trading expression for belonging We were designed to belong, to be in tribe and to prioritize connection with others. This need to belong created a pattern of always being aware of how we are perceived, and then optimizing for how we want to be perceived (i.e. becoming self-conscious then performing to get closer to who we think we should be). This is a mechanism that used to help us belong and thus survive, when belonging and survival were irreversibly linked, and now requires quite a bit of conscious effort to shed.
And in my case, being creative = being productive. But traditional productivity routines will convince you to focus on doing something all the time, which is usually the opposite of how to be more creative. Being (not doing) needs to be the priority so that ideas can rise up to the surface of your consciousness and give you something worthwhile to do!
This is the trouble with pkm tinkering and Motions adsTo me, self-expression is exactly what it sounds like: being yourself, in full expression. It doesn’t need to be some dramatic creation that forces everyone to look at you and say wow! To me, self-expression is being present, paying attention, listening closely, saying what you mean, and engaging with what feels truly alive in whatever medium resonates with you. More generally, I think about self-expression as making the choices that truly come from you (and not what you think others will like). Self-expression is exerting your taste on the world by acting on it.
Creativity has healing power. It has the ability to make you comfortable being seen.
