Making The Impossible Real (part three)

The Creative Courage Method

This is a part of a series exploring how we might start to make real the things we desire—personally and collectively—but deem “impossible.” If you’re just joining, read about the background of this series here and here, the first exploration here, and the second here.

What would happen if you started letting your inner Artist lead? 

It would require the courage to create the life and world you want. I’ve been sometimes tiptoeing, sometimes dancing, down this path for a while now, and I’d like to share what I’ve been doing and invite you along.

Proposing The Creative Courage Method

If our collective goal is to believe there is a better way possible and to make it real, how do we do that? 

In my work of helping small business owners with their website copy, one of the things I do is unearth and name the method behind the work they do with their clients. So I looked at what I’ve been doing in my life for the last year and outlined the method behind it all.

I say “proposing” The Creative Courage Method because, unlike the method and frameworks I help my clients name, I’ve only been testing this myself, so it’s more theory than method. And the outcome I’m pointing us toward: making real the things we desire—personally and collectively—but deem “impossible,” isn’t something one person can do on their own. 

Even though it’s just a theory, I feel better practicing it—I’ve noticed increased feelings of hope, joy, wonder, reverence, delight. So, if you’d like to try it on:

There are three phases, and it’s cyclical.

Untether

We’ve all got unquestioned, often unconscious, assumptions about ourselves, others, and what we think is possible. So first we have to notice the stories we tell ourselves. And then, we untether from the ones that aren’t true and aren’t creating the life and world we’re dreaming of. 

That’s challenging. 

We’ve evolved to make meaning, and sometimes the meaning we infer is based on faulty, unconscious assumptions. Part of what I’m up to with this newsletter is sharing the behind-the-scenes of my own untethering from the unconscious stories, beliefs, and rules I’ve been living by and inviting you to do the same.

We're up against big challenges. And we're artists, so we can invent creative ways through and around them.

Allow

As humans who never know how much time we’ve got on this earth, it’s often difficult to reckon with the time we’ve “lost” believing things about ourselves and the world that aren’t true. So next we allow space for grief.

Many of us have been conditioned to rush past our grief, barely acknowledging it, so we allow ourselves to feel it and forgive ourselves for things that didn’t turn out as planned. Once we’ve honored our grief, then…

We allow ourselves to dream BIG. And we allow our inner Artist to lead. Which means…

Harness

We harness Wonder and get curious. We harness our artist gifts and what’s ours to do. And….

As you’re untethering from old stories and beliefs that aren’t who you are, you’ll let go of the assumption that you’re in this alone, and we harness Community and Collaboration.  

Let’s practice creative courage…together. We can start small: I’m planning a book club for Inner Field Trip: 30 Days of Personal Exploration, Collective Liberation, and Generational Healing* by Leesa Renée Hall. Join us? 

When you dream big and allow yourself to connect with others, what might be possible? 

What difference would that make in your day-to-day life? In your family? In your community?

*I’m an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you purchase through this link.