011: The wisdom beneath your creative resistance
What does deep listening make possible?
There is something sacred in the space created by hesitation: where our fingers hover above the keyboard; where the melody catches in our throat. In these suspended moments, resistance arrives not as an enemy but a messenger. If we’re open to hearing it, the messenger carries a fundamental truth.
These are the whispers of our creative unconscious.
The language of reluctance
Imagine resistance as a tidal pool at the edge of the ocean—seemingly separate, but intimately connected to the deeper hidden currents.
What might look, on the surface, like stagnation conceals the movement beneath. The hesitation you feel when approaching your creative work might actually be the first ripples of a powerful undercurrent preparing to guide you into new depths.
This showed up powerfully in my own journey at a crucial crossroads in my academic career. Analysing and writing about other people's creative works (rather than creating my own) felt increasingly hollow. My survival mechanisms had me seeking external validation by climbing the leadership ladder, yet inside I was longing for authentic expression. It wasn't just career dissatisfaction; it was something fundamental that was seeking the full expression of myself: my aliveness and life force.
When we reach the edge of our creative endeavours and feel the pull to step back, we might be tempted to curse hesitation as a weakness. But inside this reluctance is buried a hidden intelligence. The pause itself holds meaning: a sanctuary in which where whispers from your deeper self can be heard above the waves of expectation.
What if your resistance isn't blocking creativity but protecting the sacred rhythm of your expression?
What if it's preserving something essential until you're ready to receive it?
Resistance as a sacred silence
Resistance can act as a stubborn pocket of space in our lives—one that creates friction, contraction and heaviness.
Could you approach resistance differently—as though it were a cloistered space that eliminates distractions? Paradoxically, creative reluctance can provide the sanctuary for your authentic voice to emerge.
Create a hollow in your day: a small enclosure of silence. Set a timer for seven minutes. Write at the top of a page: 'My resistance wants to tell me...' Then listen. Let your hand move without censorship. The words that emerge might surprise you, carrying fragments of truth that your conscious mind hasn’t yet assembled.
Your creative resistance often speaks most clearly in the language of the body. Notice where tension gathers when you approach your work. The tightness in your shoulders may be telling you that your project has veered from its truth. The flutter in your stomach might signal that you're approaching something essential, something that matters deeply.
From whispers to words
The transition from intuitive knowing to tangible creation requires not an act of force but using a gentle kind of alchemy. Begin by getting to know your resistance. Collect the words, phrases or images that consistently emerge from your deep listening.
You could consider establishing a ritual that signals your movement from receptive listening to active creation. It might be as simple as lighting a candle, arranging your materials in a particular way, or speaking an affirmation that acknowledges both your receptivity and your agency: I've listened. Now it's time to create.
When translating intuitive wisdom to concrete expression, resist the urge to immediately structure or perfect. Instead, create what I often call a ‘first-water-draft’, one that flows unfiltered and true to the original whispers.
This becomes the sacred material from which your refined work will emerge.
Shaping the whispers
Our deepest intuitions often speak in fragments, symbols, and paradoxes. To shape these whispers into work that resonates with others requires a dance between receptivity and craft.
Start by identifying the emotional core of what your resistance has revealed. Beneath the symbols and fragments, what essential truth is emerging? This becomes your creative true north, guiding decisions about form, structure, and refinement.
Ask yourself: what form would best serve both the message and those who need to receive it?
Remember that the shaping process itself is a conversation with your deeper knowing. Each editorial decision can be preceded by a moment of listening: does this change honour the original whisper or muffle it?
The courage to hear
Listening to resistance requires courage. It may ask you to change direction, to abandon carefully laid plans, to admit that what you thought you wanted isn't what your soul requires.
Our deepest creative imperatives often feel not like choices we make but truths we need to recognise: currents we must follow regardless of where our rational minds had planned to go.
I encourage you to approach your creative resistance not as an enemy but as an oracle.
Sit with it. Listen to what it's trying to tell you. Record what you discover in your journal. Then take one small action that acknowledges the wisdom you've received—whether that means setting aside a project that no longer serves you, or diving deeper into the work that frightens you.
If you have the courage, the whispers from the deep will guide you to listen—and then to speak their truth to the waiting world.
What is your creative resistance trying to tell you?
This week, practice deep listening. Then capture it and share what emerges.
Love Rachel
Creative inspiration
The transformative power of classical music—a 20-min TED talk by Benjamin Zander. Although the focus is classical music, Zander’s talk is also a masterclass in cultivating the art of deep listening and the importance of sacred silence. Zander doesn't just talk about transformation – he creates it before their eyes, offering a living demonstration of what happens when we have the courage to hear and respond to our deepest creative callings.
The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. A collaboration from the speaker of the TED talk mentioned above and his late wife. This book has been such a mainstay for me that offers insight, inspiration and, yes, possibility in creative processes and in life.
The Creative Independent website. I came across this site very recently and have become a huge fan. It’s ad-free (which is a bonus), chock-full of different perspectives on creativity in all its guises. It features interviews with working artists—including writers, musicians, designers, visual artists and others, with a mission to feed and grow the community of people who create.
Memorable quote of the week
‘There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.’
— Martha Graham, American dancer, teacher and choreographer
What’s next?
If there’s something you’re longing to create (a writing project, an artistic creation or new venture) but need more courage and guidance, I’m here to support you expand the power of your self-expression.
Here’s how I can help:
Make an appointment for a virtual coffee (free). I hold 3-4 slots every month for a 20 minute chat so we can get to know each other. Perfect if you’re curious about meeting people and making new connections.
Book a 30-minute connection call (free). This is for anyone—whether you have an idea you want to brainstorm, an issue that’s holding you back, or just want to know about me and/or my work. Think of it as a micro-dose of powerful connection that might help point you in the right direction!
Read my manifesto for creative courage (free). Learn about the core principles of my creativity and follow in serial form the story of how I came to found Wordplay Coaching.
Inquiry of Writing, an intimate group coaching experience. We meet twice a month—in which we use writing as a tool for curiosity, exploration and transformation. Respond to powerful questions, in discussion and in writing; share your experience; get feedback on what you’ve written. Get the support and connection you need to gain clarity about your life and creativity, and develop your confidence. This is currently full but talk to me about joining the waiting list.
Creative Essence 1:1 coaching. Personal guidance to work with you on recognising your survival mechanisms and the fears that hold you back from your full expression. Twice-monthly deep dives on Zoom plus individualised support between sessions. This is ideal for you if you’re looking for deep transformation and powerful support to make changes in your life or with a creative project.
Rachel, holy moly- I needed this today. Tears of comfort!!! Thank you for your writing. It speaks to me so deeply ❤️