How Forgiveness Can Help You Find Inspiration and Creative Flow
- Mar 10, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: May 8, 2022
Written by: Camilla Fellas Arnold, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It is not fully understood how we find inspiration or get into creative flow. Some people think it’s an innate talent we’re born with, and others think creative pursuits are something you can learn and improve. What we do know is inspiration and creativity look different for every person, and it’s incredibly easy for you to become cut off from it. Writers and artists alike have been frustrated for centuries at the so-called writer's block or creative block.
There are lots of ways we can work through a creative block, but the most overlooked and key component is forgiveness. In this age where buzz words like self-care are becoming part of our everyday lexicon, understanding the role that forgiveness plays in freeing up our minds and souls, releasing guilt, and allowing flow to return is very important.
The truth is, so many of us wear ‘busyness’ like a badge of honor. Our to-do lists are ever-growing, and we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. By the time we have five minutes to breathe, we don’t have the energy for anything creative and feel guilty about relaxing instead of working on crossing off all those endless tasks and chores.
Instead of taking the time to relax, have fun or simply create, we collapse in a heap on the sofa and zone out watching TV because that’s all we have the energy to do. That is when the frustration with ourselves starts to creep in, and we make ourselves feel even worse for not having done what we really want to do, such as writing that book, painting, or practicing our photography.
It ends up becoming a perpetual cycle.
You may be wondering how you can break out of it. The simple answer is through forgiveness.
Forgive yourself.
While it may sound simple, it is hugely impactful.
Remind yourself that you are human. We are currently living through a global pandemic, the likes of which we have never experienced before. Not only have we got all of our never-ending lists and responsibilities, but we have added stress, fear, and isolation to deal with on top of everything else we have already got going on. It’s a lot.
Many of us have been functioning in survival mode for a year. It’s absolutely okay not to feel inspired or creative right now. Inspiration is difficult to come by when you’re stuck inside four walls for months on end. Creativity immediately falls by the wayside when you’re focused on keeping calm and simply surviving.
So forgive yourself for not using your days to create works of art or write your memoirs. Forgive yourself for not having created a course or come up with any exciting ideas recently. Once you let go of the idea that you should be creating and be inspired, you can let go of the guilt and free yourself up to simply be. By creating that headspace, you’ll find inspiration is far more likely to flow.
There are many ways you can practice forgiving yourself, and you’ll have to explore which method works best for you. One method I’ve found that works well for me is the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono Ritual of Forgiveness which works in four stages:
Stage 1: Sorry. Tell yourself that you’re sorry for being so tough on yourself. This can be as simple as ‘I’m sorry,’ or you can go into specific detail if you wish.
Stage 2: Forgive. Ask for your own forgiveness, i.e., ‘please forgive me!’
Stage 3: Gratitude. Thank yourself, thank the Universe. Thank whoever or whatever you believe in for the lessons, for the opportunities and the space you have created in letting go.
Stage 4: Love. Say ‘I love you’ to yourself and truly mean it. Love yourself for acknowledging, forgiving, and being grateful for the opportunity to let it go. Love yourself for trying something new to help you move forward. Love yourself for being all that you are!
Really feel into those steps, don’t rush through them. Once you’re finished, do something that makes you feel good.
You could...
Watch your favorite TV show.
Listen to happy music.
Dance
Bake
Meditate
Do Yoga
Cuddle your pet
Read
Sing
If you need to practice forgiving yourself every day for a week, every hour, or five minutes, that’s okay. Eventually, you will feel lighter, and you’ll find your inspiration flowing and creativity returning.
We’re living in tough times. Don’t add to it by being mean to yourself or making yourself feel guilty for not creating masterpieces every day.
Above all, remember…
You’re human!
Camilla Fellas Arnold, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Camilla Fellas Arnold is the founder of a hybrid book publishing house, a writing coach and writer with British and Cypriot heritage. She is currently writing her own fictional series and a non-fiction book, The Meraki Life on the concept of 'meraki', a Greek word in which she teaches ways to live life with love, joy and soul. A lifelong book lover with a passion for storytelling she studied Design for Publishing, worked as a freelance book designer at a small press learning about the publishing industry and honed her communication skills as a freelance writer and wedding photographer. It was a panic attack at a wedding that was the push she needed to return to the world of stories, setting up Tecassia as a hybrid publisher in late 2019, handling book production and distribution for visionary leaders and coaching authors through the book writing process. Her vision is to provide a platform for authors to share their voice that they otherwise might not be able to access through traditional publishing. Co-publishing in a collaborative way, it is her mission to publish extraordinary books from incredible leaders that inspire and change lives.
