Creative frustation (and why it’s a good thing)

Yep. It sounds counterintuitive, but your creativity craves frustration. She/he/they/it love boundaries to hit up against, barriers to overcome, friction to smooth out.

You know those ‘Last Chance! Discontinued Item!’ sales? Think of those constraints as creativity batteries for your brain. You might not use it in that exact moment, but you need that bounce of frustration, disappointment, envy, boredom, et al. Just like those bowling lane guard rails bounce you back on track, so do your negative emotions.

Deadlines borrow from this same concept. Counterintuitively, deadlines and pressure help lighten the ICV (Inner Critic Voice). Really.

Give yourself external vs internal pain

Instead of running from the internal fear, frustration, or pain, your brain is now running from the external deadline. Do you hate your deadline? Great! Channel that hate away from the inner critic and onto the deadline.

So the next time you feel frustrated, bored, envious, or [take your pick negative emotion around creativity], thank that feeling. Start calling it ‘The Bounce.’ Listen to it, because it’s a treasure trove of information.

And then throw your bowling ball down the lane and see what happens.