Overcoming False Narratives
We all have our own personal narratives - the story we tell ourselves about our life. And whatever you’ve believed all these years has affected your attitudes, choices, and most certainly, your potential.
Early in my career I started noticing students’ negative self-talk and how crippling it was for their development as well as their ability to enjoy the process. And it has been deeply disturbing to witness how impactful it was for a student to have even one single experience that forever became a false narrative of “not being good at art”. As Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian, said in the movie Pretty Woman, “the bad stuff is easier to believe. You ever notice that?” As you’d imagine, this behavioral phenomenon has been studied in depth, but all I’m wanting to do is point to it long enough to provide a first step for you: acknowledging the power of false narrative.
The culprit in your life may have been a family member, friend, acquaintance, stranger or even a perceived foe. But what I’ve witnessed more often is perhaps the most disappointing type of culprit - an art teacher. And naturally you’d be far more susceptible to believing the scrutiny of a licensed professional! The shameful reality is that there are a lot of bad art teachers out there. We are human, after all. And the truth of the matter is that there are varying degrees of lesson efficacy, but that’s not what we’re as concerned with here. It is the teacher’s power you may have unknowingly given them, power over what you believe about yourself. If they made you believe that you lacked “natural” aptitude for art, that became your false narrative. Or if they failed to see your strengths and your unique perspectives, those gifts you had weren’t validated, and you may have even been continually criticized for not painting “their way”. Countless students have shown me a certain brush method or paint handling technique they’ve discovered to work best for them while expressing how embarrassing it is to show me, saying something like “I know you’re gonna laugh at me… because this is my own silly way of doing it, and I know it’s wrong… my teacher told me it was wrong...but...it’s the only way I can get results I want…” So much negative, unwarranted self-talk! And for years I have publicly criticized art teacher culprits for their gross negligence and insensitivity. But nowadays I’ve taken on a less judgemental stance: not everyone was built to teach.
So to set this pep-talk straight and to make it hopefully more useful to you, let’s focus on some points of reference in easy-to-read bullet points. And even if you don’t think false narratives are a problem for you, the following suggestions may help with improving concentration and channeling. As I’ve heard expressed as “juggling without letting your hands get in the way”.
Meditate on this thought, daily if needed! “I will bravely delete “the bad stuff” by no longer giving it the power to define me. I now see it for what it really was - someone else not seeing my potential or knowing how to support my growth.
It may be necessary to name & forgive your culprit in order to truly release yourself from the power they’ve had over you. Put them in their place as a piece of your past experience that you have now outgrown.
Practice mindful task focus when you create. The healthy human brain is wired for it, so you DO have control over this. But first, you need to be clear about which “task” you’d like to allot your 100% focus on. A “name it and claim it” sort of practice, such as…
Experimental “play” time
Mastering a specific brush technique
Planning out a process or project
Reflection time
Assessment/critique time
A specific stage or step of an art process
Creative work parallels meditation as it requires similar disciplines and practices, such as allowing thoughts and emotions that are unwanted to simply “drift through like slow passing clouds”, simply acknowledging them for what they are, while not giving them a pervasive presence in our mind.
I’ll end on a favorite quote that’s probably been posted in hundreds of classrooms. “If you think you can’t, you’ll be right.” We all hold the key to our own potential … in our mind. And bit by bit, that truth will become your new narrative.
Have you been experiencing any negative self-talk when you’re trying to express your creativity? Sharing is caring! We’d love to connect with you on this blog opportunity!