“If, when you wake up in the morning, you can think of nothing but writing . . . then you are a writer.”
What does it take to be a writer (or any other creative artist)? Does it take getting your book published? Performing on stage at a well known venue? Does it take an appearance on a household TV programme? Exhibiting in a gallery? Does it take being financially reimbursed for your creativity? Or critical acclaim? Do you become an artist when you reach a certain threshold of hours, days or years of doing it? Does it take someone telling you that you are? Of course all these things affirm and boost one’s identity and belief that they are an artist.
But we often focus too heavily on these external measures and acts of doing. We think we need to do this, get that done or get to a certain place in order that we become an artist. We are always somehow kept behind, striving, chasing, never quite complete, never quite enough. We never quite believing on the inside that we are an artist.
Perhaps we would do well to also spend our energy focusing on who we believe we are on the inside. Then from this place we can turn to the doing and work faithfully and intentionally towards our dream, say of having a book published if indeed that really is our dream, because we believe we are a writer. A healthy balance of being and doing, of our internal belief system informing our creative pursuits out in the real world.
Belief without any action is just a dream. Action without belief is a hard and hollow hustle. Belief with action is a dream in the making, still hard work of course. It is hard to work towards a dream if we don’t believe we are the person in that dream first. Of course, a burst of action will feed our belief and is often a great place to start. But it is simply not enough when we think about the reality of pursuing a creative path. Cultivating self belief is an ongoing job well worth having as a permanent fixture on the ‘to do list’. It helps us to keep going in the dark and therefore keeps our creative dreams alive. When the doing wavers it’s often time to rekindle the belief system too.
Gerhard Richter says that “art is the highest form of hope”. As the artist you must cultivate that hope from the moment you wake up in the morning. Then you must pour your heart and soul into your doings - your creative path - whatever that might be and wherever that may take you.
Allow your being and your doing to work in partnership. Try start your day with a simple affirmation, “I am… a writer”, followed by, “therefore I will… sit down and write for 60 minutes today, so I can move this story forward before I start work).” Give it a go and see how you get on.
There are many more ways we can build our self belief. Keep exploring and find what works for you. Share the practices you have found helpful in the comments below.