Feeling Guilty For Making Art? Try These 3 Things

Art Lab

Laundry or painting? Admin tasks or creative writing? It can be a struggle to prioritize a creative practice that’s deemed ‘frivolous’ when other things seem more urgent or productive.

But, if we start to unravel where those beliefs stem from, we can better understand why we feel shame or guilt for making art, and build practices to help us get used to taking action even when they’re around.

Do you ever feel guilty for making art, or for wanting to dedicate time and energy to a creative practice? Let’s explore tools that can support your creative process, even when it brings up challenging feelings like guilt.

Here’s what I find supportive when those feeling come up:

Plugging into community:

Regardless of what you struggle with when it comes to making art, it’s vital to surround yourself with other people who really get what you’re going through. Whether it’s online or IRL, having art friends helps you get out of your head and normalize the sometimes intense emotions that go along with creative work.

Make it easier and do it more:

Sound familiar? If it doesn't, check out my episode on common creative blocks and how to overcome them. To recap, it’s all about lowering the barrier to entry and spending time with those uncomfortable feelings so they become more tolerable.

Diffusion:

This is a technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that creates distance between you and your thoughts and emotions. It doesn’t make the sticky feelings go away, but it helps reduce the impact they have on your choices and actions.

Resources Mentioned:

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris: https://thehappinesstrap.com

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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