Week 9: Recovering a Sense of Compassion

Last week in The Artist’s Way blog series, we talked about new blocks that we might encounter as we continue on this path of creative recovery. We talked about some strategies that might help us in the face of failure and loss, and we also talked about the importance of moving forward, even if it’s one tiny step at a time.

This week, we’re talking about something similar, but more specifically, we’re taking a look at how to handle those crucial moments where we find ourselves wanting to retreat backwards and fall back into our old self-sabotaging habits.

Creative u-turns like these are bound to happen, and in Week 9, we’re learning how to be compassionate with ourselves and nudge ourselves forward when we’re met at these crossroads.

What is a Creative U-turn?

A creative u-turn is the act of turning back around, self-sabotaging, and falling back into old stumbling blocks in the face of things like fear, failure, criticism, and doubt. It’s common to find ourselves experiencing creative u-turns on this road to creative recovery. Julia describes it as “coming to a creative jump, running out from it like a skittish horse, and circling the field a few times before trying the fence again.”

In these moments, we’re tempted to retreat back to what used to be safe and comfortable. Old feelings of fear and doubt creep back in and threaten to keep us from moving forward.

Creative u-turns can be especially paralyzing when we start feeling the shame and disappointment of falling into one and not knowing how to get out. That struggle of not being able to get right back on track can make us feel frustrated and lost for long periods of time. This week’s readings provide some helpful strategies to help us along the way.

How to Maneuver A Creative U-Turn

1. Practice love and compassion.

“Fear is what blocks an artist. The fear of not being good enough. The fear or not finishing. The fear of failure and of success. The fear of beginning at all. There is only one cure for fear. That cure is love.”
- Julia Cameron

Remember that all artists go through creative u-turns, and it is perfectly normal to continue to feel feelings of fear or doubt. No matter how experienced we are, we need to remember to take baby steps, coax our artist child, and practice compassion in these moments.

Remember, also, that our inner artist is exactly that - a creative child. It still has many fears and insecurities, and even the smallest bump in the road can startle it and cause it to retreat. As our artist child’s protector and guardian, it’s our responsibility to create a sense of safety and reassure it that things will be okay.

The creative journey can be a long and arduous one, and in the face of hard moments like these, practicing kindness and compassion with ourselves can go a long way.

2. Acknowledge and assess the block.

“Think of your talent as a young and skittish horse that you are bringing along. This horse is very talented but it is also young, nervous, and inexperienced. It will make mistakes, be frightened by obstacles it hasn’t seen before. It may even bolt, try to throw you off, feign lameness. Your job, as the creative jockey, is to keep your horse moving forward and to coax it into finishing the course.”
- Julia Cameron

When facing a creative u-turn, the first step is to practice kindness and reassure your artist child that you’ve got things under control. And the first step to getting things under control is to acknowledge and assess what is causing this u-turn. Take a look at what “jumps” are making your horse so skittish.

Is it a fear of the unknown? A fear of failure? A fear of criticism? All blocks are a manifestation of some type of fear. Try to figure out what yours might be and begin to acknowledge and accept it. Once we’ve named the block, the steps to how we can overcome it will become clearer.

3. Continue taking steps forward.

After acknowledging the block, the next step is to take action to gently nudge your artist child to keep going. The tools that we’ve learned in the early weeks of creative recovery are a great place to start.

Continue your morning pages. Take yourself on an Artist’s Date. Indulge yourself in a creative luxury. Be mindful of those big blocks (i.e., the virtue trap, perfectionism) that might be getting your way.

And as we talked about in Week 8, continue to fill the form. Think of the smallest, simplest step that will help you move forward, and focus on that. Choose action over fear and trust that these tiny steps will help you get back on track.

4. Ask for help.

As Julia puts it, there are other more seasoned horses in the field who can help you along the way. They’ve gone through the jumps that seem impossible and they’ve made it to the other side. They’ve got so much wisdom and knowledge that we can learn from, but sometimes we think that we’re meant to go at it alone.

Sometimes it’s our pride that tells us it’s better to be self-sufficient, and sometimes we just like to make things harder for ourselves than it has to be. Admitting that we’re stuck and seeking out help can only help us through our u-turns and blocks more quickly though.

Seeking out help is something that I have a hard time doing myself, but when we aren’t able to arrive at the resources, information, or decisions to help us overcome a creative u-turn, we need to ask ourselves who can help us or lead us in the right direction. Maybe there are Facebook Groups that you’ve joined where you can ask questions, or maybe you can reach out to an experienced mentor who can help you out.

Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness - sometimes it’s the smartest and most resourceful decision that you can make for yourself. And most of the time, people are more than willing to help you out.

Finding yourself at a creative u-turn isn’t anything to be ashamed of or disappointed about. It’s a natural event that will occur on this crazy journey we call creativity.

Hopefully this week’s post will help you to maneuver those crossroads a little better. Be kind to yourself, pay attention to those reoccurring blocks, continue to fill the form, and don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Meet you back here for Week 10!

The Artist's Way Week 9: Recovering a Sense of Compassion and Maneuvering Creative U-Turns