Here comes a harsh truth:
I used to be the kind of person who would tell people my ideas... and then fail to bring them to fruition. Worse, I would tell fellow artists "Hey we should create ____ together!" and then never follow through.
This habit of "lacking follow-through" resulted in piles upon piles of unfinished projects, which created vicious cycles of shame about my "inability" to create art.
After years of working on this particular character flaw, I can proudly say that I have gotten out of the habit of speaking without action. Now I have more finished creative projects than not, and creativity easily flows through me.
And I'll tell you how I did it:
Instead of taking the "productivity" angle, I took the magician angle... and started treating my words like sacred vows.
The first thing every magician learns is that Truth is the Most Important Thing. So if your words don't align with your actions, well, you're a Liar! And there are deep spiritual consequences to lying!
So if you say "I'm going to write a book," then you've entered a self-inflicted contract.
And while there's no physical consequence in breaking this contract... there are SPIRITUAL consequences.
By failing to back up your words with actions, you create incongruence within yourself, which renders your energy impotent. You essentially condemn yourself to having no manifestation power whatsoever. So when you actually DO want to create something, your ideas will not easily connect with your actions... and that'll be your own damn fault.
It's not the "unfinished projects" causing you shame. It's the subconscious awareness that you're duplicitous — you don't say what you mean, and you're not to be trusted!
The cure for this is to become more aware of the words leaving your mouth, and only say what is True.
So now, when I have an idea for a book, I DON'T say, "I'm writing a book."
I say, "I have an idea for a book."
Or, "I would like to write a book."
Not only is that just an accurate description of where I'm at in the creative process... it's also NOT a self-binding contract.
And if I put "Chapter 1 due Thursday" in my calendar, well, you bet it's going to get done on Thursday!
Finally, I don't tolerate lies from other artists either. When someone wants to collaborate with me, I immediately ask, "When?"
Then, if they give vague answers or make deadlines they fail to keep, I simply move on.
It may sound harsh, but again: Truth is the most important thing.
All the negatives you hear about artists being unreliable don't have to be true.
Change is possible and it starts with you.
#ShadowWorkForArtists
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