Here's something funny, and possibly weird; as I am blogging this, I am experiencing a little writer's block that perhaps might contradict with the topic of creativity. Haha! But no, I am not here to talk about creativity; I'm here to talk to about how to gain creative confidence, which I personally think that it is slightly different from being creative, but is just as important as creative development.
I believe we are all creative; but whenever I mention the word 'creative', people tend to relate it to art. I have friends and readers approach me about how to establish a balance lifestyle, and sometimes, seek advice on how to be motivated about their lives or work. I tell them, "get involve in some kind of creative interest or a hobby, and they tell me "but I am not artist, I don't paint like you!"
I'd like to be honest, and I would like to say that, this sort of mindset is one of the reasons why generally us humans have trouble feeling good about ourselves, and more often experience inner battles. Plus, who said that Creativity is generally only related to Art & Crafts? Creativity is in your work, your life, your household, and can even be used in obstacle...
Whenever we give others tons of excuses, in truth we are actually telling ourselves that we don't want to do it. So, what may seem like some kind of external factor is actually created by ourselves. When we tell ourselves to believe that creativity is only meant for artsy fartsy people, right there, that's the level of your creative confidence in Life decreasing. Don't let your own ability go to waste.
"We are our own blockage."
I am familiar with these sort of situation, because at one point in my life I had trouble accepting that I was creative (including you and everyone else) until I fully understood the root cause of that false belief. It is simple actually; as a child we are clean slate like a white piece of paper. Our innocence and how we see the world as it is was what made us creative because we weren't born with self-judgement, rejection, or stereotypes. It wasn't until we are a little older, that eventually we were told by others around us (even media) how we should or shouldn't be.
You know when you are young, it is normal to have hopes and dreams. We are ambitious when we are kids, and we want to pursue an ambition according to our interest whether it is art, singing, dancing, sports, music or writing, etc. But unfortunately for some of us, growing up we were told that the future we chose was not suitable for obvious reasons such as money, security, consistency... as sad as that sounds, imagine the person who told us that was probably forced into having the same mindset by people in their lives without realizing it.
I remember when I was about 11 years old, one of supermom's friends came over to visit her. There I was on the floor playing with my LEGO set. I love LEGO as a child, supermom always made sure that I was given some time with it. As an 11 year old, I was very much in touch with my inner child; I had lots of ideas with my LEGO and so there I was building stuff with it. Supermom's friend approached me and said "Why are you even still playing with LEGO? You are not a child anymore! You should start reading books or something!". A simple remark like this can easily be a discouragement for anyone, especially a child. A simple remark like this can be passed of as a judgement, resulting a child to grow up without creative confidence.
Lucky for me, I didn't give a shit and supermom heard the comment in time to tell him that LEGO is actually NOT just a toy but an important part of a child's development.
Anyways let's not stray away from the topic; after battling with self-esteem issues especially when it comes to creative confidence, I personally have a few tips and suggestions that I am more than happy to share with you. Allow yourself to try these ways to gain confidence in your work.
Here it is:
1. Reward or compliment yourself for giving your best in your work. Every thought, effort and idea counts. Plus, each time you reward yourself for your effort will help you stay motivate and eventually lead you to finding your purpose in Life.
2. No idea is a bad idea or a worthless idea. In fact, the best idea comes from the silliest or the weirdest idea. Sometimes we need to let loose and think outside the box.
3. Believe in your dreams and love what you do best in. You are never too young or old to have a dream. Don't have one? Look back at your childhood and ask yourself, what was it you always wanted to do. Also, don't forget loving & believing what you do; no one can believe in your work if you don't believe in it either.
4. Appreciate compliments. Try smiling and saying thank you whenever you receive praises. It may be too simple, but something small like this can make you feel good about yourself. Most Asians were raised to be humble, and for some individuals, that includes shying away from compliments. I once met an American animation director who was teaching animation to the students at my workplace, he said something which I'll never forget: "There are so many talented Asian animation students in Malaysia. However, the one thing that they need to improve on is learning how to accept compliments, especially when they are told that they are good. This is important because, learning how to accept compliments can help a student to acknowledge his or her talent & skill, and move forward in their career."
5. Keep record and celebrate moments of your achievements, no matter how big or small they are. Every success counts. You can scrapbook it, journal or even screenshot it even if it's on Facebook. Keeping a record will help remind you of who you are and what you are good at.
Okay, I know the title says "5 Ways" but I'd like to add in a bonus tip:
*BONUS No. 6* : Acknowledge your gift, talent or skill. Everyone is good at something, and we are all born with a special talent for a reason. Identify that talent and acknowledge it. Use it and love what you do with it! Don't shun it away by saying things like "Nah! I'm not a professional..." Who said anything about being a professional? And that right there, goes back to Tip No. 4, unable to embrace compliments.
Finally, you are special. No formula or special methods, just simple ways.
You know when you are young, it is normal to have hopes and dreams. We are ambitious when we are kids, and we want to pursue an ambition according to our interest whether it is art, singing, dancing, sports, music or writing, etc. But unfortunately for some of us, growing up we were told that the future we chose was not suitable for obvious reasons such as money, security, consistency... as sad as that sounds, imagine the person who told us that was probably forced into having the same mindset by people in their lives without realizing it.
Everything becomes a vicious cycle.
I remember when I was about 11 years old, one of supermom's friends came over to visit her. There I was on the floor playing with my LEGO set. I love LEGO as a child, supermom always made sure that I was given some time with it. As an 11 year old, I was very much in touch with my inner child; I had lots of ideas with my LEGO and so there I was building stuff with it. Supermom's friend approached me and said "Why are you even still playing with LEGO? You are not a child anymore! You should start reading books or something!". A simple remark like this can easily be a discouragement for anyone, especially a child. A simple remark like this can be passed of as a judgement, resulting a child to grow up without creative confidence.
Lucky for me, I didn't give a shit and supermom heard the comment in time to tell him that LEGO is actually NOT just a toy but an important part of a child's development.
Anyways let's not stray away from the topic; after battling with self-esteem issues especially when it comes to creative confidence, I personally have a few tips and suggestions that I am more than happy to share with you. Allow yourself to try these ways to gain confidence in your work.
Here it is:
1. Reward or compliment yourself for giving your best in your work. Every thought, effort and idea counts. Plus, each time you reward yourself for your effort will help you stay motivate and eventually lead you to finding your purpose in Life.
2. No idea is a bad idea or a worthless idea. In fact, the best idea comes from the silliest or the weirdest idea. Sometimes we need to let loose and think outside the box.
3. Believe in your dreams and love what you do best in. You are never too young or old to have a dream. Don't have one? Look back at your childhood and ask yourself, what was it you always wanted to do. Also, don't forget loving & believing what you do; no one can believe in your work if you don't believe in it either.
4. Appreciate compliments. Try smiling and saying thank you whenever you receive praises. It may be too simple, but something small like this can make you feel good about yourself. Most Asians were raised to be humble, and for some individuals, that includes shying away from compliments. I once met an American animation director who was teaching animation to the students at my workplace, he said something which I'll never forget: "There are so many talented Asian animation students in Malaysia. However, the one thing that they need to improve on is learning how to accept compliments, especially when they are told that they are good. This is important because, learning how to accept compliments can help a student to acknowledge his or her talent & skill, and move forward in their career."
5. Keep record and celebrate moments of your achievements, no matter how big or small they are. Every success counts. You can scrapbook it, journal or even screenshot it even if it's on Facebook. Keeping a record will help remind you of who you are and what you are good at.
Okay, I know the title says "5 Ways" but I'd like to add in a bonus tip:
*BONUS No. 6* : Acknowledge your gift, talent or skill. Everyone is good at something, and we are all born with a special talent for a reason. Identify that talent and acknowledge it. Use it and love what you do with it! Don't shun it away by saying things like "Nah! I'm not a professional..." Who said anything about being a professional? And that right there, goes back to Tip No. 4, unable to embrace compliments.
Finally, you are special. No formula or special methods, just simple ways.
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