Creativity Myths Exposed - I Shouldn't Ever Repeat Myself In My Creative Work

One of the biggest fears of many of us who create is repeating ourselves.

We’re scared we’ll just keep producing the same pieces of art over and over again, never really progressing, always saying the same thing in the same way.

How often have you felt this kind of fear in your creative life?

In reality, it’s not quite the terrible situation it seems. There are actually many valuable reasons why it’s necessary to repeat yourself to some extent.

Here are 3 of the most important:

1. To get ever closer to the true creative you. Each time you create a piece of work that seems similar to something you’ve created before, there’s a reason. It’s because this is something that’s important to you, something you’re drawn to keep creating, something that’s a part of the core make up of your creative personality.

You don’t just create random and unconnected work, no-one does. The reason that you keep return to similar themes is that they’re the ones that interest, inspire and actually MEAN something to you. So keep exploring, keep getting closer to the essence of who you really are.

2. You enjoy your creative work on a deeper level. If you switch to a different kind of creative medium every week then yes you’ll keep yourself stimulated but it’s not likely you’ll ever get to the real heart of what each creative project is about – and what creativity for you is all about.

It’s like going to restaurant, and rushing table to table taking a couple of bites here, a quick mouthful there, and never settling down. Pretty soon you’ll feel nauseous, exhausted and pretty unfulfilled. Sometimes it’s better to sit down with one delicious meal and take your time to enjoy and savour the experience it as fully as you can. Same with your creative work.

3. You hone your creative talents and skills. Creating in a number of different media is a way to keep yourself fresh and interested. But even if the forms in which you create widely differ, you’ll still notice common themes running through in both WHAT you create and HOW you create.

The more you create around these themes - and develop these techniques and habits that work for you - the more practiced you become and the more clearly you’re able to express your true creativity – the message in you that you’re trying to communicate to the world.

These are 3 major reasons why it’s valuable and completely necessary to continue to create in ways that may feel like you’re repeating yourself.

Yes, variety is important too, to keep you inspired and learning. But it’s only by listening to yourself and creating what you’re repeatedly drawn to create that you’ll feel more fulfilled, enjoy creating more and become ever closer to expressing the true creative you.

After all, isn’t that what creating is all about?

There are many ways to be more creative, and to create what really matters to you.

I invite you to take a positive step to increase your creativity today by downloading your free copy of the powerful and practical "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook at http://www.CoachCreative.com

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin