When it comes to creating, I struggle with the same feeling of resistance I shared in our three-part series on finding creative inspiration. It’s a concept I learned from Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art” (recap shared in this month’s Creativity Curated Resources for members).
Resistance is the mind’s aversion to a task and the distractions it creates in order to avoid the task altogether. These distractions can show up in different ways for everyone.
For me, resistance takes the form of an infinite flow of “urgent” tasks broadcast to the forefront of my mind.
The moment I open a blank page is the exact moment I realize that I need to do something else… put in the laundry, clip my nails, see if the mail arrived, or vacuum that cobweb in the corner of the ceiling.
The lengths my mind will go to avoid a blank page is pretty incredible.
Through practice, I have gotten a lot better at realizing the unexpected ways resistance tries to hijack my creative time. I now do my best to label it for what it is, schedule the distracting to-do for later, and power through with my work. It’s not always easy, but it's a constant practice.
How does creative resistance take shape in your life? What ways have you found to power through it?
Dave Radparvar
Co-Founder, Holstee
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This article is part of our series on the theme of Creativity.
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