Look at Me
I bet when you were a kid you put on a show.
You had skits and puppet shows or an art gallery and sought attention for your talents, gifts and songs.
You were wild and wildly creative.
As a kid, I was constantly showing off—and still am. It’s a natural creative drive that's exciting to do and fun to witness in others.
We all did this, cuz we’re ALL born creative.
The psychological basis of this is the human instinct to be seen, heard and loved. Feeling seen by others is an evolutionary need to belong to a tribe because without them we would perish. Today we want validation and support, but in the ancient part of our brains, not being seen by the tribe is equivalent to being banished to die in the wilderness.
For children the urge to be seen comes out as, “Hey…LOOK at ME! Look what I can do!”
That refrain is hit so many times a day that often most caregivers, myself included, are made weary from it. So, instead of nurturing or carefully guiding kids’ “ants in the pants” to the proper place and time, they naturally want to shut it down for peace and quiet. Convenient for them, unfortunate for the kids.
This is the beginning of our current reluctance at being seen. Our young creative urges were not recognized as good or worthy or valuable, but called out as annoying—and we still carry that fear of getting shot down.
But it is a powerful and beautiful urge to want to be seen.
“Look at me” is the call to be recognized for who we really are.
Without it, what are we but stuck, stymied, full of self doubt and wary of being vulnerable?
We become so afraid to show ourselves that we’d rather contort into shapes that others want, or follow whatever way “it’s supposed to be.” We get mired in perfection and procrastination (fancy words for not doing anything).
I am here to tell you that Your Work is a Gift.
It's how we express ourselves, make ourselves happy, make a difference and improve the lives of others.
There are people who want to witness and see you.
And there’s an audience willing to pay you.
You only need to allow yourself to say, “LOOK at ME, look what I can do!”
Become audacious in your words and movements.
Be consistent in your song and skit and message.
And, please, just keep going.
