The Resistance Before the Brushstroke: What Creative Work Asks of Us
There’s a moment — just before you begin — when your hands hesitate.
The page is blank. The studio is quiet. The idea is there… but far.
This moment has many names:
Procrastination. Fear. Block. Laziness. Resistance.
But often, what we’re actually facing is something deeper:
A quiet contraction of the self.
Creative work asks us to show up undefended.
Not polished.
Not perfect.
But present — in all our humanness.
And that’s terrifying.
Because once you begin, your inner world takes form.
And once it’s visible — it can be judged.
Even by you.
This moment has many names:
Procrastination. Fear. Block. Laziness. Resistance.
Steven Pressfield calls it “Resistance” — that invisible force that rises anytime we try to move toward something meaningful.
It doesn’t show up because we’re weak.
It shows up because we’re close to something real.
So what’s really happening in that pause before creation?
A fear of not being good enough
A longing for approval that hasn’t yet been earned
A desire to be deeply seen — and also a fear of what that might cost
This is not weakness.
It’s the price of making something honest.
How to begin anyway (gently)
Lower the stakes
Don’t make it your masterpiece. Make it your beginning.
Ritualise the threshold
Light a candle. Breathe. Put on music. Create a portal to enter the work, not a demand.
Let 10 minutes be enough
You don’t need an hour. You need a start. Creativity often lives in momentum.
Praise the effort, not the outcome
Say: “Look at me showing up.” That alone is the act.
Creativity doesn’t come from certainty.
It comes from courage.
The courage to begin — while still unsure.
The courage to be seen — while still tender.
The courage to keep going — even when the voice of doubt whispers loud.
Feeling stuck in the in-between?
I work with creatives and deep-feelers who are navigating resistance, self-doubt, and the desire to create from a deeper place.
Let’s explore this together →
If this idea resonates with you, I recommend “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. It names the inner battle many of us feel when we move toward creativity — and reminds us we’re not alone in it.