The Hidden Ways We Refuse Our Creative Calling
Every abandoned sketchbook has a story to tell...
We’ve been looking at the first steps in the hero’s journey - Ordinary Life followed by the Call to Adventure.
Today we’re looking at what often comes next, the third step in the hero’s journey…
Refusing the Call
This is the moment in Spider-Man where Peter Parker watches the robber run past. A small refusal that echoes through his entire story - one that will cost Uncle Ben his life.
Think of Bilbo Baggins, secure in his cozy hobbit-hole, telling Gandalf he wants no part in any adventures. 'Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things,' he calls them, shutting his round door on opportunity. He doesn't know yet that by refusing this call, he's trying to shut out his own story. That the very comfort he clings to is what's keeping him small.
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
- Joseph Campbell
Can we talk about how many times I've almost started?
Because every time I see another abandoned blog post, neglected platform bio, or pristine sketchbook in my drawer, I realize something: we're all masters at almost beginning.
I've spent years working with aspiring artists, and here's what I've noticed: most of us aren't actively saying "no" to our creative calling. We're just finding increasingly sophisticated ways to avoid saying "yes."
Let me show you what I mean.
1. The Partial Answer
Have you ever noticed how preparation becomes its own art form?
Sometimes we think we're answering the call when we're actually finding clever ways to avoid it. We write one blog post and let it sit. We buy the expensive sketchbook but keep it pristine. We research endlessly about creative techniques without actually creating.
But Adam - isn't preparation important?
Of course it is.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: This isn't laziness or lack of passion - it's a sophisticated form of refusal dressed up as progress. We feel like we're moving forward because we're taking action, but we're really just practicing the art of almost beginning.
Every creative journey is built on a foundation of these false starts. But the difference between those who eventually answer the call and those who don't isn't talent or timing - it's the willingness to move past preparation into actual practice.
2. The Multiple Path Trap
I have drawers full of half-started projects, each abandoned right when they started to get challenging.
Here's where our refusal gets really clever - we convince ourselves we're being "open to opportunities" by starting something new every few weeks. A sketch here, a blog post there, maybe even a new social media account dedicated to our "real" creative work this time.
Each fresh start feels like progress. And it is, in a way.
But have you noticed the pattern?
We often abandon each path right around the time things get uncomfortable. Right when we would have to push through the awkward early stages where our work doesn't match our taste. Right when we see someone else's polished portfolio and suddenly our beginning steps feel embarrassingly amateur.
What looks like exploring multiple creative paths is often our fear finding new escape routes.
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