Breaking Through Creative Blocks: From Stuck to Unstoppable" - Threshold Thursday

Welcome to the Season and Self Love Podcast. I am your host Namibanks, and I am thrilled to have you join me on this transformative journey. You see, every day we dive into a powerful conversation about self discovery, healing, and empowerment. This podcast is brought to you by Ax Naomi and Elevate Me Self Discovery. What we believe that loving yourself is the first step to live in a fulfilling life. You can expect sightful discussions, practical tips, and inspiring stories. Plus we occasionally welcome special guests who. Will share their unique perspectives on self love and personal growth. So get comfy, grab your favorite beverage, and let's embark on this journey together. Because it's time to embrace the beautiful person that you are. So let's elevate our lives one episode of time. Now, let's get starting, all right, my beautiful people. Well, welcome back to the Season Podcasts. I'm your host Naomi Banks, and today is Threshold Thursday. You know that's powerful space where we stand at the edge of a breakthrough, ready to cross over into our creative freedom. Well, this week has been absolutely incredible, has it it? You know? On Monday, Doctor Will and I we talked about creativity as our first form of identity, and on Tuesday we dove deep into having creative courage and moving from fear to expression. While yesterday Terry well and shared his wisdom about getting our stories out into the world and the reality of publishing journey, Well, today we're standing at another threshold, the one between creative blocks and creative flow, between I can't and I'm going to try anyway. So before we get into this conversation, let's take a quick break. All right, it's your gurty got is not mer Banks here on this season and Stuffalo podcast, and we'll be right back. Hey, it's your gurty God is now me Banks. Make sure you tune in every three Thursday ninety as Naomi jap Podcast. We're talking about everything we love, sex, relationship, culture, differences and so much more by bridging the gap between them all, and we even talk about the special Monday. You need to stop by me and dot com Watco as well as the BTV group. We have some amazing gifts to come full you never know. Just make sure you tune me at Thursday ninety six pm or sixty cent of time. Go to ask Naoma dot com and tell A ninety six. All right, beautiful people will welcome back. All right, So before we get into this topic, I'm on Thursday here, let's kind of ground ourselves for this moment of possibilities. All right. So if you can find a comfortable position, and if it feels right for you to close your eyes, all right, let's all take a deep breath in together through our nose. Now, exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any creative frustration that you have been carrying. And now I want you to breathe in possibilities and breathe out limitations. Now I want you to imagine a wall in front of you, and this wall represents every creative block that you've ever faced, every I'm not good enough, every who am I to create? Every I don't have time or I don't have talent. And I want you to see this wall clearly. Notice it is not made of concrete. It's made of old thoughts, made of old beliefs, old fears. And you you have everything you need to walk straight through that wall. Now I want you to feel the creative energy flowing through your body like a warm golden light. As this life dissolves barriers around you. It melts resistance, and it opens pathways. Now I want you to watch as you step through the wall of your limitation into a space of infinitive, infinity, of creativity, possibility, infinite. I want you to feel how the light you are, feel how light you are on the other side, and I want you to feel how free you are. Now I want to place your hand on your heart, and I want you to repeat after me. I am a creative being. My blocks are temporary, My creativity is eternal. I give myself permission to create and perfectly and joyfully. Now take one more deeper than feeling very grateful for your creative spirit. And when you are ready, open your eyes. All right, my beautiful people. If you are new here to the Season and Self Love Podcast, we do a nice little meditation guided meditation, or before we get into the topic of hand, just to help prepare us for whatever the conversation is. And today we're talking about breaking through our creative box. First, I want to talk about understanding creative box. This is something that every creative person faces, those moments when we feel stuck, when the ideas won't flow. When we sit down to create and there's nothing. Or worse, we don't even sit down to create because we convince ourselves that there's no point. Now, I'm here to tell you that creative blocks are real. They've been real for me, but they're not permanent, and understanding what's really behind them is the first step to breaking through. You Know, as I'm reflecting on our conversation with doctor Will on Monday, something he said really stuck with me. He talked about how creativity is our first form and identity, right, and how we learn who we are through creating. But then he also talked about those five layers intention, option and limitations, opportunity, self concept, and healing as a lifestyle. You know, I realized that creative blocks often happen when one or more of these layers get. Clouded or confused. So let's talk about some real sources of creative blocks. How I'm gonna share them with you. One, let's unclear the intention. Unclear intention, because we're gonna keep it real. Right. Sometimes when we blocked, blocked because we don't actually know why we want to create. Are we creating for joy? Are we creating for validation? Are we creating to prove something? Are we creating to heal something? Are we creating to serve others? As I shared with you on Tuesday, I remember when I first started seeing the Self Love podcast, I was so focused on being perfect and not stumbling over words or sounding professional that I almost didn't start it at all. My true intentions they were clouded with the performance and anxiety. I couldn't even say anxiety. You see that, instead of being clear about my purpose, and that was to share my healing journey and to help others find their way back to self love or better yet, to what self love is for them. And what Terry talked about yesterday about authors who sustained long careers by being the ones who write because they have something to say and not because they want to be famous. That's about having clear intentions. And then the next one is limiting thinking about options. How many times have we told ourselves I can't write because I'm not a real writer, or I can't make art because I don't have formal training. You know, doctor Will says something beautiful about not limiting ourselves when we're being creative, but we do it all the time. We think that there's only one way to be creative. One standard of good enough, one path to expressions. But creativity is like doctor Will's paint brush, like s paintbrush. Anolog is as sometimes your finger painting first, and then sometimes you use a small brush, and then sometimes you use a big brush, and then sometimes you go back to the finger painting. The thing is there is no wrong way. And the next one is the perfectionism masquerading as standards. This is a big one, y'all. This is when we tell ourselves that we're maintaining high standards, but really we're just scared to be seen as imperfect. Ain't that something perfectionism masquerading as standards? M hm. You know I shared on Tuesday about how I almost didn't start my podcast because I was worried about mispronouncing words about my Chicago Twain not being perfect enough. But you know what, that imperfection is a part of my authentic voice. It's a part of what makes my creativity mind. You know, Terry mentioned yesterday that even successful authors get rejected. Remember I told you he shared the chicken soup for the Soul was rejected one hundred and sixty times. If they had let perfectionism stop them. After rejection fifty one hundred times, we never would have had that book. And then let's talk about comparison and competition. I'm really want to get deep into that. But social media has made this one of the worst, hasn't it. I don't want to put complete blame on it, but it has heightened it. You see, we see everyone else that's highlighted reels and we think are behind the scenes. Isn't good enough? But here's what I learned. There's a room for everyone voice, there's room for everyone's art, and there's room for everyone's story. The world doesn't need another Beyonce, but it needs the first you. I remember telling my daughter this, My middle baby, my middle baby is. She is so talented in so many different ways. She can sing, and she taught herself how to play the piano and a guitar by ear my oldest one plays the drums. Taught herself how to play drums by ear is my oldest one wasn't scared to show her raw talent. The problem with my oldest child, she didn't ever want to try to outshine anyone, so she'll hold herself back. That was my oldest one, my middle baby, she wanted to be so perfect, perfect, and was looking and looking for validation. She has an amazing voice, her pen game is amazing. Right now, she has two amazing songs out right now, and I actally can I share it? She don't want me to share with anybody. She don't even use. She don't even share. She does it, she's and put it out and that's it. But then when I look at her, she's only she's twenty three, and so I have to remember she's trying to find her own voice amongst this world of chaos. But in the midst of her trying to find her voice in all this chaos, I said, don't forget to speak your voice while you're trying to find it. It's okay to share your creativity why you're trying to find your voice, because I understand where everyone started at. It's not where they begins. Trust and believe Beyonce didn't start where she at right now. She did not. She did not. But as you continue to grow, you continue to do, you continue you start, and the more things that you see, the more things you want to correct, the more things you want to align to what your gifts are, and then it can create what your voice is supposed to be that. Just like this with the season and self Love, it acts namly bridging the gap and even elevate me self discovery. As I continue to create and mold new programs, new framework, new exercises, new tools, everything is going to create an amazing voice of healing, of self discovery, of self love that people are going to be able to read about, going to be able to fill out workbooks that I've created. So even though I started from there, but good morning, good evening, good night to how my entry, Yeah, good morning, my beautiful people, as you're going to you know to However it's going to be in the future. I'm still developing what my voice is gonna be. So right now in this season, this is my voice. I don't know what my voice is gonna be in my next season. But also, as I said on Tuesday about Jenny Jackson influences Beyonce and Beyonce was influenced, well, Jenny Jackson influence Beyonce, Michael Jackson influenced Jenny Jackson, who James Brown. James Brown influenced Michael Jackson, But each one of them brought something unique. I remember back in the day I was younger I used to ask a whole lot of questions. They used to call me first of all was dear Abby, cause used to always get people advice. But then I was, I don't know, it's probably I'm telling my true age. I have no problem with that, but Jenny Jones and Ricky Lake, because I will be asking people a whole bunch of questions. I wanted to know about people. I wanted to know their story. And people say, well, what do you look to be now? And I used to be I want to be, you know, something like Oprah. But no, I'm good with being Naomi. But I can't lie and say those people influence me. Ayanavan Debt than that, Oh, I said that influence me. You know, I loved how every week she go in and she fixed someone's life. I love her technique in what she do. And it's several other people who you know, I look at and say, oh, that's they have an amazing way of speaking their language to their village. But I no longer compare myself and there's no longer any competition. Like I said, I can only I can look at the to inspire they inspire me. And next one is fear of judgment. And rejection. That was one of the things that I got in in the beginning as well. But this might be one of the deepest blockage of all. When we're scared when people won't like what we create. We're scared that they're criticize us, reject us, or laugh at us, or as I said before last, they won't use their words impeccable. They'll come up under your comments and say all kind of stuff. But you know what, this is where you start to use your full agreements at You can't take it personal. No you can't. And I'm about to say, but you can, but you could. There's something going on with them, they talking about me, But no, on a real this is where you This is where you can start beginning to use one of them for agreements even in your response is just not respond at all. Again, some people might not like what you create, some people might not understand it. Some people might even criticize it. And that's okay because it's not about you. It's about them. They don't understand. I understand what I said, but they don't. And then it's people in that that do understand. And this is what I say. It wasn't for you to understand, because if you understand, if you know, then you know, you see the people who need what the people who need what you have to offer will find it. They will find it. The people who don't need it will move on. Both responses I valid neither one determines your worth or the value of your creativity. That is what I've learned. That is what I learned. I believe that's what I appreciate too. I appreciate the quality over the quantity. And if I don't get, you know, a sponsorship because my numbers are low of followers or anything like that, that's good. I don't. If you don't believe in what I'm saying, then that's fine. That your product is not for me, Your sponsorship is not for me. And when I got into it in the beginning, that's what I was thinking on how I was gonna create money to flow in here. But what I'm learning right now is no, be patient. Be patient because when it's time for you to grow, you're gonna be ready to receive it all. And what's ever gonna it's going to align with you. So how can we break through the blocks? As I mentioned before, when I when I started the season and self love. I begin my show with good morning, good evening, and good afternoon. For like the first sixty episodes, that was my finger painting face. Now I got my small brush and one day I would have my butt big brush. But I had to start somewhere and me. Remember when I talked to you, and I told y'all the other day about doctor Will talking about the why. He spoke about the why on Monday. I had to realize my why. And I knew what my why was because I had been sitting at my altar for two years before I even thought about doing the season of Sepphalove podcast. So I already knew what my why was. And so for me, by knowing what my why is and understanding it, that helped me to go ahead and start. I've already been out there. And this is another thing that I did. I created an audience of one. Sometimes the block comes from trying to please everyone, so instead I created it for one person, and honestly it was for my younger self. I created what I thought about it. I created for something that I needed, that seven eight year old baby that thought she was abandoned, or at twelve or thirteen year old that maybe was teased because they didn't have the newest clothes, or maybe that fifteen or sixteen year old that teacher told her that she was that died outside of that circle, or when that boyfriend or that man left you. So I had to think about that person. I had to think about me and that aspect of me speaking to them to that that was my audience of one. I didn't know who was on the other end listening. I didn't know how many it was. It could have been crickets. I didn't know. You see what I create these episodes, I often think about that person who needs to hear that they're worthy of love, that their story matters, that they can heal and transform. Clarity helps me push through any creative resistance. But also what I learned through this too is that a lot of times, in those cloudy moments when I can create, sometimes that's moments of me to slow down and check myself because sometimes I probably have lifted a mask up and I'm not being my authentic self, which honestly has showed up on this podcast a few times. Remember back in October when I was doing a whole series on balancing life, Living the Life Balance, and I was living with vertigo because I was just doing too much. I wasn't aligned. And then I had to come back and tell y'all what was going on. And I knew because I had had a whole work book that I was doing and I couldn't even finish it. You know why, because I felt like I was performing. How can I talk about something that I didn't do And I'm gonna tell you this where we really say, Okay, I'm not gonna do no more ebooks, no more work books, and tell this is what I'm living, so if I'm feeling something on that day. But also it's about embracing the learning process of it all as well. Remember what doctor Will said about learning lessons versus living lessons. So when we blocked, we often stuck in the learning phase, focus on getting it right instead of just getting it done. So living through the lessons. Okay, I learned this, let me go try this out for myself and if it works, hell yeah. If you don't, okay, let me go back, let me tweak it a little bit, let me try it again. That's the difference between learning lessons with versus living lessons. And want to give your self permission to be bad as something while learning it. That's what we mean by that. Doctor Will said, it's actually more fun when you're bad at it because the joy is in the process and not just the outcome. This whole thing that I'm doing with self love, with the retreats, with all of that, with the e books, with the e course, with apps, with all of that, this process is so much joy for me because it's truly full circle for me, just remembering as a little girl telling my mother that I wanted to change the world. And even if I have been able to change one person's perspective of themselves, well, they can be a ripple for somebody else good in their life if they can, if they can be good and transform that to someone else and show someone else that I've not only changed one life, I change multiple of lives. I was able to assist in their change because I can't change nobody, but I can insist and inspire and encouraging that change. Another way to get through the block is just set up systems and not just goals. Reading by practice book, change your life, change your paradigm. Its something that he says in there about goals. Goals is not a destination goals is about growth, and that was the first time that I ever heard that, and that changed my perspective on when I look at my goals, because those goals are showing that I'm growing, that there's growth that happened for me. So instead of me looking at other people or other things and say I want to do this, I started to create different systems. So I write my outlines. Yeah, I write outlines, I write notes. I break down everything from what my seminars are going to look like, all their different names, and then what might elevate meself to school with those buildings are going to look like, printed them out and then hanging on my wall throughout my house, so when I walk down, I see it, I see it visually there already, and so I already know what I'm going to do, what's going to happen, you know. So let's talk about the power of the community. One thing that's really stood out for me from this week's conversation is how important it is to surround yourself with supportive and creative people. That's what we'll talked about. Not liking to be around non creative people because the language is different, and I felt that I felt that in my soul, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. When you're around people who understands the creative process, who encourage the experimentation, who celebrates growth over perfection, that energy lifts you over blocks when there is somebody who is going to applaud you for your effort and not look if it's something wrong, especially if they ain't never did it before, you know. I shared a story about doctor Will in the retreat and how both of us had the same idea, but I was stuck in plenty more while he was taking action. Sometimes we need people who will nudge us forward, who will create opportunities for us to step into. And I remember, and I don't think I shared this with you all that morning after my end, I bom Just thinking about it put chills them in me, because that morning at the altar, I remember praying that God was to allow align me with a community of people who allow me to have my own voice, to accept me for who I am in this season of me, and that I don't have to keep going back to where I don't feel comfortable anymore just because I lived my life and was successful in that form, That's not where I'm at anymore. So I want to be surrounded with people. I want opportunities for that. And less than six hours later, litterally, I'm sharing this with doctor Will. Doctor Wills say, I'm I already doing that. I was just waiting till I get everything together to ask you if you want to be a part of it. I knew right then again my prayers were answered. But that's because I've been doing the work. I've been surrounding myself with positive people. So if you want to find your community of people, then join a writing group, take that art class, connect with other podcasters, surround yourself with people who are also choosing courage over comfort. The thing is, when I look back, I used to be networking my butt off when I was back in Chicago. I used to travel with my modeling bag and my moodeling bag. It used to have me three pair of hills, some clear hills, some black hills, and some white hills. And I had some rare hills too, and I would have undergarments sitting there and you know, make up and stuff just in case my agent was to call me on a fashion show, off I had to go to a go see or if there was a meeting, greet somewhere, you know, a networking event, so cause I work downtown and I'll go straight to wherever it was at right after work. So I was always networking, even when I moved to California, even a part of the deal industry, I was at every convention. I had my notebook paper, my notebook writing notes because I was creating my production company, so I wanted a new the newest techniques in everything. But then once I left the industry and I really went into myself love journey and really finding myself and going through the healing process, I kind of lost that. And so as I was telling my good girlfriend Vanessa earlier this year, is that I'm going to go back out and do networking because it was hard for me to to show up in this season in public, in front of the world, and I share with you the audience and if you knew here. When I went back to ABN, I went back as a whole different person. I mean, I was still Naomi, but it felt so different. And I was good with that because I showed up truly as my authentic self. And I will go back not to perform or nothing like that, but just to be around those people and then if anybody need any enlightened words or anything like that, I'm there. But as you know, it's also something else. When I think about a creative blockage, sometimes it blocks spaces that you are not supposed to be here, and those blockage are actually guidance. Yeah, like maybe you stuck on because you're not ready to tell your story yet, and maybe you blocked on that business idea because there's something else that needs to be learned first, and maybe the resistance is pointing you towards a different form of expression because like I shared with you the other day about me doing the first retreat, a seminari in color retreatment like a little seminari I had healing through through spirituality and sexual w And it was only about ten to twenty people there, and I was bummed. My feelings was hurt. But I was like, Okay, the next time I'm gonna come, I'm gonna really come out swinging. But I needed to see that. But also it wasn't the time because I still had so much growing to do, so much growing to do. But not only that, but I need a team, a qualified team that is around me, A qualifying team that's gonna work next to me. There can't just be three of us doing everything I needed. Those that are equipped to do all of those things are not people just doing favors. I thank you for the favors, but it wasn't my time then. But that's how I know it's my time now, and I take that. So let's talk about the creative threshold moment, all right, how your creative threshold moment would look like? So right now, in this moment, right now, in this moment, you're standing at the threshold. On one side is the familiar territory of creative blocks, excuses, and someday I'll on the other side, Okay. Now, on the other side is the territory of creative action, imperfect imperfect expressions. And now I'm going to try this today. What is one small creative action that you can take today? You at that threshold, and I want you to ask yourself, what's one small creative action that you can take today? Not a perfect action, not a groundbreaking action, just of creative action. Could you write one paragraph? Could you sing one song in your car? Can you take one photo? It could be can you dance for one song, draw for ten minutes, record one voice memo of idea, just start, Just start, Because the threshold isn't between amateur and professional. It's between creating and not creating. That's the threshold, between expressing and staying silent, between honoring your creative spirit or ignoring it. That's what the thresholds look like, I write, my beautiful people, As we close out today episode, I want you to remember that every creator that you admired has face blocks, every one of them. Every artist, every writer, every musician, every entrepreneur has set in that space of I can't do this or I am not good enough. And if they said they didn't, their line And I'm just saying it. The difference between those who create and those who don't it isn't about talents or resources or a perfect circumstances. It's about the willingness to create anyway, to start before you're ready, to be imperfect in public, to let your creativity matter more than your fear. So Tomorrow, for our Freedom Friday, We're going to celebrate what happens when we break through those blocks and step into our creative freedom. We're going to talk about the joy, the fulfillment, and the ripple effects of authentic creative expressions. But today I got a little excitement for you, and it's simple. I want you to identify one block that has been keeping you from creating and take one small action to move through it, not around it, not over it, but through it. Because on the other side of that block is not perfection. It's freedom, the freedom to create, to express, to share your unique gifts with the world, and the world needs to have what you have to offer. It really does. I write, my beautiful people, I love you all, I see you all, and I believe in your creative courage. So until tomorrow, my beautiful people, have an amazing, amazing rest of your day, have a good one. Thank you for joining us on this journey of discovering and empowerment here at the Season and Self Love Podcasts. Remember, embracing self love is a continuous journey and we're so glad to have you with us. So if you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and don't forget to join our community on Facebook at Season and Self Love connect with like minded individuals who are also on their self love journey. Now, if you have any questions or topics that you'd like for us to explore, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at seasonosseelf Love at gmail dot com and let your voice be heard. So until next time, take a moment for yourself today and remember you are worthy of love, joy and all the beautiful things that life has to offer you. A love