The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART FIVE | USING THIS LIFE TO BE CREATIVE AND WISE
4. “I don’t think I can do this”
Stop what you are doing. You may need to free yourself from selfjudgment,
a common form the negative shadow can take. When
you are too hard on yourself you can easily lose your bearings. A
quick way to identify this is to simply write down what you are
thinking about yourself. The antidote to negative thoughts is not to
debate with them, but to become conscious of them and release
yourself from believing them. You may need to do something you
used to really like to do, no matter how simple, absurd, or strange.
If you have completely lost your confidence, you will probably
need to spend time with your heart’s desire before returning to the
project. If you have a friend who you trust to listen to this aspect
of your work, have him or her take notes while you describe the
essence and passion of what you want to do. If your lack of confidence
persists, try writing out the negative statement you are
saying to yourself. Putting it on paper will distance you from its
grip. Remember your gut will tell you what to do and your head
will tell you how. What do you want? Use your ability to think
positively in order to strategize a path towards your goal.
5. “They said my project is terrible”
Did the criticism you received about your project remind you of
something you’ve heard before? Was it like the voice of someone
you know? Did the critical words trigger a particular phrase you
heard years ago? You may have been remembering and getting
stuck in the feeling of what it was like to be criticized by a parent
or teacher when you were a child. Chances are that assigning the
critical voice to its source will loosen its grip and its negative power
will decline. Most difficult to spot are those times when we are the
source of our own negative voice. We may have a tendency to
unconsciously criticize our own work in a way that affirms a
destructive and negative belief. Are you doing what you love to do?
If the answer is yes, then stay true to what you love and ask a friend
for an independent assessment of your work. If you consistently
think negatively about your work, talk to a counselor.
However, if after reflection you are convinced that your project
is not terrible, if your gut tells you that what you have done is right
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