Resistance - The Root of All Creative Failures

“You think Resistance isn't real? Resistance will bury you.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art.

Whoa, resistance doesn’t mess around!

What one of my paintings looks like while pushing through resistance! Early stages but making a mess is critical in keeping it loose and raw.

So what is resistance anyway, and why is it such a formidable foe?

In a nut shell, resistance is anything that keeps you from a regular, positive creative practice. It’s the myriad of excuses that reason you away from the brave and authentic life. It’s why you CAN’T ______. Period.

Sure, we might have some legit practical reasons why we can’t ____, but “practicality is just fear in disguise” (I think Jim Carrey said that). Yes, that’s right. At the root of choosing a “practical life” is fear. Not that that’s a bad thing, just know it for what it is.

So any of these excuses sound familiar?

I don’t have time (yet there’s plenty of time to Netflix binge or scroll FB/Instagram - beware!).
I don’t have money (how much do you really need to create?)
I don’t have space (if you have a kitchen table, you have space)
I’m hungry - I need to eat right now! (immediate gratification = resistance)
I’m tired - I need a nap right now! (it’s exhausting pushing up against your fear of failure!)
I don’t feel good right now - we can actually make ourselves sick to avoid the “not knowing”.
I need to do laundry right now! (or clean the back of the fridge, or anything else but face the blank canvas).

Anyway, you get the idea. All resistance. All ways of avoiding the creative work.

The writer Steven Pressfield knows a thing or two about resistance. He has made a career writing about overcoming the evils of resistance (as well as other novels and screenplays). Get yourself his classic book, The War of Art, and you will never NOT know when you have come up against resistance. He will hammer it into you and out of you if you keep reading - and you will. He takes no excuses and no prisoners. Tough love from the heart and mind of one who has punched through resistance repeatedly to have a hugely successful career as a writer.

We may think we want to create - write, paint, film, choreograph - but the fact is it scares the hell out of us. And we will do almost anything to avoid it.

“Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet. Look in your own heart. Unless I'm crazy, right now a still, small voice is piping up, telling you as it has ten thousand times before, the calling that is yours and yours alone. You know it. No one has to tell you. And unless I'm crazy, you're no closer to taking action on it than you were yesterday or will be tomorrow.
Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It's a repelling force. It's negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.” Steven Pressfield

The three most potent forms of resistance are Time, Space, Money. Let’s break it down.

Time: I’d ask you how much time you spend on social media, Netflix, or any other unnecessary distraction per day. Even if it’s only 15 minutes, instead, use that time to work in your sketchbook, throw down a guitar riff, or write a brief log line for the screenplay you are thinking of. Do that everyday and you will have momentum to grow your work.
Space: Most everyone has a kitchen table or can sit on their bed with a harmonica. I was a single mom when I turned my bedroom into my studio and slept on the futon couch in the living room - for about 5 years. In fact I still dedicate my master bedroom to be my studio and sleep in a smaller office nook. Everything is a choice - find a space and use it.
Money: Ah yes, the money excuse will cut you off at the knees - “if only I had more money then I’d…” But you don’t need money to write, or sing, or make rock sculptures in your back yard.
Try painting on old salvaged cardboard with some inexpensive acrylic paints. My paintings below were all done on old boxes I found at a residency in Spain, along with some crushed cans, lace found at a flea market, and other detritus I picked up along my daily walks. To this day they are some of my favorite paintings.

A photo transfer painting on cardboard with crushed cans and found beach fencing. Created at a residency in southern Spain. ©Amy Guion Clay

One of my favorite parables is about a master monk and his student. It goes like this:

The monk asks the master - “What is the way to freedom?”

The master replies - “who is restraining you?”

“No one”
(spoiler - it’s resistance!)

“Then why do you need to know?”

Resistance is what is restraining us. Sometimes we might as well be incarcerated, for all we exercise our freedom. But freedom carries with it some responsibility. When you are free, you cannot blame anyone else for your inaction.

Ok, so we get it. We know resistance when it shows up. It doesn’t feel good. It’s the devil saying “if you promise not to sing, I will keep you safe.” Now what? How do we wrestle with the devil? How do we override the bullshit? Here are a few ways:

Be ready to be embarrassed. Franz Kline said, “You know what creating really is? To have the capacity to be embarrassed.” That takes courage!
Be ready to fail again and again. "I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that don’t work". Thomas Edison
Be willing to make a mess. “My pictures have layers of mistakes buried in them – an Xray would disclose crimes - layers of consciousness, of willing.” Robert Motherwell
Stay curious when all else fails. Curiosity will keep you open to new learning.

And if you want to really get serious, try Pressfield’s other book Turning Pro. This one goes even further to define what it means to commit to your practice. To go from amateur to pro and make a difference in the world.

After all is said and done, sometimes we need allies, someone to help us move through the resistance to get a toe hold on our creative life. If this is you, I work individually with artists from around the world as a creative coach. To learn more, click here:

Are there other ways you avoid your creative practice? If so, share with others below. We can all relate!