How To Use Your Creativity & Vulnerability To Create Great Content

Creativity & Vulnerability

Creativity and vulnerability go hand-in-hand.

As a creator, you’re familiar with putting yourself out there. Sometimes you feel great and powerful, and others you may wrestle with self-doubt and the bothersome inner critic.

It can be hard to separate the feedback you receive about your work and projects from your self-esteem or self-worth.

After all, in many ways, your work is a direct reflection of your innermost thoughts and feelings.

It’s no surprise that there are many moments on the creative journey that can leave you feeling more vulnerable, raw, and fearful than fulfilled. 

Have you ever:

• Wondered what other people will think about your creativity (or you)?
• Held yourself back from expressing your creativity because of it?
• Had self-doubt, insecurity, or uncertainty hold you back?
• Let your creative goals fall by the wayside or get thrown off course?
• Second-guessed yourself to the point of anxiety, stress, indecision, or defeat?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, you’re not the only one.

Creatives are deeply introspective, and while this is part of the gift, it can be a double-edged sword. If you let negative circumstances, emotions, or feedback impact your desire to create, you’ll end up silencing your magic. 

So, you must protect it and encourage yourself to pursue creativity even when that familiar resistance shows up and tries to silence you. 

Luckily, there are things you can do to keep yourself focused and on the right track.

There are a million ways to express your creativity through content creation. So, no matter what you’re pursuing, these tips will help you overcome doubt and embrace your inner genius. 

Use Your Vulnerability To Your Advantage

Connect Creativity to Vulnerability

Moments of vulnerable, anxious thoughts might send you running, looking for a temporary escape.

But if you challenge yourself to pivot into the vulnerability, and use it as inspiration, your creativity is sure to benefit.

How can your vulnerability help you?

What is it trying to teach you?

More importantly, think about how you can use your vulnerability to help others. There’s a very high chance that the things you experience on your creative journey are relatable to your audience.

How can you incorporate your struggles into your content?

When you use your vulnerabilities to connect with people, you’ll diffuse its negative effect. 

Pursue Your Authentic Truth

No matter what your content creation medium is, you have the power to pursue and express your absolute truth.

Ditch the desire to please others and deliver content that speaks to you.

When you let your creative expression come from an authentic place, you give other people the opportunity to see who you really are.

From there, you can build up a loyal community that relates to and celebrates your work. 

It will be so much more meaningful knowing your content is a genuine expression of who you are (which is sustainable), and not something you’ve created just to satisfy someone else (which isn’t).

Upgrade Your Thoughts

Become aware of the negative thoughts surrounding your creativity when you’re in moments of vulnerability.

The way you speak to yourself has a big impact on how you show up to your creative work. And it can bleed into your content whether you realize it or not.

Look into mindful practices like meditation, mantras, or visualization to keep yourself focused on the positive, exciting future you’re building for yourself.

If you can make this a pattern, you’ll set yourself up for success. 

It doesn’t mean that negative self-talk won’t still be a part of your story (it’s nearly impossible to ditch the habit altogether), but it won’t have the power to hold you back in the same way.

Make The Uncomfortable Comfortable

Vulnerability often crops up when you’re navigating through new territory.

You feel a little uncertainty and excitement, but the novelty of the experience leaves you open to self-doubt and second-guessing. This is a natural way for your brain to avoid the discomfort of the unfamiliar.

But it can lead to stagnation on your creative journey.

One way to get past this particular vulnerability around the unknown is to purposefully invite it to be a part of your creativity.

When you choose to push through something unfamiliar, after a while it begins to feel like second-nature.

In other words, don’t let vulnerability stop you, choose to push vulnerability further and further outside your comfort zone. 

Trust The Process

One important thing to remember: resistance only shows up when you’re striving for more.

So, consider it a challenge!

If you weren’t attempting to make some big changes or experience major creative growth you would not feel anything in your way… because you wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Accept resistance for what it is: a pain in the ass, but a sure sign you’re on the right track.

Keep going!

Find Your Why

Despite your best efforts, your vulnerability can sneak up on well-intentioned plans and throw them off course.

The ebbs and flows of commitment, vulnerability, doubt, and perseverance are a normal part of the creative process.

You can re-commit to your creative goals at any time and remind yourself exactly why they’re so important to your fulfillment, security, and happiness.

Think about what your goals for content creation are.

Do you want to make money building a business?

Reach a larger audience?

Express your unique points of view?

The workbooks linked below are two helpful tools you can use as you think about why your work is important to you and where you want it to take you.

Then, embrace your work with renewed confidence in every aspect of your creativity, even the vulnerable parts.