navigating creative callings as a highly sensitive person
navigating creative callings as a highly sensitive person
plus book giveaway, author visit, and vulnerability workshop
Hi friends! Below I’m sharing some reflections on navigating creative callings as a highly sensitive person but first I want to remind you that there’s an amazing book up for grabs. In honor of my author chat with
this Saturday at 11 am et on Zoom, I’m giving away a copy of her debut novel, Good Morning, Love, a contemporary romance novel that is a perfect summer read. You can enter to win by leaving a comment below. You can RSVP to attend our chat here, and I’ll be giving away another book during our session.We are going to help Ashley celebrate the two-year anniversary of Good Morning, Love! We will chat about the book, her writing journey, and her creative process.
Okay, let’s talk about emotions and how they factor into our creative process.
If you identify as highly sensitive or neurodivergent, the following creative challenges may sound familiar to you:
Imposter syndrome and self-doubt. Both lack of focus and hyperfocus. Task initiation and interruptions. Free spirit who struggles with discipline and structure. Paralyzed by fear of failure and success. Fear of vulnerability and being judged. Negative thinking and scarcity mindset. Being emotionally driven and highly reactive. Overwhelmed by steep learning curves and uncertainty. All-or-nothing mindset. Craving validation and approval to feel motivated. Burnout, boredom, and impatience. Comparison and envy. Struggle with decision-making and conflicting priorities.
If you know, you know!
These issues w/ resistance don’t just come up with creative projects; they come up with any intention to grow, change, evolve, or expand. Whether you identify as neurodivergent or not, pursuing your life goals and creative endeavors will require you to face your hidden fears and insecurities. These obstacles can be overcome through self-discovery, story work, and creative process development.
As a coach, I help people rediscover + understand their creative gifts and urges so they can work with them, not against them + learn what they need to thrive. We unravel creative blocks to see what’s at the core, so we can clear a path to the stories, visions + dreams that wait beyond them.
When I left the corporate world to pursue creative entrepreneurship, I spent thousands of dollars on courses and trainings to teach me how to make a living as a writer. I sat through hours of webinars and filled out all kinds of planning worksheets only to feel frustrated because they didn’t address how to overcome the emotional blocks I was experiencing.
I would sit with all these ideas in my head struggling to get them onto paper. I learned the hard way that I would need more than technical instruction to make the creative life I wanted a reality. It wasn’t until I learned how to manage my energy and emotions that I was able to make the lifestyle changes I needed to bring my creative visions to life.
Do emotional blocks keep you from taking your ideas to the next level?
When I took time to understand my authentic needs as a highly sensitive person, my creative process finally started coming together and making sense to me. That self-observation eventually led me to get evaluated for ADHD, and that diagnosis further informed how I approached my creative work and life in general. I finally understood why all those courses and trainings had missed the mark and left me feeling like I was perpetually broken or missing something.
You have to get curious about your blocks + and the feelings and inner conflicts that cause them.
My creative life + process changed when I began to approach it holistically, incorporating mindfulness, breath work, physical activity, spiritual practices. Researching habit change. Researching to understand my focus + attention issues instead of trying to threaten + shame myself into doing the work.
Having a strict daily routine never worked for me, but working reactively on impulse didn’t work either. Finding a rhythm of habits that support my creative process by providing both structure + flexibility has changed everything.
My coaching programs and workshops are centered in this work. If this spoke to you and you’re seeking community and guidance for working through these challenges, below I’m sharing what we have coming up for the rest of June.
…
Vulnerability in Personal Storytelling Workshop | Sunday, June 23, 1 - 4 pm et Register
Each of us has the power to look at our lived experiences to find meaning and wisdom that we can transform however we want: into art, into lifestyle, into legacy. In this workshop, you will learn how to view creative vulnerability as generosity, and how to offer up your humanity through story as a gift to yourself and others. You will come away from this workshop with perspective on your unique storyteller type and how grasping it can build courage, as well as best practices for taking care of yourself as you do this introspective work. Writers will produce a rough draft of a personal story. This workshop is designed for beginning and intermediate nonfiction writers looking to build courage in their voices and process.
…
The Practice Session #16: Dialogue with the Inner Critic w/ Erica D’Eramo | Wednesday, June 26, 7 - 8:30 pm et (free for paid subscribers or $15 drop-in fee)
Each Practice journaling session features a community member or invited guest who shares insights on the topic and a journaling prompt with the group.
Many creatives have a complex relationship with their inner critic. Rather than working to silence this voice, we will seek to open up a dialogue with her based on curiosity and exploration. By the end of our session, we will walk away with some tools and tactics for relating to her in a healthier, more productive way.
Erica D'Eramo is an ICF-accredited coach, columnist, and creative, as well as the founder of Two Piers Consulting. As a former engineer, she loves exploring how systems and environments impact the ways we show up in the world. She specializes in working with those folks who are breaking molds and trailblazing paths to create impact. Erica and her partner live in midcoast Maine and are proud pet parents to four feline friends and a flock of feathered ones.
***I recently had the pleasure of chatting about the power of community with Erica on her podcast. We discuss the underlying human need for connection and the roles that compassion, curiosity, and core values play in building resilient and inclusive communities. You can listen here.
…
Inner Story Writing Circle | registration is open and ongoing
The Inner Story Writing Circle, is a monthly membership for people seeking ongoing creative guidance and community for the heart-centered work of writing about their lives. Each month members have access to a variety of virtual sessions to study, share, and celebrate personal storytelling. We approach our writing goals from the inside out, doing the inner work that cultivates a healthy creative mindset, so writers can get unstuck and get free to explore the possibilities that their writing journey has to offer.
“GG coming into to my life through the Inner Story Writing Circle and her other workshops has been an unexpected gift that I didn’t realize I was hoping for. GG is a gifted workshop leader who has a special knack for introducing topics, ideas, and lessons that are just what I need on any given day of my creative journey. The co-writing sessions of Inner Story are where I create some of my best work. GG’s warm and abundant style of leadership spills over into the cowriting sessions and monthly workshops, creating an atmosphere of peace, acceptance, and camaraderie. Inner Story also provides me with much needed structure so that I can get the words down on the page—a gift indeed!” — Cindy D.