The Introverted Creative
When You Want to Show Off But Don’t Want to Be Seen
You are creative. We are creative. Every human on the planet is a creative force. A nexus of untapped potential, operating on multiple levels in multiple dimensions. We create from simply being. We breathe and our body creates cells from atoms. How we breathe affects how we think. We think and our body creates emotions, reactions and biology. We feel emotions and our body emanates frequencies which bring forth ideas and realities that in turn shape perceptions. We perceive and create reactions and actions. And that is even before we have talked about art.
We are art! That is hard to say, but it is true. Not only are we hard-wired to procreate (an urge that keeps the whole of nature moving forward), the human species has a unique ability to create beauty for the sake of creating beauty. Of course, not all of us have fully explored that. Many of us believe that creativity is a talent you have or do not have. Many believe they are not creative. Many believe you have to be loud and bombastic to succeed. Yet there exists a large proportion of us that must create but hate being seen or exposed.
Perhaps you write but are scared to show your work. Perhaps you are a brilliant artist but shy away from displaying it. Maybe, like me, you are a musician that hates being asked to play a song at every gathering you attend, reluctant to jump up on stage or perform like a monkey or sing on request. We create because it is our nature to create, but it is not in our nature to push to the front of the queue.
Time and again we see it, the loud, obnoxious and overly-confident rise to the top because they are loud, obnoxious and overly-confident. It happens in art, acting, music, politics and business. We have celebrated and lauded the noisy ones for a very long time. I am not blaming them or criticising them. It is attractive. There have been countless times I wished for such confidence in the face of my own retiring energy. It is much easier to be a pop star, actor or dancer when you have no inhibitions.
But we are living in different times now. The grand gatekeepers of old are no longer in control and that is a good thing. Gone are the days of music television and exclusive deals. Even in the face of a torrent of AI slop, artists now have more power and control over their work and how it is seen. Over the last ten to twenty years, we have seen platforms develop that allow the shyest of artists to display their work. Substack has changed the game for writers, TikTok opened the door for dancers, Spotify for musicians and Instagram for artists. Of course, the lines have blurred but there is more opportunity now to be seen without showing your face than ever before. The system is not perfect and we are a little way yet from every artist making good money from their creations. But that is not the reason for this article. The point is that even the most introverted artist can get their work out into the world now and that is a good thing.
There is a ‘but’ coming which is spoken by an introverted artist who has dealt with a lot of the demons that come with being introverted, ashamed, shy, unworthy and lacking confidence.
You do not have to live with all of those emotions weighing you down. But you do have to do some inner work. When you do the inner work, you begin to feel lighter and more free to show your art to the world. It can be painfully hard to open up and show people what you do. I used to run open mics and I could see how hard it was to get on stage for some, because I found it hard too. I celebrated every single person who got up in front of the crowd. I loved every single one of them, regardless of the talent or skill.
We are learning all the time, and if you want to create art, you must! That is your nature as I have already said. Don’t take advice from someone who is not creating anything. Find constructive criticism for your art. Advice that builds you up and sets you on a path forward. Advice that improves what you are doing. Advice that nurtures you and gives you new ideas. Advice that inspires you to learn and hone your craft rather than give up.
If you are battling with crippling emotions that are bringing you down, then find a way to process those emotions. We are not meant to walk around carrying the weight of old thoughts, patterns and beliefs on our shoulders. We are not static beings, and we are not our bodies nor our emotions. They are ever-changing states, vehicles that we ride around in. Emotions are energy-in-motion and are meant to be felt, move and leave. My two favourite ways to deal with old emotions are Soul Writing and Emotional Alchemy.
Soul Writing basically involves you moving into heart coherence through meditation and then writing from your heart and soul, letting the voices that need to speak have their time. We do not sit in the mind, thinking about what to write. We are present within the whole body. It gets things moving. I use Soul Writing for healing and I use it for creativity. It is a versatile writing practice that everyone should have access to. In classes I have taught, I have had people who thought they could never write, produce the most amazing words and poetry. It is right there within us all. It blows me away all the time.
Emotional Alchemy is a more guided practice. You can learn to do it on yourself, but it takes discipline. It is better to start with a teacher or guide. Essentially, in light trance meditation, we locate the emotions within us that are holding us back. We give them colour and form and transmute them out of the body. It is possible because old emotions are non-physical. Here is a meditation that begins to bring awareness to our body in order to feel it in a different way.
Healing is not instant. It is a gentle journey back to self. Back to truth. It is improved by creativity and creativity is improved by healing. You won’t suddenly become an extrovert, but if you show up and attend to those heavy emotions, you will become more peaceful and accepting of yourself. That is a good thing.
The world needs art. Creativity can, does and always will change the world, for it is how the world is made.
About the Author
Matt Rivers is the creator of Soul Craft Studio. He shares metaphysical and practical ideas, along with his creative work, to help you process emotion, access your creativity, and live with more clarity. His writing, meditations, and workshops explore emotional clarity, creative flow, and personal integration.
He also offers 1:1 sessions. You are welcome to message him directly.
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