Our Inner Stuff is the Raw Material of Our Creative Work
Maya Angelou commented about one kind of 'inner stuff’ we may face: the insecurity many of us experience:
“I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘Uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.’”
Used in my post: Gifted and Talented but Insecure.
It is at least a little reassuring to know accomplished writers and other artists can experience these imposter feelings, and still keep on creating.
One of the enduring ideas about developing creativity is to that creative people such as writers need to "get out of their own way" so they can more freely express their inner experience.
It is also potentially a core benefit of counseling or psychotherapy. But what does that really mean: Getting out of our way?
Dennis Palumbo, a writer and a therapist specializing in creative issues, addresses the question:
"If I, the writer, get out of my own way - that is, put my 'stuff' aside so I can write - what's left to write about? My stuff is the raw material of my writing.
“In fact, I'll go out on a limb and just say it: There is nothing but stuff. Which is great, because that means I'll never run out of raw material. As long as I'm a human being, I have an inexhaustible supply."
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