Hollyhock Presenter & Guest Blogs
Presenter's Blogs · 29th July 2009
Carla Rieger
(and it's not what you think)
The economic downturn has meant countless layoffs, companies going under, and organizations facing the task of complete re-structuring. You've heard the common wisdom by now: re-invent yourself! Just get a new job, start a business, train in a new career, come up with a new product or service, find a different kind of customer, create a new business model and so on.
Fear of death
The reality of re-inventing yourself, however, can be immensely difficult because of several issues, one of which rarely gets talked about. That issue is the fear of death. It sounds silly, but some psychologists say that all fear can be traced back to fear of death. In the context of reinvention this would be about death of the personality or the existing identity or structure and the familiarity of the status quo.
Without death there can be no creativity in life
We are genetically programmed to enter into an intense state of fear at the thought of our demise or anything we are attached to. Yet, the Buddhists say that without death, there can be no joy in life, no creativity. Or as Mary Catherine Bateson said at the BRC in February: "We need to be able to walk into the forest and see that all of its beauty is intertwined with the process of death feeding back into the life of the forest." If we are the artists of our lives, our work, and our businesses it helps to periodically let go of the old, to burn down the old forest, as it were.
Only the creatively resilient are surviving
In an era when only the "creatively resilient" among us are surviving it helps to remember that all of us have this ability to reinvent ourselves. Some people are just consciously using it more often. To be a Change Artist is simply to reconnect to the archetype of the artist within us all. As Pablo Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
As we become adults the discriminatory mind develops which can eclipse the creative spirit. As adults our job is to use our ability to reason, discriminate and make judgments in service of creativity, not to squash it. Be warned however, not to judge the judgmental mind. Without our ability to choose, focus and discriminate we would have no boundaries on our ideas and nothing would get done. We need a balance of both.
The "hurry addiction" kills creativity
Many people these days are addicted to rushing, hurrying and being as productive as humanly possible. Being productive and efficient are important in service of the right outcome. However, many people spend so much time in that mode that they can't stop being that way even on summer vacation. I recently saw a man sitting on a blanket at the beach in the dark with a halogen lamp inputting his receipts into his laptop.
Is stifled creativity at the root cause of over-consumption?
This "always busy" mode partly comes from an underlying cultural belief that our economy cannot grow unless we are always consuming. Yet, it's becoming clear that the financial crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford such as cheap mortgages. The environmental crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford such as the earth's resources. The health crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford, such as calories. It seems as if the whole underlying belief of endless consumption is the problem. People consume when they feel creatively stifled. What we really need is more creativity and less consuming.
What would it take to give yourself some "down time"?
A great way to kill creative inspiration is to have no "down time". If your whole life is about rushing from one obligation to the next, there is no chance for greater wisdom to enter your consciousness. If you examine the costs of a hurry addicted life you would be shocked to see how much you are affecting not only your own health, but the health of the environment and the economy.
Even if you only take 10 minutes at the beginning of every day to sit quietly uninterrupted, it can make all the difference. Walking silently by the ocean or in nature is another great way to reconnect to your creativity. Be warned however, that the fear of death may loom. That is often the unconscious reason people avoid taking down time. Breathe through it, hold the hand of the part of you that needs to die away, just as you would a dying relative. All things must eventually die to make room for the next. Make a habit of quiet time, like brushing your teeth and you will find far more inspiration and excitement in life.
If you would like support on the journey of reinventing yourself and creating new habits that will stick, join Carla Rieger for a 4-day retreat at Hollyhock, October 1-4, 2009, entitled The Artistry of Change.
The economic downturn has meant countless layoffs, companies going under, and organizations facing the task of complete re-structuring. You've heard the common wisdom by now: re-invent yourself! Just get a new job, start a business, train in a new career, come up with a new product or service, find a different kind of customer, create a new business model and so on.
Fear of death
The reality of re-inventing yourself, however, can be immensely difficult because of several issues, one of which rarely gets talked about. That issue is the fear of death. It sounds silly, but some psychologists say that all fear can be traced back to fear of death. In the context of reinvention this would be about death of the personality or the existing identity or structure and the familiarity of the status quo.
Without death there can be no creativity in life
We are genetically programmed to enter into an intense state of fear at the thought of our demise or anything we are attached to. Yet, the Buddhists say that without death, there can be no joy in life, no creativity. Or as Mary Catherine Bateson said at the BRC in February: "We need to be able to walk into the forest and see that all of its beauty is intertwined with the process of death feeding back into the life of the forest." If we are the artists of our lives, our work, and our businesses it helps to periodically let go of the old, to burn down the old forest, as it were.
Only the creatively resilient are surviving
In an era when only the "creatively resilient" among us are surviving it helps to remember that all of us have this ability to reinvent ourselves. Some people are just consciously using it more often. To be a Change Artist is simply to reconnect to the archetype of the artist within us all. As Pablo Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
As we become adults the discriminatory mind develops which can eclipse the creative spirit. As adults our job is to use our ability to reason, discriminate and make judgments in service of creativity, not to squash it. Be warned however, not to judge the judgmental mind. Without our ability to choose, focus and discriminate we would have no boundaries on our ideas and nothing would get done. We need a balance of both.
The "hurry addiction" kills creativity
Many people these days are addicted to rushing, hurrying and being as productive as humanly possible. Being productive and efficient are important in service of the right outcome. However, many people spend so much time in that mode that they can't stop being that way even on summer vacation. I recently saw a man sitting on a blanket at the beach in the dark with a halogen lamp inputting his receipts into his laptop.
Is stifled creativity at the root cause of over-consumption?
This "always busy" mode partly comes from an underlying cultural belief that our economy cannot grow unless we are always consuming. Yet, it's becoming clear that the financial crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford such as cheap mortgages. The environmental crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford such as the earth's resources. The health crisis is being caused by the over-consumption of things we can't afford, such as calories. It seems as if the whole underlying belief of endless consumption is the problem. People consume when they feel creatively stifled. What we really need is more creativity and less consuming.
What would it take to give yourself some "down time"?
A great way to kill creative inspiration is to have no "down time". If your whole life is about rushing from one obligation to the next, there is no chance for greater wisdom to enter your consciousness. If you examine the costs of a hurry addicted life you would be shocked to see how much you are affecting not only your own health, but the health of the environment and the economy.
Even if you only take 10 minutes at the beginning of every day to sit quietly uninterrupted, it can make all the difference. Walking silently by the ocean or in nature is another great way to reconnect to your creativity. Be warned however, that the fear of death may loom. That is often the unconscious reason people avoid taking down time. Breathe through it, hold the hand of the part of you that needs to die away, just as you would a dying relative. All things must eventually die to make room for the next. Make a habit of quiet time, like brushing your teeth and you will find far more inspiration and excitement in life.
If you would like support on the journey of reinventing yourself and creating new habits that will stick, join Carla Rieger for a 4-day retreat at Hollyhock, October 1-4, 2009, entitled The Artistry of Change.