It’s been a long pregnancy.

In the time it takes for maybe three baby elephants, five whales or ten million microbes to be born, this blog has been gestating.

Why so long?

Desire and fear in equal measure. Let’s have a quick lesson in the Physics of Creativity According to Sally Swain.

Often as we come closer to fulfilling a burning dream, to honouring our creative yearnings, to saying YES to our authentic, alive, tingling selves, there’s a backlash. The equal weight of fear kicks in. It can be a tidal wave of doubt demons or the quiet ooze of avoidance and excuses. E might equal mc squared; I wouldn’t really know. But I do know that over twenty years’ experience of working and playing with my own creative process and that of others reveals that the Great Stultification can equal the surge of Creative Life Force.

I see Art and Soul clients whose creativity has been stomped on, squashed, dampened and battered. And yet, the creative spirit inside them, inside you and me, inside all of us, is still alive. With a bit of encouragement, it can flourish.

Long ago, in the protozoan days of this thing called a weblog, I thought I might like to partake. I love writing and painting. I love sharing stories of the nitty gritty realness of what it’s like to create and to not-create.

ancient new world

Who are my doubt demons? You might recognise some. They say stuff like:

Who am I to put my thoughts and creations out in the world?

What makes me think I’m so special?

What if my writing’s not good enough? What if it’s too longwinded/clipped/boring/overblown/glib/flippant/light/heavy/serious/self-indulgent/obscure/samey/been done-to-death?

What if I’m not good enough?

Then there’s the exposure. Oddly, I find writing much more personally exposing and risky than painting.

It seems I am not unlike you. I have creative urges, longings, aspirations alongside fears, inner criticism, procrastination. My creativity is both strong and vulnerable, just like yours.

So here it is. The blog is born. My nakedness is here for you to see. I am willing after all to risk your sneering at my pockmarks, age spots and funny-looking fat bits, in the cause of celebrating creativity – yours and mine. In the service of helping you connect with your creative power. If you feel a biscuit crumb more inspired and affirmed as a creative being than you did before you read Blogbirth, I am satisfied.

Let’s connect with creativity in community.

1. In a couple of sentences or so, what are your questions or comments about birthing artistic creativity?
2. Do you have a creative project you want in your deepest heartfelt being to bring to fruition, yet you are mysteriously, frighteningly, thunderously blocked?
3. How might you nurture your creativity along? Have you sought support for your strong, beautiful yet fragile creative spirit? What steps might you take?

Birthing a Blog original image by Sally Swain please note the rather large umbilical cord from head to….what? another external embryo? Maybe.