Recap: Unleash Your Creativity by Banishing Your Inner Critic

Heard from your inner critic lately? We all have one… it’s that inner voice telling us we’re not good enough or that others will judge our work. That inner critic is also the biggest block to our creativity and at the August meetup, Denise Jacobs gave us a few tools to banish it.

It started with a snowball fight

We all have similar fears and self-doubts and Denise brought that point home with a “snowball fight.” In it, we each wrote down our biggest fear about creativity or blogging, crumpled it up in a ball and threw it at someone across the room.

Seems like a good way to “throw that fear away” in a symbolic sense, right? But then she had us pick up another ball and read that person’s fear… out loud. Sounds cringeworthy, but it was actually eye-opening to hear how many of us had similar fears.

“I’m not as good as other bloggers. My blog won’t be successful. Others will judge me.”  These were all common doubts and fears among us.

“Snowballs” of fear

Overcome self doubt

Denise gave us a few tactics to overcome self doubt.

Practice self-compassion. Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend going through a tough time. So instead of listening to that inner voice (which can be harsh), give yourself a little compassion instead.

To combat the feeling your ideas aren’t good enough, keep a notebook and brainstorm 10 ideas each day. Even the worst ideas can lead to good ones. “Give yourself permission to write something bad, just so you get writing,” said Denise.

Like crafting? Work with your hands to free up your brain for brainstorming. When she had writer’s block, she turned to making earrings, a hobby she enjoys, and relaxed enough to get past the doubts and get back to writing.

Also, stop comparing yourself to others. You can’t compare yourself (as a beginner) to someone else who’s more established.

Own your expertise

Take your power back. Know your unique advantage and focus on that. Reprogram your mind so when a negative thought arises, you “swipe left” to delete it, just like you would on a smartphone.

Share your knowledge and start doing your best work by standing up to your inner critic!

Thank you to Denise for sharing her knowledge with us that day. Visit her online at DeniseJacobs.com and follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Thank you also to Pipeline Lauderdale Workspaces for hosting the Ft Lauderdale Bloggers.