Easing the pressure valve
Stop being so damn hard on yourself
A sneak peak still from a recent project.
When I visualize my life as an artist, I fantasize about a sense of ease and flow. I’m wearing head to toe French linen, hair tossed up in a messy yet chic bun, words steadily flowing out of my fountain pen into my journal with jazz music playing in the background.
In practice, I often feel the opposite: overwhelmed, doubtful, and compressed. I’ve therefore been ruminating on questions like:
How do I find more freedom in my creative work?
How do I treat auditions less like a check the box exercise?
How do I find more pleasure in the process?
I recently realized that the root cause of my dissatisfaction is the immense pressure I place upon myself. Pressure to be good, to finish, to achieve. I’ve also realized that pressure gets in the way of exploration, which is the heartbeat of creativity.
As I strive towards a more positive and sustainable creative practice, I’ve been embracing the following 4 mantras and methods to steady myself:
Let go of right vs. wrong. When I hyper-focus on achieving a certain outcome or result, the path forward seems to narrow. I find myself googling increasingly niche things like “Cockney accent guided practice for actors quick” and feel like I am cramming for the exam. I try not to tunnel visioning on the “right” way to do it and instead, honor my way, my curiosity, my agency as an artist and human.
Stop optimizing. Don’t try to do too much. In the first read of a script, just read it. Don’t try to read it, analyze the emotional undertone, and create the character’s autobiography all in one go. There are layers, and when I pressure myself to be efficient, I rob myself of the joy of uncovering those layers. Less is more! And speaking directly to my checklist tendency: checklists are supposed to be freeing not tyrannizing. I’m working towards not being too prescriptive on my to-do list, inviting my intuition to guide me then pick just one thing to focus on at a time.
Create nurturing conditions. Playing enjoyable music. Setting the workstation vibe and making my tools enjoyable and motivating, hydrating myself, sipping tea, nurturing myself and taking care of myself during the process goes a long way!
Don’t rush. Being rushed triggers feelings of insecurity and lack of safety and scarcity. I will not always be able to control this but when I can, I will set myself up for success by not putting myself in a rushed place.
Now take a big inhale, and an even bigger exhale, and tell yourself: you’re doing great.
Creative Fodder
📚️ “Righteous Dopefiend” by Jeffrey Schonberg and Philippe Bourgois. A raw look at the lives of homeless heroin addicts, weaved together with non-judgmental anthropological commentary. Rule human narratives drive the stories, while the authors unpack biases and all the social, political, and class forces at play. A MUST read for anyone wanting to work in addiction or public policy spaces.
🤠 You Should Probably Leave by Chris Stapleton. A song that really takes you on a full journey, about the bargaining that happens between two forelorn lovers. “It’s hard to resist, alright just one kiss, then you should probably leave.”
That’s it for this edition – take care until the next.
XO JZ