Are You Scared of Your Inner Critic

You’ve probably heard people tell you that you’re too critical of yourself that’s why you’re boxed in and unable to express your true creativity. It’s probably true. But on the other hand, maybe not.

Some artists believe in leaving judgment and critical analysis for later in order to let the creative juices flow freely. It works for them so I won’t be one to say that it’s BS. True enough, if you fear your inner critic too much, you’re bound to just keep trashing every unique idea that comes across your mind.

As a writer, I’ve personally gone through this ordeal. I’m overly critical of myself and my works. I tend to over-think things so much that I end up stumped. I tell you, learning to get over this bad habit was a hard thing to do.

But I think it’s only because we FEAR the inner critic that it becomes a deterrent for creativity. If you look at it in a positive angle, you’ll see that your inner critic wants nothing more than for your best side to soak up some spotlight.

One such way of keeping the critical mind open as you brainstorm through ideas is to set parameters. You’ll find it difficult to come up with many ideas, but you’ll be happy to see that the ideas you come up with will all be exceptional ones.

Critical analysis pre-drafting and while drafting sharpens your mind. You may think that it’s dulling your creativity by blocking your inspiration, but you’ll find that you can run with your creativity and define it further with the use of your inner critic.

Personally, I think it’s all just a matter of balancing those two voices in your head – the artist and the critique. They don’t have to be antagonizing each other. Once you get the hang of keeping those two voices in line, you’ll find that they can actually work harmoniously alongside each other to help you produce your best works.

I want to hear from you, though. Do you let your inner critic run amuck and kill your inner artist?