Setting the Stage
“Oh my gosh! I love this!” I squealed as I took the third to last bite of our 10-course tasting menu.
The squeal-worthy final treat was a gluten-free lemon poppyseed something or other, not quite a cookie or a cracker.
It was hard on the outside but chewy in the center and had just enough lemon poppy seed flavor to remind me of my favorite muffins as a kid.
It was basically heaven in my mouth.
“I want to make these!” I told Geoff.
Whether or not I will make them is a different story.
One or two nights a week of this mysterious lemon cookie would be no big deal, but if I learned to make them, I’d want them every night of the week, and that would eventually come to haunt me in the form of my jeans no longer fitting.
Instead, I decided to accept my role as the Consumer and gracious Critic, grieve the loss of the last bite, and go home to enjoy the rest of the night.
Peeling it Back
We all play a role in the creative cycle.
I’ve found there are 5 necessary roles, and knowing our role at any given moment can bring presence to the experience.
The 5 Roles of the Creative Process
There’s the Creative, the Consumer, the Critic, the Curator, and the Connector.
1). The Creator creates.
They’re the chef, the writer, the artist, the master spreadsheet ninja, the producer of the work. The work could be a painting, a book, a plate of food, a spreadsheet, a business plan, etc.
2). The Consumer consumes.
They enjoy and partake in the creation of the Creator. They’re the people who eat the food, observe the art, use the data from the spreadsheet, etc.
This can be an active or passive role.
The passive Consumer consumes without additional thought or action.
The active Consumer can take on the additional role of the Critic, the Curator, or the Connector.
3). The Critic critiques.
They challenge the assumptions of the artist in the hopes of inspiring the Creator to create something better.
At their best, they also create something—more conversation.
At their worst, they champion their perspective as the end all be all, forgetting others may have a different perspective.
There are food critics, art critics, book critics, and critics like the guy who sits two cubicles over and always has feedback but never a new solution.
4). The Curator curates.
They aggregate other people’s creations to create a new experience or piece of work all their own.
The Curator might gather paintings in a gallery or museum, or it can look like a boutique store owner who determines what to purchase and have for sale in the store.
A curator could also be someone who shares a newsletter of links and quotes from around the web. By aggregating, they create a new experience, and their curation becomes a creation.
5). The Connector connects.
Discontent to simply enjoy the creation of another, Connectors need to do something with their appreciation, so they connect other people to the Creator.
These people immediately text a friend saying how excellent the food is at the new restaurant around the corner, encouraging them to go. Or, they offer to introduce the artist to a gallery owner they know.
Nothing is more painful than being a Critic when you secretly want to be the Creator.
When it comes to dining out, it’s enjoyable for me to be the gracious Critic and Connector after enjoying the creations of others because four nights a week, I’m the chef at home.
But when it comes to watching an aerial performance or someone ballroom dancing, I have a harder time sitting in my Consumer role.
Critiquing doesn’t feel right, but appreciation isn’t enough.
I miss dancing and become painfully aware of it every time I see a show.
In those moments, I have to remind myself that I have agency. If I want to perform again, I can find a way.
The Hell of Being the Consumer When You Want to be the Creator
For years I was a writer who wasn’t writing. This was a different kind of hell.
While I miss dance and performing, I understand I have other talents that I devote my time to ahead of dance.
With writing, I became resentful.
I was consuming copious amounts of words by other Creators but was too scared to put my ink to the page.
On my best days, I took on a Curator role to quench the deeper desire. I’d share amazing things I read with others.
But on my worst days, I transformed into a miserable Critic—thinking I could do better but not sitting down to do it any better.
Often, fear thrusts us into the role of the Consumer when we want to be the Creator.
When we have no hidden desires to become the Creator, we can consume with appreciation and observation.
But when there is a hidden desire to be the Creator, we can come to be tortured in the Consumer role.
We consume endless writing because we want to write. We go out to eat multiple times a week to experience the art of food but become bitter with every bite because we secretly want to be the chef.
When our resentment over not creating pops in, we’re likely to become the Critic, and a harsh one at that.
Someone like Geoff, who goes out to eat for the mere appreciation of a quality meal out but has no desire to learn how to cook, is the most gracious of consumers. He’s playing that role cleanly.
If you go out multiple times a week but secretly know you want to be the one making the dish, that’s a certain kind of torture I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.
We all have a Rebel Creative inside of us.
Determining where it wants to be set free is critical to our fulfillment and satisfaction.
Deciphering what prevents us from setting it free then becomes paramount.
Locking your Rebel Creative away is a shortcut to anxiety, poor sleep, general malaise, and discontentment. In my experience, those things eventually lead to dis-ease, and that’s a quick path to your body screaming at you, too.
It’s painful to play a Critic when you want to be the Creator.
When you recognize this, it can be a blow. You can feel like you’ve wasted years in a role not meant for you.
The best thing I’ve found to do in those moments is to allow yourself the emotions.
You’re allowed to be angry or sad at the time that could have been.
Don’t resist those emotions because what we resist persists.
They will flow through, and when they do, you have a choice to make–what are you going to do now?
Here are some questions to help guide you:
- How does your Rebel Creative want to serve?
- What do you desire to create?
- What are you willing to create?
- What are you scared to create?
One quick pivot is to focus on creating before you consume. When you do, you become a much more gracious Consumer.
If you suspect you’ve been ignoring your Rebel Creative for too long and want a quicker path to unpacking the emotions, the parts involved, and the patterns you’ve fallen into that block it from being fully seen and heard, book a free call with me.
I have two spots left for tomorrow. Why wait any longer?
Creating containers that allow you to see yourself clearly so you can go after what you want is my chosen art.
xx,
Alyssa
P.S. What role are you playing in different areas of life? Where are you a Creator versus a Connector or Consumer?
P.P.S. Paul, if you’re reading this, your cheesecakes are welcome in my house any time, scale be damned. I’m happy to be a Consumer.
P.P.P.S. If you want to set your creative spirit free, book a call.