Why feeling crappy (or happy) is no longer my excuse for doing or not doing anything.

mm... just looking at this title and noticing I do have a few swear-swear moments, don't I?

Sorry Mum, you raised me well, but well, we are Aussie too...

Anyway, I digress!

So there is a misconception about feelings and creativity I would like to clear up:

How you FEEL has nothing to do with what you CREATE.

What does this mean for you, me and the world?

First off, it means you will not necessarily create your best work as a starving, tortured artist, committed to creativity and poverty at the same time (although it's a very popular theme I would love to see all creative people get over once and for all - but that's another blog for another time!)

Second, it means that there really is not point in waiting until you feel good to start, or continue, creating anything.

See, I realised a few of things recently: 
1. I was probably never going to feel ready, happy, Xena-warrior-princess like all the time, and 
2. I was probably never going to feel hopeless, useless and pathetic and upset all the time either, and
3. That feelings are not remotely relevant to what I am capable of creating, nor necessarily indicative of what I actually have available to me, as it was pretty much all internal, and 80% of the time, pure nonsense.

Yep.  Turns out FEELINGS are completely irrelevant to our capacity to create.

I know, I know, probably no one is going to believe me.  But here I go, telling you more...

I really tried for a while to let my feelings guide and dictate my creative and productive output for a long time.  Headache? Forget it, I am out for the count.  Depressed and down in the dumps?  Incapacitated and uninspired galore.  Bank balance low and still so much work to do before I can send out another invoice of any kind?  Despair on steroids....  

Then I realised something. Nothing will change while I change nothing.

Oh, and I was bored. Like, REALLY bored.

Ok, so if you don't want to be a slave to feelings - and this does NOT mean turning into some kind of robotic meanie - here are my tips:

1. Look under the feelings for what is true - Ask this question: "If I was not feeling this, what would I be aware of?".  Have you ever noticed that a mood or feeling (good or bad) can be contagious? Why? Well mainly because it wasn't yours - and then you CHOSE to take it on.  So are you aware of other people's feelings or other moods going on, and sort of unconsciously running with them? If you love the feeling, enjoy it, yay! If you don't love it, send it back to wherever it floated in from... and you don't have to pick up another one. You could try relaxing and just being you, instead.

2. When you are becoming a drama queen with upset and emotions - play it up! And the Oscar goes to... you! Yes that's right. Stamp that foot, fling that hair, cry those tears. Life is terrible and it's not fair.  Really go for it for as long and as intensely as you can. Embrace it... and see how long you can actually maintain it before you get bored and move on. I dare you!

3. Listen to this song 30 times in a row:

I get to about 1.5 times before I go "Ok, nevermind I am over it!"

4. Laugh.  Feelings can be so ridiculous and hilarious - especially the hefty ones. Just watch a soap or telenovella and you will get my point.  And really, what if you were just free of being a slave to feelings? Have them, don't have them. Do whatever you want. But you DO get to choose. You may need help to get there, believe me, I get it!  When you are IN IT, it seems impossible to change. But change it can, and if it is change you desire, change you most certainly will have!