How to cultivate self-belief in your writing

Self-belief is such an important thing to develop as a writer. When it comes to making a start on a big project like a book, submitting or sharing work (with the potential for criticism or rejection), or even just in having the will to keep at it when the words are slow and difficult, a strong sense of self-belief can give you the resilience you need to keep going.

But how do we cultivate that belief in the face of self-doubt, impostor syndrome and all the other wobbles and obstacles that pop up as part of the writing process?

How to start taking your writing seriously

When we're taking those early, tentative keystrokes into the world of writing, how do we know when we've earned the right to call ourselves a writer? It's something I certainly encountered when I was starting out with novel writing, and it's something I keep seeing pop up in conversations online. It seems like we attach a level of expertise or status with the title of writer, which makes it difficult to give it to ourselves when we still feel very much beginners.

Five tips for attending a creative event, festival or conference

Whether it's a workshop, festival, conference or convention, there's a creative event around for just about every interest area or specialism. There's Creatival, Hay Festival, the London Illustration Fair - to name just a few.

CREATIVE LIFESTYLERosie O'NeillAugust 2, 2019creatival, creative event, conference, inpiration, energy, confidenceComment

SEEKING BALANCE ONLINE.

Is it possible to find a balance between living your life (and living it honestly) and sharing it online?

Maybe it's just the season, but it seems as though there's been a bit of a shift in the mood on instagram lately. A bit of reluctance, a bit of resistance - a push against the way it rewards us for consistency of engagement alone. Maybe we're tired of the formulas, tired of the quantity over quality mindset - I know I am.

THREE WAYS TO INVEST IN YOUR CREATIVITY.

It seems a little strange to think about creativity as something to invest in. Investing is something you do when you want to profit as a result in the future, right? And not all of us make art with the intention of making money from it. Well, not all profit is financial. When we're serious about living a wholehearted and intentional life of creativity, investing - whether that's our time and energy into a new skill or project; or in seeking external support and accountability…

HOW SELF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY CAN HELP YOUR CONFIDENCE AND CREATIVITY.

This time last year, if you had asked me how I felt about being photographed, I'd have laughed. Including my hands or my torso in images was the furthest I'd moved towards taking a self portrait I felt comfortable sharing. I took a couple of bio/headshots when I absolutely had to for an interview - but I didn't like them enough to use on my website or blog, and I certainly would never have posted them on instagram.

ARE YOU MORE CREATIVE THAN YOU THINK?

Sometimes we can feel hesitant to use the term creative, perhaps because of it's associations with traditional art and more tangible or active creative pastimes.

WHY YOU SHOULD CREATE FOR YOURSELF FIRST.

If your creativity is at all linked to your career or finances (even if it's a side hustle), or if you share what you make with others in any way, it's likely you'll feel more than a little pressure surrounding it.

Too much pressure can easily lead to creative block or self doubt, but the easiest way to help head this off is by creating work that fills you up with joy in the first place.

GROW AS A WRITERRosie O'NeillSeptember 26, 2018authenticity, personality, creative style, artist, self care, empowerment, confidence, self confidenceComment

DO YOU KEEP YOUR CREATIVITY A SECRET?

It can sometimes be incredibly difficult to open up about our creative hopes and dreams. However, we're often much happier to share our creativity in the online world than we are face to face.

We lie about our weekends; hide the blog we've been pouring our free time into; live in fear that our colleagues or old school friends will find our creative instagram account.

But what is it that makes us close up around the people we see every day, and how can we start to be more open about who we really are?

TIPS FOR GROWING CREATIVE CONFIDENCE.

Through confidence we can discover a greater sense of joy in making things; and possibly more than that - we can use that feeling to empower us in other areas of our lives. It helps to instil in us a sense of worthiness, of optimism, of tangible progress.

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