The Creative Spirit

Submitted by WorkCreatively on Thu, 04/23/2009 - 07:10

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Title	The Creative Spirit
Publication Type	Book
Pub Year	1993
Authors	Goleman, D., Kaufman P., & Ray M.
Publisher	Plume
Keywords	blame, creativity, depression, growth, judgment, love, supportiveness
Notes	love, supportiveness, growth"'Love is not a word people talk about easily', says Larry Wilson, 'Yet, increasingly, we're seeing that people are wanting to know that somebody cares about them, that they are not just seen as some interchangeable part. Real leadership is about demonstrating that your intention is to care for people and support their growth.'" (p. 139) judgment"The biggest block to living a creative life is the voice of blame and criticism within each of us: the voice of judgment, or the VOJ for short. A good way to start dealing with it is to acknowledge that you have it! Take a moment to recall a time when you had an idea and were hesitant or afraid to verbalize or act on it. Perhaps later somebody else did the very thing you had been thinking of, and you felt despondent about not having acted on your idea in the first place. The VOJ is that part of you that makes you both afraid to do something and depressed after you didn't do it. The VOJ assumes different forms. The voice inside of you is usually the most daunting--but there is also judgement by others, including cultural judgments such as the rules of etiquette that discourage "unconventional" social behavior. Once it gets hold of you, the VOJ can lead you into a maze of negativity, including the following absurd situation. The VOJ inhibits you from doing something. Your VOJ then makes you feel depressed about your weakness of will. Next, your VOJ condemns you harshly for being depressed (it's not part of your self-image). Then, a friend comes along and chides you for both not following through on your idea and for being depressed." (p. 118)

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