Comments on: Four Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:50:29 +0000

Good Article! I will have to add that your inner critic doesn’t really matter does it? It’s just a Nuisance, nothing more or nothing less. Just tell it to shut up – don’t get angry, stay calm and collect! Ask yourself – can your inner critic do anything, write, read, create, cook, clean, drive, – don’t think so! So why take advice from something that can’t do anything? You are so much smarter than that thing. I like to laugh at mine!

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:15:32 +0000

Thanks for a great article!

I work in substance abuse treatment and facilitate a self-esteem enhancement group called “Putting Down the 2×4″. Group members are encouraged to identify harsh, destructive comments made by the Inner Critic, recognizing that although versions of these comments may have originally come from Mom/Dad/spouse/lover/employer/peer/etc., none of these people are currently in the room, so the Inner Critic’s voice is now their own. It is suggested that beating oneself up with such negativity is akin to scrawling these words on a 2×4 and using it to hit onself over the head.

Group members are given permanent markers and small wooden slats approximating 2×4’s, then instructed to write one or more of the critical comments on one side and a positive affirmation (or several) on the other.

Members are reminded that they have choices over which side they’ll focus on and that they have the ability, when stuck on the negative, to “turn it over.” Finally, members are encouraged to give the Inner Critic the hour/day/week/year off and “put down the 2×4.”

By: Breaking Through Your Creative Blocks

Breaking Through Your Creative Blocks — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 05:13:27 +0000

[...] So far Mark has published six posts for this series, each addressing a particular problem that people face when they set out to create. Oh, look, I just happen to have written the sixth post in the series – The Inner Critic. [...]

By: THINKing » Creativity 2010 - Week #13

THINKing » Creativity 2010 - Week #13 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:13:18 +0000

[...] Creative Block #6 – The Inner Critic [...]

By: Randy

Randy — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:42:54 +0000

I am a musician, and my band found a way to deal with that critic that works for any kind of creative medium. It’s simple to do:

Make quantity goals, not quality goals.

What we did was to undertake a Song of the Day project, and we produced one song for every day for a year. 365 songs. What you find when you have a quantity goal is that when the critic says “This sucks” you tell it, “Yeah, well, I have a lot more to create to meet the goal, so I can’t throw this idea out, so let’s finish it and move on.”

What happens when you do this is that even the smallest, dumbest ideas sometimes turn into creative gems. Especially if you can work with other people on it (as a band does!)

When you have to explore every idea that you have, you end up with surprising ideas. I like to think of it this way:

“There’s a reason for every creative thought that you have.”

By: Pk

Pk — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:38:04 +0000

I think I’ll just have to keep the inner critic as another “point of view”. I’ll listen to it, take the good ones and ignore the rest, as Marelisa says.

By: John Simmons

John Simmons — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:46:35 +0000

A while back I learned to do some of these same things to handle my inner critic. I would get writer’s block because of the little critter. So, I would tell him that this was just a first draft, it was MEANT to be bad and that it was okay. I told him I would call him after the draft so he could help clean it up. And that let me get to writing.

And, I would honor my promise to myself and let him help before I considered something finished. And, quite often, he would tell me that what I wrote was “not half bad.” Which, as you know, is high praise from an inner critic.

After a while, he didn’t need to be told to go away when I “first drafting” because he would recognize it and know that he would be called in later.

That is still pretty much the case on writing. However, we have not gotten to that stage in painting, music, or public speaking. I am still training myself on those areas. But I know the process now (for me.)

By: Marelisa

Marelisa — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:03:13 +0000

Hi Topi: I think we do create the negative beliefs that the inner critic shoots back at us in an effort to protect ourselves. You’re right to listen and take anything it says which might be helpful and just disregard everything else. Let’s build a bonfire and burn those Moleskines.

By: Marelisa

Marelisa — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:57:36 +0000

Hi Justin: Thank you. I completely agree that by doing lots of creating you slowly silence your critic. In addition, the more things you do well, the more evidence you have to counter anything negative your critic tries to come up with.

By: Topi

Topi — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:32:27 +0000

I’ve learned to love my inner critic – a bit llike treating it like an over-protective parent. I think it exits to protect us, but it’s a bit primative – something is right or wrong, black or white, no shades of grey. So, as with an over-protective parent, I listen respectfully to my inner critic, I take its comments on board (in case it’s rght!), but I also accept that it’s coming from a position where it doesn’t always see the whole picture. Then I let it nap, while I run!