Any way you calculate it, the accountant between your ears can be as loud as a 600W Marshall Stack, and the concerns about money can quickly drown out the whisper of your Creative Muse. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have much and want more; had it then lost it; or have it, and struggle to keep it. Truth is, the “money beast” can overpower and choke the flow of pure creativity, which is the life-blood of all artists & entrepreneurs.
I asked my good friend Jim for his opinion. Dr. Jim Gottfurcht is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist who specializes in the psychology of money and relationships. For years we have grappled, argued, arm-wrestled and disagreed about every subject you can imagine (he with his psychological point of view, and me with my philosophical one). Makes for lively dinner conversations! However when it comes to the “psychology of money,” I respect his expertise very much. Here’s Dr. Jim’s psychological take on why it’s challenging to access your Creative Muse, while you’re being eaten alive by the Money Beast:
“When you are plagued by $ problems, it usually means you are experiencing worry, stress, anxiety, fear, etc. When these emotions run through your body, your “primitive brain” takes over and becomes dominant, and survival becomes imperative. Your ability to use the neo-cortex part of your brain is greatly diminished so you cannot think clearly or gain access to your natural creativity. To access your creativity, you must first calm down your primitive, fearful brain. Once the primitive brain calms down, the natural flow of creative intuition and inspiration is once again available.”
So what’s the magic trick to calm the primitive brain?
You should know the drill by now: Meditation, yoga, chanting, deep breathing, massage, aerobic exercise, being in nature, laughter, spirituality, wild crazy sex, swimming in the cold Pacific Ocean, and eating spaghetti!
What’s YOUR method of silencing the “Money Beast” and accessing your Creative Muse?
Big thanks to my buddy Jim. Here’s his contact info:
Dr. James W. Gottfurcht, Ph. D.
President, Psychology of Money Consultants
Site: www.psychologyofmoney.com
Email: psychmoney@aol.com