Many creatives, like you, have complicated lives. You work a job, an uncreative one. You have friends and a family. Add a second job, or a holiday, or any of life’s joys and ills…. and you have stress and overwhelm. That’s when Mrs. Darkside whispers negativity in your ear. Battle your self-doubt with these tips and 15 inspirational quotes.
Who Is Mrs. Darkside
Mrs. Darkside is the name I’ve given my inner negative voice. You know, the voice that says you can’t do this. The voice that calls you an imposter or not good enough. The voice that you need to name and combat.
Give your inner negative voice a name. Names have power, so choose one wisely. Choose a name that exposes the lies of self-doubt.
Learn to recognize the voice of doubt and call her out on it.
Arm Yourself With Inspiration
A little more than a third of the posts on this blog inspirational and motivational. Why? Because as a creative, one of your worst enemies is your own self-doubt.
Keep a battle kit in your workspace. It can be a journal, a photo album, a recording, even a digital file. In this kit, keep inspirational and motivational quotes, images, and articles. The ones that speak to you on a deep and personal level.
When Mrs. Darkside comes to visit next time, whip that battle kit out. See which of your tools helps you battle your self-doubt the most and double down on that type of inspiration. Be victorious. Be the best creative you can be.
Change the World
Everybody has a creative potential and from the moment you can express this creative potential, you can start changing the world.
Paulo Coelho
Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference.
Nolan Bushnell
An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.
Edward DeBono
You Are Enough
There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.
Mark Twain
You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are.
Anna Quindlen
Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use–do the work you want to see done.
Austin Kleon
Creative thinking–in terms of idea creativity–is not a mystical talent. It is a skill that can be practiced and nurtured.
Edward de Bono
The creative person is willing to live with ambiguity. He doesn’t need problems solved immediately and can afford to wait for the right ideas.
Abe Tannenbaum
Choose to Be Alive
But unless we are creators, we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint of clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.
Madeleine L’Engle
Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.
Mary Lou Cook
The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.
Neil Gaiman
Be Creative
There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there isn’t.
Tori Amos
Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity that you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach–how you look at things… Whatsoever you do, if you do it joyfully, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing is not purely economical, then it is creative.
Osho
Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.
Rita Mae Brown
There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.
Edward de Bono
Need More Tools?
Search for quotes on this blog. You’ll find hundreds. Or visit the mental health toolkit post. Perhaps you need to remember you and your creativity don’t need to be perfect.
Whatever you do, whichever tools you use to battle your self-doubt, be the best creative you. You and the world will be better for it.
Image Credits
Swirl of Color Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Violin Image by Tharindu Nanayakkara from Pixabay
Tulip Image by 165106 from Pixabay
Knitting Image by Sophie Janotta from Pixabay
I love the name, Lynette. Mrs. Darksides. I never thought of naming that voice.
It’s an amazing tool to name that negative voice. I am not immune but I definitely recognize her more quickly. And allows me to show her the door quicker, too.