few dozen times, is not enough, we’ll simply revert back to our former state, the one we’re so familiar with. Only by adopting new beliefs, reaffirming them time and time again to ourselves, and behaving in alignment with them, can we break free of the cycle.

There are a number of different ways of doing this. A tried and tested technique used by many is to use affirmations. An affirmation is simply a statement about yourself describing how you wish to be in some part of your life.

A great tip for creating simple yet powerful affirmations is to use the “Three Ps”:

Each affirmation should be Personal – begin with “I”, Positive – something that is desirable and helpful, and stated in the Present tense.

Some examples are – “I am a talented and capable writer.” “I create work that people enjoy and connect with.” “I am overflowing with creative new ideas.”

By creating then repeating these kind of statements over and over to yourself, then behaving in a way that’s congruent to them, you’ll be able to break free from the old beliefs that held you back and become as creative, confident and capable as you wish to be…

:: Share Your Experience ::

How do you relate to the process described above, repeatedly snapping back into old habits and behaviours? What kind of impact does it have on your creative life?

I'd love to hear your comments, just click on the comments link below.

Creative Immersion Sessions – The Joy of a Long Hot Soak…

Picture the scene: After a difficult and seemingly endless day at work, you battle your way home through the rush hour traffic, stagger through your front door looking like you’ve mentally gone 10 rounds with a heavyweight boxer, kick off your shoes, and slump on the sofa.

Your head is pounding, you barely have the energy to keep your eyes open and the mere thought of even standing up again takes more effort than you’re able to muster.

What greater luxury is there in these occasions than a long soak in a hot bath, up to your ears in soft fragrant bubbles, a chilled glass of your favourite wine and soothing music playing in the background?

Throw in some scented candles, indulgent chocolates and the lover of your dreams massaging your feet and you’d probably never leave the bathroom again..!

By immersing ourselves in such an experience, taking care of all the fine details and ensuring that each element combines and contribute to that overall aim of relaxing and letting go of the stress and tensions of the day, we’re able to give ourselves the chance to be fully involved, and so enjoy it as much as possible.

Now imagine the same scene, but instead of gentle music there’s relentless rock or dance music pumping away. Or instead of being lit by candles, the room is lit by fluorescent strip lighting. Or that delicious wine is replaced by flat lukewarm cola.

Wouldn’t be the same would it? In fact if just one of the key elements in this idyllic scene is completely wrong, it spoils the whole experience.

From time to time, it’s important to treat ourselves and our creativity and give it the same kind of luxurious indulgence and pampering as above.

To totally immerse ourselves in a creative project without distraction, even for just an hour or two, and to get back in touch with what it feels like to be totally connected and in the flow of our creative energy, can rejuvenate us in a way that lasts long after the experience itself is over.

So here are some of the elements to consider to help you set up some of these invaluable Creative Immersion Sessions for yourself:

Physical environment – Where is your favourite place for creating? It may be a studio or study, it may be outdoors, in your garden or a forest glade, or it may be curled up in bed with cosy duvet.

Sound – Do you enjoy creating with particular music playing? Does a different type of music aid different creative activities? Do you prefer complete silence? Maybe you enjoy the trickle of a brook in the background (either real or recorded)?

Isolation/ Company – Do you prefer to be locked away on your own with no-one else around to produce your best creative work? Or do you enjoy hearing the bustle of people moving around nearby? Maybe your creativity peaks in particular when you’re working with other creative people?

Refreshments and energy – Do you like to have food and drink close by to keep your energy levels topped up or would you rather refresh yourself beforehand then focus entirely on creating?

Mental preparation – Do you like to throw yourself straight into creating or go through a ritual or meditation before hand, to prepare yourself and your mind to be in the best state for creativity?

Tools and Resources – Would you rather have all the tools and resources you may need close to hand at all times or just begin with something simple and seek out the necessary extra tools or resources if and when you need them?

Consider all of these elements and any others that are important to you before having your Creative Immersion Session. Then throw yourself into it and enjoy the experience and results.

These sessions taken periodically can refresh your creative energy no end, and combined with creating a little each and every day, can ensure your creativity stays nourished and open and gets the opportunities and outlets it deserves.

:: Share Your Experience ::

How often do you take these kind of Creative Immersion Sessions yourself? What's your favourite combination or experience? I'd love to hear your comments, just click on the comments link below.