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Valery Satterwhite : The Artist Soul Can Be Kidnapped by the Inner Critic
The Artist Soul Can Be Kidnapped by the Inner CriticBy Valery Satterwhite For many artists, challenges are very personal. And one of the biggest challenges is the Critic in the room, the Inner Critic. This gnarly Inner Critic is the voice of your self-doubt and fear. It is the emotional ties that bind you, hold you back, keep you stuck, limit you in what you think is possible for you as an artist. This Inner Critic will critique and beat you up more than any audience or perceived expert ever will. If allowed, this Inner Critic will suck the life force right out of you. "Being true to yourself is what feeds creativity, not self-doubt and criticism." Diane Arenberg Why? Because it is a very frightened little creature. It acts nasty as a defense mechanism. What it really wants to do is crawl under a bankie with a sippy cup where it's safe; where no one will bother him. There are many 'not safe' zones for the Inner Critic. Here are three:
Fear that you're not being, or won't be, acknowledged as an artist will hold you back. Fear that you're not good enough compared with other artists will choke your expression. This fear may lead to anger, bitterness and even depression. Since your art is an expression of you, this fearful held-back state of beingness will be reflected in your art. There is a vast difference between deliberately illustrating and expressing pain, desperation, and other negative emotions and holding yourself back in your artistic expression as a result of pain, desperation and other negative emotions. Here are some acronyms for the word FEAR (F.E.A.R.):
And my personal favorite (drum roll please...)
You can deny your dreams but the outcome will be quiet desperation. The desperation becomes the safe comfort zone. Your Inner Critic will fight hard to keep you where it feels safe. You may not like the desperate comfort zone that you find yourself in but it's what you know. Safe. No surprises. "To see far is one thing. Going there is another." Brancusi If you find that your in a state of FEAR there is a little trick you can apply to help you crawl out of that dark hole. You can ask yourself the following two questions:
The only thing standing between you and want you want to create for your art and your life experience is you. It's time to get out of your own way. Or, head down to Wal-Mart and get yourself a nice bankie and sippy cup. Get several. You'll be snuggled in, warm and comfy, for a long time. "Remember, with every doubt comes a hitch in the natural flow of being." Ian Factor © 2009 Valery Satterwhite. All Rights Reserved. ![]() 9/5/09 |