Creative Dysregulation

Summary

The document discusses the concept of “creative dysregulation,” which refers to the inner imbalances that disrupt an individual’s ability to consistently engage with and execute their creative work. The author explores this concept across eight different areas, including mental, emotional, and spiritual. The goal is to move towards “creative regulation,” which involves small, intentional steps towards balance and harmony within one’s creative life. The document offers journal prompts and experiments to help individuals explore and overcome their creative dysregulation.

Highlights

• Identity creative regulation means you embrace who you truly are: a magnificent creative being capable of creating anything within yourself. Any view of yourself that is less than this is, in my opinion, a sign of identity dysregulation. To heal it, you must develop a fluid, expansive view of yourself as a creative being, becoming liberated from external influences and finding your source of identity from within.
• Watch out for an initial spark of healthy intrinsic motivation changing into unhealthy extrinsic motivation once you receive validation and encouragement from others. I find it best to consistently check in with myself as I’m creating on where my motivation is coming from (it is fluid and can change) with a question like, “What is driving me right now to create?” If I find myself hijacked by external influences or internalized ‘shoulds,’ I slow down and recalibrate.
• If you only focus on yourself, what you create may lack resonance with others, and if you only focus on them, what you create may lack resonance with you.
• It’s okay to have a few components that aren’t joyful, but the majority of your creative work should be pleasurable. Otherwise, what’s the point?