Are You Hiding?

Where are you hiding? How are you hiding? 

As a creator, it doesn’t take long to start hiding. One week, you might feel on top of the world, knocking out one creative project after another. But the next week, you might feel like things are stacked against you. So you’ll do peripheral work that doesn’t accomplish things. You’ll sweep the floor of the shop and rearrange window displays instead of standing outside and inviting customers in. 

Some people hide behind their lack of connections. Some people hide behind their lack of gear, or time, or inspiration. Other people hide behind their abundance of gear, time, and inspiration. They have too many choices and can’t decide what to do. 

The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield is often called required reading by veteran creators. In this book, Pressfield breaks down the dozens of ways artists face resistance to their craft. Each chapter is short, and they all end the same way: by Pressfield telling his readers to keep working through the resistance. 

One of the best senses we can develop as creators is a keen understanding of when and how we are hiding from our work. From there, we must face our resistance head on, challenging the very thing that blocks us. Resistance will come anytime we attempt to do anything important. Those who accomplish the important things find a way around, over, or through their resistance.

Recently, I’ve been hiding behind not feeling 100% sure about a new project. Today, I will challenge that resistance head on, by getting started even though I’m not 100% sure. 

Where are you hiding?