The modern world works on billable hours, clocks watched, and the mantra, “Produce, produce, produce.” Even among other creatives there is a massive emphasis on getting more done, not to mention the competition. The pressure can kill creativity, damper the joy in your work, and knock you off balance.
You might find yourself somewhere between totally overwhelmed at the prospect of managing your time or you’ve tried and failed so often you are ready to give up.
It’s because you are a creator! You see the world in terms of expression and potential. You dream the impossible. You have exactly what it takes to make life functional, balanced, and beautiful all at the same time.
Having a creative spirit requires discipline. Creators like to let their ingenuity run wild and free. A dog can be a friend, a protector, and companion. But just like creativity, if not disciplined, the dog can go feral and then turn on its master. Once creativity is tamed, this energy can be harnessed, focused, controlled, commanded, and become a powerful ability for the creator who can masterfully control their artistic energy.
What kind of creative energy method (or combination of) are you?
Zig-Zagging energy is great for brainstorming, seeing the applications of available resources, recognizing opportunities, and fueling enthusiasm for new projects. However, the struggle comes with actually completing tasks.
Obsessing
Obsessive Focus Energy gets things done! It is the arrow shot from the archer’s bow: one target, one path, one destination. No distraction! No deviation!
When Obsessive energy ebbs, as all energetic cycles will, the creator is left in befuddlement, wondering where everyone has gone. They may realize that they have broken promises, missed opportunities, or simply strained their own capacities too far.
Evading
The Evading creator would like to write a book. They have lots of notebooks at home, but they need a fresh notebook. They may redesign their entire office, and then say, “I can put my mind to my work, but only when the dishes are done”.
Evading Focus Energy is about preparation. The wonderful thing about Evasive creators is that they generally control their flow of creative output and balance. They are great team members because they will never let the group run off half-cocked in excitement about the latest endeavor. They have prepared for every contingency and once the ball gets rolling, it can roll much farther.
We cannot change the outcomes of our lives if we don’t change our understanding of creation, time, and ourselves. You can channel your desire to create into the powerful motivating force it is meant to be.
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Deirdra Eden is a social and behavioral scientist and the author of Time Management for Creative People, in which she explores the seasons, cycles, and how to be in the right mind for right-brain creators.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Evading Focus Energy is about preparation. The wonderful thing about Evasive creators is that they generally control their flow of creative output and balance. They are great team members because they will never let the group run off half-cocked in excitement about the latest endeavor. They have prepared for every contingency and once the ball gets rolling, it can roll much farther.
We cannot change the outcomes of our lives if we don’t change our understanding of creation, time, and ourselves. You can channel your desire to create into the powerful motivating force it is meant to be.
* * *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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I most definitely have zig-zag energy. I am an idea person and a brain stormer. I see possibilities everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI do manage to get things done though esp. when there is a paycheck involved. But I still have to work to focus. Fortunately, I don't mind rewrites because I do see possibilities.
Thank you for encouraging me to think this through!
This is a really interesting post. I wonder if we can have more than one of these depending on the project or time of our lives.
ReplyDeleteOh this is wonderful! For me, creative-wise I tend to be the evading type, and I wish I was a bit more of the obsessor. I'd love to know how to approach things based on what type of trait we exhibit. What a great post!
ReplyDeleteDeirdra--This post really got me thinking. I wonder: could we zigzag from one method to another? Zigzag crazily from one to another and then back...
ReplyDeleteOh. I guess that's why I sometimes have trouble finishing things. ;)
Thanks for this post. You brought a bit of science into our reflection on our writing process.
Deirdra, your post really helped me understand alot about creative energy. I definitely have zig-zag energy. Great informative post.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting! I definitely see myself as a Zig Zagger but have also been known to Evade when I have a project to work on that I'm not so crazy about. I look forward to checking out your book and learning more!
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone, I am a little late on replies, but I want to thank you all for your comments.
ReplyDeleteI am glad this was helpful to all of you.
To answer a few questions, yes, you can have a combination or be on a spectrum of energy types. We can even switch from project to project or day to day because energy is a flow rather than something stationary.
This is my book called Time Management for Creative People:
https://amzn.to/36juDJI
It explains more in depth about the strengths and weaknesses of each energy type as well as the seasons and cycles of creativity.
I hope to be able to help creators to learn to masterfully control their creative energy.