The Key to Liberated Self-Expression
Kick down your creative barriers
To the deep thinkers,
Welcome to the Deep Thinkers Newsletter: A collection of essays dedicated to going beyond the surface.
If you’re new here, check out the Deep Thinkers archive.
We all have a story to tell, a vision to share, a song to sing.
It’s through these methods of self-expression that we connect to one another. It’s how we peer into the inner beauty of humanity, how we relate to each other, and how we purge our soul from the burdens placed on it.
Despite the benefits of self-expression, many of us still struggle to allow creative energy to flow freely within us. We have so much to give the world, but keep much of it hidden behind barriers. I’ve often wondered about these barriers, these almost insurmountable blocks.
Why can it feel like such a struggle to remain connected to our creative spirit?
The answers vary for everyone, but there are a few common barriers I’ve found that seem to afflict those who appreciate the arts and all things creative.
Some of us are too concerned with the nonessential and are easily distracted. Others try to force a spark of creative inspiration. We'll scour the internet for tips to "become more creative." We try the next brain-stimulating drink we can get our hands on. We purchase another device or software to boost our productivity. Still, our grasp on our creative powers feels like trying to fish with our bare hands.
The more I think about it, the more it feels like we’d rather find solutions to our creative blocks outside of ourselves instead of looking in the place where those solutions are most readily available: within ourselves.
Presence
I came across the following quote the other day while reading one of my favorite Substacks:
Your capacity to create depends on your ability to be here now. Inner work and creativity are not separate—the thought patterns that encroach on your sense of presence are what keep you from being in tune with yourself, which is the fundamental ingredient to liberated self-expression.
In other words, creativity thrives when we are in tune with ourselves. To thrive creatively means to feel. To feel without restraints. To feel without hiding behind distractions. To feel without surrendering to limiting beliefs.
Liberated self-expression requires presence. It demands an awareness that can't happen if we're too consumed with the daily grind.
So, what do these blocks keeping us from self-expression look like?
Life stressors. The things we worry about daily—career, money, relationships, health. If we’re lacking in even one of these areas, then it feels impossible to be present. It's unrealistic to think we can solve every life problem overnight. It all starts with a plan, followed by small incremental steps. As you chip away, little by little, the weight becomes easier to carry.
Limiting beliefs and self-doubt. A lack of self-belief is a massive creative block. Sometimes, when I write, I hear a voice urging me to give up. When I give this voice my ear, even for a second, I’m immediately taken out of my flow. Imposter syndrome. Limiting beliefs. Self-doubt. Creatives know these demons all too well. And for some of us, they’re the demons we’ll fight for the rest of our lives.
Forcing the process instead of letting it guide you. Some of the best creative work doesn’t feel like work at all. It can be challenging. It can require effort and persistence. But it should never feel forced. Be vulnerable and surrender to your work. Your creative essence wants to use you. But it can’t guide you if you keep trying to bogart the steering wheel.
Over-learning, over-researching, and over-preparing. How often are you preparing to share your work? To post your song. To share your new sketches. The grasp for perfection will keep you stuck in the preparation phase. Eventually, learning and preparing evolves into procrastination. You think you're making progress when instead all that time spent preparing has ripened into its own creative barrier.
How to fight your creative blocks
Your creative blocks are strengthened by your inner dialogue. The more you feed into them, the harder it becomes to hear your creative guide. But we’re here to remove those barriers, to find a path toward liberated self-expression.
It's through awareness and presence that you become the conduit for your creative spirit. Be honest with yourself. Identify your blocks. What takes you out of the moment when you’re trying to create?
If you feel like you're in a neverending creative rut, use the following to help you find your way:
Awareness
Awareness is an acceptance of your reality, your feelings, and the story you have to tell. Think of your awareness as a dial or a knob. Use it to dial into your spirit and get to the root of what you’re feeling. Or use it to zoom out and view your life from a different angle—from the beginning to the present. The deeper you go, the further you turn that dial, and the closer to you (the naked and vulnerable you), you get.
Perspective
Zoom in and then zoom out. Use all of your senses. Sit and feel your entire body, from head to toe, and back down again. Let your spirit speak to you. Search for the source of your pain. If it’s too much to deal with at once then move slowly, and with care. Your inner world holds all the inspiration you need. It's your source of liberated self-expression. View situations and your life from a different angle. Sometimes that new angle is the vantage point needed to create something breathtaking.
Vulnerability
Your creative essence isn’t something you grab through force. Instead, it is something you surrender to. You open yourself so it can flow through you. You allow it to use you. To consume you. You hand it the controls and allow it to run the show for however long you are open, present, and willing. To surrender in such a manner requires vulnerability. Playing tough or rejecting your feelings are simply more creative blocks. Vulnerability isn't weakness, but a sign of deep emotional wisdom.
Be with yourself
Through detached noticing, awareness allows an observed flower to reveal more of itself without our intervention. This is true of all things. Awareness is not a state you force. There is little effort involved, though persistence is key. It’s something you actively allow to happen. It is a presence with, and acceptance of, what is happening in the eternal now.
— Rick Rubin
Cultivating the awareness and self-connection necessary for true self-expression can feel like a lot of work. In our society and culture, we must look to create the time and space to connect with ourselves or risk being pulled into the abyss of neverending busyness and toxicity that’s infected our world.
Pick a practice that nudges you to center yourself, to become present…to be fully aware of yourself and everything you have going on inside of you.
For me, that practice has been meditation. When I meditate, there is nothing else I need to be doing. It’s all about being in tune with myself in the present moment. These moments when I allow myself to be alone and present are when I permit my higher self to speak to me. The emotions I’ve been running from become impossible to ignore. I face it all—the good and the bad—and use what I learn about myself as fuel for my writing.
Find something that encourages you to be more aware. It can be meditation, long walks, journaling, or working out. Whatever it is, it should inspire you to be more vulnerable; it should nudge you away from distractions.
Your story is right there, living inside of you, ready and waiting for you to share it with the world. Be with yourself fully, and then share what you have to say.
What stood out to me this week:
On our highest good:
Instead, I believe that our highest good is to love and be loved. Full stop. No asterisk. I try to live my life in such a way that people experience this with me. Every being on this planet is worthy of kindness, dignity, love, respect, and the chance to be nurtured.
On best days:
You never know when your next best day could arrive. So, you have to keep moving forward. You could be struggling to walk without stumbling today, and you could be viewing the world from a mountaintop tomorrow. So, stay in the fight.
🎵Song of the week:
Thank you for your time. Let me know how this post resonated with you or share it with a friend.
Stay blessed and enjoy your weekend.
On the section about forcing creativity: I agree and I'll add some nuance.
I never force myself to write creatively, but I do force myself to sit at my desk. I force myself to enter the ring even when I don't want to. But once I'm in - you just let the boxing take you :)
That's how I think about it. Forcing yourself into the environment, but allowing the flow to write the words.
Thought provoking as usual Jon!
I really liked the bit about awareness. It's so important to come back to reality sometimes and deal with our troubles instead of running away from them. Wonderful essay!