Set 4 Intentions to Attract Your Best Creative Life
Let go of resistance on your creative journey by hooking into your vision of who you want to be as a creative. The new year is here, so take the opportunity to set your intention for who you want to be creatively. Even if what you want feels far out of reach, it’s important to know that you have what it takes to make the journey and seize your desire.
This article talks about four intentions you can set to help you build the creative life of your dreams.
HOW TO ATTRACT YOUR BEST CREATIVE LIFE
Before you can look forward to the new year, it’s helpful to look back and reflect on the previous year. There will be accomplishments, and there will be disappointments. There will also be some bittersweet moments. ALL of it is important as you think about what you want this next year to look like.
Ask yourself what last year taught you. Where did you limit yourself? In what ways did your actions not pay off and why? Shine a light on the “shadow side” of all areas in your life and take notes.
Once you feel like you’ve gone through the previous year with a fine-toothed comb, it’s time to make conscious decisions about what you want to do this next year. You can choose to not take action on changes that could be made, or you can be intentional about how you show up.
Below are my top four intentions to help you step into the new year with confidence, joy, and rumbling creativity.
INTENTION #1: Draw Upon Your Inner Magic
You have inner magic that will help you handle anything that’s thrown at you. This doesn’t mean you have control over the outcome. Rather, you have control over your journey and your reaction to things that happen.
The magic you possess is neither good nor bad, which means that it unfolds as a result of your intention. What do you intend to do? Who do you intend to be? Ask yourself if you’re acting “as if” you’re the person you wish you were, or if you’re acting with the same attitude and outlook that hasn’t gotten you anywhere.
When something unexpected and not-so-wonderful comes our way, we often react with negativity. This is totally normal, but it puts one at a disadvantage. When we’re feeling a lower-vibe emotion (discouragement, anger, guilt, resentment, annoyance, etc), then we have a harder time negotiating our steps in a positive, hopeful manner.
All is not lost if this happens. Really, it’s a matter of catching yourself once you find yourself in a lower-vibe state and then climbing your way toward a better-feeling emotion.
My go-to method in situations like these is reciting fact-based affirmations* until I can make that mindset shift from negative to positive. Meditation is another helpful method, especially if you’re able to find a quiet place where you can’t be interrupted.
Affirmations and meditation are tools we can use to help us come back to our inner magic. Once you make the decision to shift from a low-vibe state to a higher-vibe state you are in control over your journey. That one decision, which takes .00000001 seconds to make, is pivotal enough to change your entire day.
Practice this shift several times every day, even when you’re not faced with a not-so-wonderful situation, and you’ll find it’s easier and easier to do. Our internal thoughts and belief system are actually more powerful than any external situation. Even when we’re faced with challenges such as a worldwide pandemic or racial injustices, we can stay true to our creative dreams as long as we focus more on feeling good about who we are as creatives and focus less on the perceived obstacles and blocks.
*a fact-based affirmation (evidence you can’t refute, like a 5-star review on your book) works better than an affirmation that claims something that hasn’t happened yet.
INTENTION #2: Build an Empowering Belief System
Many beliefs we have were subconsciously planted. Sometimes, they rooted as a result of a parent’s or a guardian’s lessons or advice. Other times, our beliefs are a result of personal experiences. We don’t often stop to ask ourselves why we believe this, that, or the other thing, but it’s something that should be done—especially if life isn’t going the way you want.
Limiting Beliefs versus Empowering Beliefs
When we know exactly what we want in life, there is a belief attached to that desire. It’s either a limiting belief—one that puts up resistance on your journey, or it could be an empowering belief—one that encourages you to keep going no matter what.
Often, we don’t even realize we believe something about our desire because that belief usually roots at some time in childhood. The belief becomes part of our overall state of being that we are so accustomed to we don’t even think of it (like breathing or moving our bodies on the brain’s command) until we purposely bring our awareness to it.
You can change your beliefs at any time you choose. Isn’t that cool? This goes back to Intention #1—focus on your inner magic. In other words, you aren’t stuck with any belief that doesn’t serve you. Once you make the decision to believe something that will help you thrive, you’re immediately on that new path. The hard work happens from that point forward—staying on that path.
Hard work but not impossible. This new belief can strengthen over time with practice. A belief is just thoughts you think over and over and over. So you have to change your thoughts. Every day, all day, is your opportunity to stay true to this new belief by working on different thoughts.
If you’re accustomed to thinking “I’m a terrible painter” then that is what you believe. When you believe you’re a terrible painter, then how do you think your journey will go for you? Again, I’m not talking about the outcome—I’m talking about your daily journey. You probably don’t get pumped to paint. You probably worry about criticism. Maybe you don’t even show your paintings to anyone because you believe you’re so terrible.
However, if you started training yourself to think that you’re a wonderful painter, just imagine your journey then. You’d be excited to paint every day. You wouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes because you’re wonderful enough to fix them, or just to take them in stride. You’d grow your community because you’d want to share your paintings with others with the belief that you’re a wonderful painter and people will enjoy your work.
Decide now what you want to believe about yourself as a creative. What do you want to believe about your creative journey? Then ask yourself what kinds of thoughts do you think about all of this—do they align with what you want to believe about yourself? If these thoughts are holding you back, take this time to re-create your thoughts so that you can build an empowering belief system.
INTENTION #3: BUILD A COMMUNITY THAT MATCHES YOUR BELIEFS
Outside sources have a big impact on what we think about ourselves. If your core of power is strong and unyielding, then you will have an easier time deflecting negative energy that could come from family, friends, career circle, strangers, etc. But if your core of power isn’t yet defined, you are vulnerable to low-vibe energies that aren’t even yours to begin with.
We all know someone who triggers us in an unsupportive way. How do you currently handle that situation? There is no right or wrong way exactly, but you do want to be sure you’re handling the negativity in a manner that aligns with what you want to believe about yourself.
For example, if you currently believe that you’re a terrible painter and then your cousin makes a crummy comment about your art, you may respond with a thought, “Well, she’s right. That painting sucks.” This response only allows more of the outside negativity to influence your self-belief. You will end up listening to more people like your cousin because that is what you believe about yourself.
Building a community that matches a more positive belief system will actually help you stay true to the creative journey you want to pursue. Negative Nellies might still come around, but rather than letting them get you down, use them as an opportunity to strengthen your core of power and to practice your newfound positive beliefs.
INTENTION #4: SET GOALS FOR YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY
There are two main groups of creatives: Visionary and Wanderer.
The Visionary group consists of any creative who has a clear desire they want to seize. I would say most creatives fall into this category, but there are many creative people who create simply because they love the feel of the craft. The Wanderers. If they finish the book in their heads, that’s cool, but not necessary. If they start in on a painting then decide they want to learn how to sculpt instead, all good. The process of creating is what moves them to create and they find total and complete satisfaction in the mere act.
No matter if you’re a Visionary or a Wanderer or some blend of the two, you set goals in one way or another. Try not to look at the word “goals” as an end-all and be-all for your creative journey. Rather, look at it as a growth point. When you set a goal, you are inviting the opportunity for growth.
What about your creative journey have you wanted to accomplish but haven’t been able to? Why were you struggling? Do you see a way through that darkness and toward a new beam of light? What would you like to change for 2025 and how will you go about it?
Do you want to have more self-love?
Do you want to strengthen your core of power?
Do you want to shift your mindset?
Do you want to rework your inner landscape?
Do you want to rewrite your belief system?
To become more creative or more productive, to become more happy or more confident, to become more focused or more skilled—they all require an understanding of who you want to be as a creative and what you’re willing to do to make it all happen.
A great first step is to write down all your goals for this new year—write them ALL down. Nothing is too big, too small, or too inconsequential. Next, think about what you’d like to release, surrender, let go. Much of this may have been revealed in the previous year, although it’s very possible you were aware of some of your shadows long before (looking at you, 2020) but you weren’t sure what to do about them. Write it all down.
This is your growth point, writer! Your new year goals can be more easily attained when you understand how you were limiting or blocking yourself in the past. No blame—we all do it. But if you want a change, and you’re ready for a change, right now is a great time to kick things into gear so you can begin living your best creative life.