Artists and performers face a unique set of challenges that many people just don’t understand.
As an artist, you crack yourself open so that you can access the best parts of you, which also happen to be the most vulnerable parts too. You put your “inside world” onto the page/screen or into the music.
You regularly have to show the canvas of your most vulnerable self to create your art, and while those parts are sometimes beautiful and serene, they can also be shameful and embarrassing.
You didn’t realize that, by cracking yourself open to the world, you’re also left exposed, raw, and sometimes subjected to criticism. You try to stay open to your creativity and vision for projects, but you often find yourself stifling ideas out of fear that others will reject them.
Part of the artist’s ability to tap into the depth and heart of what they do is also what left them vulnerable as children to pain.
Many artists grew up using their imagination to manage feelings of loneliness, boredom, and disappointment in those who should have been there for them.
For example, if you were the kid who felt lonely and different, you may have used your imagination and creativity to create a wall between you and other people. You learned to be completely self-reliant.
The problem is that this pattern that once made you cool and helped protect you against feeling disappointed in others now drives a wedge between you and the people who want to be close to you.
You never needed anyone, and you’ve learned to value your independence. But doing everything on your own isn’t realistic, and you realize that others are getting ahead because everyone else seems to make connections easier than you do.
Everyone else seems to play the networking game right, and you despise it.
Maybe you’re an artist who grew up as a people pleaser, learning to entertain or be the overachiever.
Instead of feeling cared for, you did all the caring for those people in your life. You learned to take the temperature of the room and are always aware of others emotions.
Now this pattern gets in the way of your personal and professional life. You think so much about what others think and feel that you neglect yourself and your needs. You struggle to set boundaries with people because you hate disappointing them.
A lack of social media engagement and unbooked gigs makes you question your relevancy. It’s like you’re playing a constant game of being yourself while also grasping at straws to network in a way that doesn’t feel natural or authentic.
Imagine what kinds of art you could create if you could let go of being who you think you’re supposed to be for everyone else…
So now you’re here.
You find yourself feeling 12 years old again, only now you understand how you got here. You know your patterns, and you know what the books tell you to do to get your 10,000 hours to be great at something. So you try to do your hours for your art and your hours for your self-growth, but you keep coming back to the same place.
You know you need help and you’re ready to finally get relief, but you’re scared and uncomfortable and maybe a little skeptical. I get it.
You feel stuck.
Therapy for Artists & Performers Can Help
You’re ready to take the step and work through all these complicated feelings. The music and entertainment industry is not always an easy place to do that on your own.