15 Small Ways You Kill Your Creativity (Without Even Knowing It)
1. You judge your work too early
You know it’s too early in the process to judge. Yet, you bang your critical gavel with no hesitation.
This is a recipe for disaster.
If you struggle with this, try the following concept:
Imagine you have two hats. One says “Artist.” The other says “Critic.”
You can only wear one. Pick.
2. You have an all-or-nothing mentality
This mental model, in creativity and life, is very limiting.
It’s evident if you have an all-or-nothing mentality if you start and stop constantly. You believe that creating is only worth the effort if you have time, energy, and motivation.
Too much polarity leaves no room for creative growth or growth in general. An all or nothing, black-or-white mentality creates extremes that only exist in your mind.
If you ever catch yourself using conditional terms, like “never,” “nothing, or “always,” stop yourself.
Instead, do this:
- Try your best to find the positive side
- Ask yourself if there’s a possibility for a grey area
- Avoid unconditional terms like “never” or “nothing
3. You only create if a check is attached
As a creative, it can be challenging to pour your heart into something without a guaranteed return on investment. That’s why your why should be bigger than money.
If money is a dangling carrot to you, you will always create for the wrong reasons. And your work will be determined based on what you can get, not what you can give.
Strangely enough, the more you care about this, the more you will seem to repel money.
You will be less committed to the process and more attached to the reward.
Often, the most successful people are so passionate about their work, they’d do it for free.
If writing or creating isn’t that for you, maybe there’s something you’d enjoy better?
4. You make originality an idol
While polarizing and prolific artists stand out, they also stand on the shoulders of others who preceded them.
There are billions of love songs, yet, there will be billions more.
There are plenty of successful and well-paid people who were smart enough to leverage other people’s ideas. Don’t get caught on the originality wave. Else you’ll get washed out.
Instead of racking your brain on trying to be original, lean more into perspective and style. Which is a bit more nuanced and personal.
5. You do too many things at once
This is not about being multi-passionate. You can have many interests —there’s no harm in that.
But when you don’t devote time and energy to one practice, it’s difficult to truly improve.
Many people hide behind having multiple interests so they don’t have to fully commit to something.
Picking one thing and focusing for 6 months won’t hurt. Or, at the very least, devote uninterrupted time to writing, creating videos, etc.
6. You expect things to be effortless
Having a passive approach to creating is OK if you don’t want to improve, make a little cash, and impact people.
While you may coast, you may eventually find yourself dissatisfied with your output and quality of work.
Almost anything worth it will require effort on your part. Getting in great physical shape, becoming financially savvy, having an exceptional marriage — all require work.
So, why do some believe that talent alone will be sufficient?
It’s what Dr. Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset. And many people don't know they even have it.
It’s a mindset that believes because you’re gifted, you don’t need to practice. The table is already set and there’s no room for improvement.
When it comes to your craft, a relentless attitude, coupled with a growth mindset will steer you in a much better direction.
Try to focus on giving 10x effort rather than focusing on receiving anything. Having this mindset will offset your need for things to come easily.
7. You consume too much content
While originality is something to steer clear of, emulation and copying are also.
Ensure that your personality shines through in your work.
It’s perfectly fine and expected to study more experienced players in your field. That’s how many of us get better.
But you should never be too consumed by anything. Especially not to the point of influence.
“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.” — Austin Kleon, Steal Like An Artist
How will you know if you consume too much?
If you create based on what others are doing:
- Is this is good as Gary Vee?
- I guess I should do an Instagram Reel Video since everyone else is
- I can’t write, paint, or record until I read, study, watch _______’s work
Also, if you’re not creating anything at all, you consume too much.
8. You don’t spend time away from your work
Has your work become predictable? dry? blah?
It happens to the best of us.
There’s no variety, new angles, or spark in your work. Everything is the same because you’ve been too consumed by it.
Every now again, you need to stretch, take a walk, have a great conversation.
Use this time to get curious about life, find new avenues of discovery, and reconnect with why you love your work.
Creative and podcaster, Sean Wes takes off every seventh week.
“If you’re wondering whether you’re burned out,” he says, “you already are.”
Time away from work helps invigorate your mind. Keep things fresh as you can. And please, don’t burn yourself out.
9. You hang with a bunch of ‘non-creative’ people
Ever feel like creative people have their own language?
Some days ago, I was chatting with another creative friend of mine over Zoom. It was a breath of fresh air. Not because my friends and family aren’t understanding or empathetic.
It’s because, as a creative person, other creative people know the ins and outs and the pitfalls and joys of creative work. Even if they aren’t of the same practice, they know the landscape of the creative industry and more pervasively, the creative mind.
To hear someone say, “I totally get you,” is a relief. Or even when someone knows the delicate balance of charging for creative services.
Creative people need a crew.
If you don’t already have one, do yourself a favor and start a group chat with some creative friends. Network with people who are where you want to be.
As Jeff Goins says, find or create your scene.
10. You envy other creatives
No one else's success, ability, or popularity takes away from yours. It’s actually something worth celebrating.
And when you celebrate, you are signaling that success is something you yourself are open to and invite.
Envy and hate actually repel what you want.
And to note: People who are dedicated to their craft are just that. They have opted out of all other forms of distraction — particularly what other people are doing.
Also, don’t put other people or their creativity on a pedestal.
11. You’re too in your head
Being too in your head can manifest itself for a few reasons:
- You’re fearful
- You’re hesitant
- You’re overthinking
A lot of creatives suffer from all three (and more). But ironically, with creativity, thinking really isn’t important.
Wait, what?
Yes, you heard that right.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
That’s why many creative ideas happen in the shower, on the toilet, and while you’re doing dishes.
It’s your subconscious doing the heavy lifting.
But sadly, many adult imaginations have been broken.
Usually, when we do imagine, we imagine the inverse of what we want. Our deepest fears and regrets.
Also, we have a bad habit of wanting to appear intelligent. As creatives, this can limit us because we’re afraid of being wrong, looking stupid, and changing our minds.
But humans are contradictory hypocrites by nature. No way around it.
Two small solutions:
- Mediation or prayer
- Timed creative sessions that encourage playfulness and mistakes
And remember, don’t think so hard when creating.
As Bruce Lee says, “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”
12. You aren’t consistent enough
‘Enough’ is a tricky word. It’s personal and open to interpretation.
But you know what consistent means for you. And you know if you’re slacking or not.
The truth is if you’re regularly exercising your creativity, you will consequently become more creative.
“Create something once in a blue moon and people will expect something as novel and awe-inspiring as a blue moon. Consistency relieves you of this burden. The more you create, the more you have to throw away or release to the world.” — Gregory Ciotti, Marketing @ Shopify
13. You allow imperfection to stop you
Before you become a master of your craft, you will face many days, months, and even years of trial and error.
If your output is affected by every little blemish and imperfection, as Seth Godin says, you will never ship.
And shipping your creative work is what’s most important.
My minimal approach to diagnosing whether I’m focused on being perfect is this:
Perfection asks, how can I make it the best?
Excellence asks, how can I make it my best?
14. You can’t sit in solitude and focus
“Creativity flourishes in solitude. With quiet, you can hear your thoughts, you can reach deep within yourself, you can focus.” — Leo Babauta
Being alone with my thoughts is like having a mental dinner party. I know not everyone is like this.
But solitude allows you to unlock things mentally that you otherwise wouldn’t in a crowded room.
You have to sit and do the thing. That’s the only way you’ll get better. Also, being alone with your thoughts will allow your subconscious to do the heavy lifting.
I’ve had writing sessions where I’ve thought about memories from 10, 15 years ago that seemingly came from nowhere.
Solitude will do that.
15. You’re trying to duplicate virality
“What’s the marketing lesson you’ve taken away from this viral moment?”
This was a question posed on Twitter, referencing a video of a guy drinking Oceanspray, riding a skateboard, and singing Fleetwood Mac.
Um, keep creating. That is if you’re creative.
If your a marketing firm, I guess this is a different conversation. But even then, this still applies.
We have no way of knowing what the elements of a hit are, truly. Therefore, your best strategy is to show up and be genuine.
Finding your voice, style, and unique differentiator is a better investment than trying to follow the right formula. You can’t duplicate authenticity.
Trying to engineer popularity is actually the opposite of creativity.
There is nothing imaginative about that.
