Being a creative seeker involves taking creative risks. We are often putting ourselves out there for the world to see through our words, our art, our performances, and our creative endeavors. Some will love our work, while others may not. But that’s okay. We are not here to please everyone. We’re here to serve our creative purpose in the best way we can through the divine gifts we’ve been given. These gifts will be mirrored in a nurturing and productive way when we connect with the right circle of support. It allows for any necessary adjustments that will make our work even better while feeling honored as the unique creator that we are.
And in serving our larger creative purpose, we are often relying on the strength of our vulnerability.
As popular author, storyteller, and researcher Brené Brown says, “Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage.” It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable—to put our words on the page, to paint our vision on the canvas, to perform a monologue that touches our soul, to produce a film that captures the essence of our being, to realize a long-held dream in midlife.
When we are vulnerable, we’re shedding our exterior layers, letting go of our attachment to an external response by exposing the rawness of who we are. We’re being real. We’re being authentic. And isn’t this what creativity is all about?
A Young Girl with Big Dreams
On a warm summer night under an almost full moon, my ten-year-old self took the stage during a family reunion to perform with my uncle’s country music band. I had no vocal training, just a desire to sing a favorite song of mine with musicians I knew well. I never once thought about being judged. As I belted out the lyrics, my extended family cheered me on while my uncle smiled wide with pride. It felt good to be on the stage doing something I loved in front of people who supported me and with people who were happy to collaborate with me.
Little did I know that in that moment I was in a growth container. It felt safe and joyful, and I was with people who honored my desire to sing a favorite song. The energy was positive and inviting, and I went with it. It set the stage, literally, to decades of performing in front of people—whether it was acting in plays, singing in choirs, speaking into a microphone as a radio deejay or in front of the camera as a field reporter, or delivering a speech in front of a live audience. My desire to perform had been instilled in me early on.
There was an innocence to this time in my life, a special vulnerability that allowed me to act out my heart’s desire without worry of criticism. Yet somewhere along the way, that desire began to diminish, only to be replaced by a fear of perfectionism.
Reflecting on some of those earlier moments in my life, I can’t help but wonder where that young girl with big dreams went. She had no fear of getting onstage and belting out a song in front of almost one hundred family members. She had no fear of performing skits with her cousins at numerous family reunions, receiving thunderous applause from aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and close family friends. She had no fear of performing in high school and college plays, even receiving accolades from local theater critics. She had no fear speaking into a microphone or in front of a camera.
Her big night under an almost full moon at the age of ten took her on a magical journey for almost three decades, but it seemed to pause, metaphorically, at that three quarters of light known as a waxing gibbous moon. And all she needed was a return to her growth container, a safe and joyful collaboration with supportive partners who could honor her desires and her creative vulnerability.
As you expand into the next phase of your creative vision, how does vulnerability play a role? How does it affect your creative process and the risks you are willing to take?
To express our true creative voice, it is imperative to let others have a peek inside our mind, inviting them into our heart and soul. It’s from these places within us that true creativity can emerge. And what we create from the depth of who we are is truly magical!
About Tina Games
