Welcome to the blog

This is my blog archive. My new writing lives on Substack.

Dear Doubt. I'm breaking up with you.
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Dear Doubt. I'm breaking up with you.

This is a letter to my self-doubt, looking back on our relationship and what has lead me to this decision: I'm breaking up with Doubt. I have met someone else - Creativity.

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How to find your creativity again
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

How to find your creativity again

Where did Creativity go?

Anyone seen my creativity? No?

Nobody?

 

Do you feel like you've lost your creativity? Did it run away and now you can't find it again? You're not alone, it happened to me too. Don't worry, we'll find it together.

Let's go searching.

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Is self-doubt peeing on your creativity?
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Is self-doubt peeing on your creativity?

Today, you are a detective. I want you to go get your detective's hat, fake beard and plastic nose. Seriously, we’re on a mission here.

Self-doubt can mess with our creativity to point of keeping it hidden deep, deep inside of us. Fighting against self-doubt can feel impossible, especially if you’re not sure whether your thoughts are self-doubt or just you being realistic. The case here is to identify your self-doubt to see if it’s messing with your creativity or not.

You ready? Good.

Now, let’s go undercover and catch self-doubt in the act.

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Keep trying, don't give up
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Keep trying, don't give up

February was a month of searching for a new direction. My blog that started out as a project was growing into something more serious. I wanted to help but I didn't know how. During February I searched for my strengths and how to balance my enthusiastic side with my still one.

My self-doubt was strong, but following it made me find my way forward. I learned not to give up when it feels impossible. Keep at it, don't give up.

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A guide to creating for the self-doubter
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

A guide to creating for the self-doubter

Oh come on, I can’t do that. I’m not strong/creative/skilled/experienced/adjective enough.

We all have those thoughts. We firmly tell the world no. We guard what we can and can’t do like our lives depended on it.

Unfortunately, we’re not completely wrong. Our doubts are often based in some kind of truth, or else they wouldn’t be so powerful. But they don’t tell the whole truth. Only the part keeping us from doing the work we’re hesitant to do.

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When you need to shut off the world
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

When you need to shut off the world

Have you tried learning a creative craft and gotten overwhelmed by all of the advice out there? Felt confused by the contradictions and whether you should follow tip X or Y? Been unable to make your creative choices or get anywhere because there are just too many different paths and you don't know which to choose? 

Yeah, me too. 
I was fed up with advice. I needed space.

But how do find the space to make choices that are entirely our own? I've found a way I'd like to share with you.

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Start before you are ready
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Start before you are ready

January was my beginning. I faced the fear of starting my blog, to start sharing my creativity with the world. It's been a month of searching for my voice, trying to find myself in all of this. Asking what the hell my Fear Year is. 

But when January ends, my inner voice has spoken up and I know that it was worth starting somewhere, even if it was scary. I'll figure it out.

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The terrifying journey to finding your creative voice
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

The terrifying journey to finding your creative voice

When learning a new creative craft, or finding a new direction, we search for our creative voice. We wonder who we are in our creativity, if we have a voice at all. It's a journey filled with struggles, copying and thoughts of giving up. But those of us who have walked it once know one thing: it's worth it. 

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The battle of the distracted mind
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

The battle of the distracted mind

"I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread."
- Bilbo Baggins

Do you recognize that feeling? 
Your mind not being able too keep up? Your head a clutter at the end of the day? 

How do we create while we're stretched? Where do we find the energy and time for creativity in a world of scrolling and scanning? 

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Keep calm and break the rules
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Keep calm and break the rules

We start out this life infinitely curious, with no regards for should or shouldn’t. We are unruly, wild, overly dramatic and poop all over the place. We point and laugh at people, scream when we’re mad, asks why until we get our parents annoyed. 

We are creative. Creating naturally, ideas never ending. We question everything. 

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What to do with your newbie mistakes
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

What to do with your newbie mistakes

Are you a creative newbie at something? If you are, let me tell you this: you will make mistakes. A lot of them. Oh the mistakes you'll do.

You'll do cringe-worthy mistakes. You'll feel shame. You'll probably want to hide a little.

But your mistakes is not what's important - it's what you do with them. What you learn from them.

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Why fear is probably my best new year's resolution ever
Elin Lööw Elin Lööw

Why fear is probably my best new year's resolution ever

During the fall of 2015, an idea slowly started to form in my mind. When summer ended I came to the conclusion that I longed for creating. It wasn't something I'd been aware of, but when it hit me it made so much sense. How I like working with projects, and actually loved writing my thesis at university. Why I keep coming back to writing. I want to create. 

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