From Self Doubt to Creative Power with Photography & Journaling || part of The Inner Critic Series | Lucy Lambriex | Skillshare
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From Self Doubt to Creative Power with Photography & Journaling || part of The Inner Critic Series

teacher avatar Lucy Lambriex, Creative Confidence & Camera Courage

Watch this class and thousands more

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Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      From Self Doubt to Creative Power

      2:40

    • 2.

      What You Will Do and Learn

      2:47

    • 3.

      Voices in Your Head (What?)

      4:44

    • 4.

      The Inner Critic is Special

      2:22

    • 5.

      Get to Know Your Inner Critic

      3:25

    • 6.

      Brainstorm Your Inner Critic's Look

      2:06

    • 7.

      Make a Fun and Simple Wig or Headdress

      2:05

    • 8.

      Evoke and Capture Your Inner Critic

      4:43

    • 9.

      Takeaways & a Request

      2:20

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About This Class

Yes! Let's Gain Creative Power! 

In this second class in the Inner Critic Series, you'll go on a creative inner journey, that will bring you closer to your Inner Critic. You will learn about the background of your Inner Critic, get crafty, dress up, have a dialogue with your Inner Critic and then TURN INTO your Inner Critic and take a self portrait. "Waaaaah! What good will that do?"

Believe it or not, you will not only get to know your Inner Critic better; you will also befriend it and start using it to your benefit. You will discover it doesn’t have to go away in order for you to function well and freely. By creating the self portrait, you will externalise this quality of yours (yes, it is a quality) and it is a reminder that it ≠ not you, but a part of you.

IMPORTANT: this class can evoke strong emotions. It is important to force nothing and to do everything at your own pace. Additionally, only share things that you feel comfortable with and don't force anything. 

By becoming more empowered in the process, you will go from self doubt to more creative power!

In my first class in The Inner Critic Series, you could already meet your Inner Critic by doing a daunting little exercise. (You can watch the classes in any order.)

In this class, you'll go deeper and you will learn more about where the Inner Critic comes from and what its function is. It is more useful than you think! It just needs to learn to behave better, and you will be teaching your Inner Critic just that.

My approach to self inquiry is playful and light. You will dive into yourself deeper, yet in a playful manner. Do this at your own pace and if it brings up strong emotions, make sure to pay attention to those.

Your project is at the heart of this class:

Meet Your Teacher

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Lucy Lambriex

Creative Confidence & Camera Courage

Top Teacher

All-Round Creatives Unite!

Hello! As an all-round creative maker I know how you can get stuck in the middle of a project. Or at the start. If you ever find yourself stuck creatively, I can help you get back on track. My classes focus not only on the end result of your creations, but also delve into the inner processes, personal awareness, and growth. Using photography, journaling, Procreate, paint, thread and other materials, you'll rediscover your creativity and gain valuable insights about yourself along the way.

I'm Lucy Lambriex (she/her), based in Amsterdam, and I design classes for creative professionals and professional creatives. These classes provide a pathway out of creative block and anxiety, leading to gr... See full profile

Level: All Levels

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Transcripts

1. From Self Doubt to Creative Power: I'll be quiet. Hi, does your Inner Critic bother you when you want to start a new adventure? I feel you. If it tells you that you're not good enough or that everybody else has done before what you are about to do, Of course, it's never good enough. I told them in the last class. listen up, your inner critic will not know what hit them when you take this class. I'm Lucy Lambriex from Amsterdam and this is Mevrouw Bang. You've met her before if you've taken my previous class, she is my Inner Critic, Mrs. Scared. She's been with me for as long as I can remember and even after 13 years of experience as a portrait photographer and many years as an online teacher, she loves to comment on my work. Ever since I truly met Mevrouw Bang, she doesn't bother me as much and her tone has become milder. No. Usually. Don't believe it. This class is for you if you are a creative or another type of professional with an active Inner Critic, does your Inner Critic hinder or even sabotage your projects? Join me in this class and free yourself from their power. Rather than wasting your energy on trying to overcome the Inner Critic, I will teach you ways to start connecting with your Inner Critic and befriending them. After sharing the underlying dynamics between the Inner Critic and ourselves, I will guide you through an eye-opening exercise. Not only is the taking of the self-portrait as your Inner Critic great fun, this will help you start appreciating your Inner Critic. Can you imagine that? This whole creative inner journey will bring more self-awareness. This will empower you and enhance personal freedom and growth. Why learn from me? As a creative guide for self-exploration and with a full year of daily self-portraiture under my belt, I know how to apply photography to self-inquiry, and many of my students have experienced this in my previous classes on Skillshare already. Although this class may bring up some strong emotions, I hope it will make you laugh as well and I hope even more that it will empower you the way it empowered me when I got to know my Inner Critic 'Mevrouw Bang'. Are you ready to meet your Inner Critic? Get to know them a little bit better and teach them a lesson? Let's do it! 2. What You Will Do and Learn: You're about to embark on a fun and reflective inner journey, and you will make the creative self portrait as your inner critic. By the end of this class, you will have an understanding of the dynamics between you and your inner voices. You will have met your inner critic, talked to them, listened to them properly, and you will have stepped into and out of their shoes. This will help you understand its purpose, and it will understand you better too. You will have produced a self-portrait as your inner critic, as a reminder of who they are, and that they are not you. In my opinion and experience, it is very important to put into practice what you've learned and to do a project. Yes, I love to see all those portraits of my colleagues. Get your portrait taken, my friends, and let's teach them a lesson. Watching the lessons doesn't do the full trick. In doing the actual work of thinking, feeling, reflecting, creating, capturing, you will become closer to your inner critic. At the same time, it will lose its strong grip. You will not take it as seriously as before, and you will start to learn how to make use of their presence. All you need are these materials, some makeup, at least an eyeliner pencil, and possibly some face paint, clothing or a paper to create an outfit, a wig, or fabric, plastic, or paper, and some tape to make one, and some aluminum foil, and finally, any materials you enjoy using when dressing up as your inner critic. Share your work on your project page, and share it on your social media channels using the hashtag lucylambriex and theinnercriticseries. I strongly recommend sharing your work as it will have several extra benefits. It will help your process of outing your inner critic. They might not like it, but it will help you stay in charge. It will also help you see better. That sounds strange, but once it is online, you can see your inner critic even more clearly, and you will be able to reflect upon it even better. It will inspire other students to follow suit and to gain the courage to do the same. Join us in the project. Remember to leave a comment on the projects of the other students and have some meaningful exchange. It will add a lot to this class. Now, let's find out what the inner critic is and where it comes from. 3. Voices in Your Head (What?): Before you take a self-portrait as your inner critic, let me give you some more insight in the dynamics at play in our personality. It is safe to say that almost everybody has an inner critic and then the previous class in the series Win Back Your Creative Confidence, many of you have already discovered that the inner critic is a separate entity doing its own thing. It will keep doing that until you shine a bright light on them. This class will help you do just that. The inner critic is the voice in our head that comments on our every move. Particularly when we are about to embark on a new adventure, when we have a next step in our business, maybe we are going to speak in public and it will tell you how badly you are performing. Or it may become very active after we've completed something that we're very proud of. It will keep telling you what you've done wrong. But what is the inner critic really, and where does it come from? I will use the theory of voice dialogue to explain this. In the '70s of the previous century, the founders of voice dialogue, Hal and Sidra Stone discovered that we can have a conversation with our inner voices or subpersonalities. Subpersonality, am I telling you that you have a multiple personality disorder? No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Imagine driving a bus with you in the driver's seat, going on a trip. In the back of the bus, you have some passengers. Suddenly they start talking to you. Drive more safely, and look at the signs, says the perfectionist. Go faster we won't be in time, says the pusher. Let's stop at the bar, says the party animal, and some other voices are trying to be heard. The pusher, impatient as it is, is getting sick of all this talk and takes the wheel from you. Suddenly you find yourself going super fast and ignoring everything else, like the whispering of the sensitive one. Let's take a little break. It's all a bit much, they say. Does this sound familiar? Do you ever do things while you plan something else? Can you not decide because all of these voices keep discussing, and is your inner critic extra loud when this happens? This is a normal phenomenon and part of our character or personality. We all have several voices in our heads that make us do things or do things. When we are not all too aware of these, it can feel like we're being taken over. When do these first appear? As a young child, we all start developing the subpersonality to navigate the demands and expectations from the people around us that we depend on. Our parents, siblings and peers, our teachers, employers, etc. Later in life, our partner and children. In order to be liked and accepted and in order to be safe, the subpersonalities appear and make us behave in certain ways. For instance, one of the first subpersonalities to emerge in our lives is the pleaser. It knows what mom and dad want and they make us smile or make cute noises, so your parents give you what you need, like cuddles and food and smiles. Later in life, it may still be your first tendency to please people when you meet them. Our subpersonality can be seen as bodyguards who protect our so-called inner child. Together they protect the inner child which is the pure open receptive and innocent part of us, that would not survive on its own. Takeaway. We all have these so-called subpersonalities that help us navigate the world. Unless we become aware of who they are, we will feel like a **** on their game board. Now you know why we all have these characters inside of us. Let's move on to our main character of this class, the inner critic, who has a special role to fulfill. 4. The Inner Critic is Special: Now let's have a closer look at that special voice. You have in your head. The inner critic. It is one of the sub personalities that have developed over the years. But it is a special one that feels like it has a special obligation to your other sub personalities. Sounds weird. Yeah. Let's have a look. If someone asked you a question and you snapped at them, the inner critic knows that you're pleased or will be very unhappy, so it tells you you should have been kinder, if you stay home on a Friday night because you are tired or just want to stay home, your party animal will get help from the inner critic who will tell you how boring you are. Practically, everyone has an inner critic, and although it often behaves like a jerk, it is really there to protect us. It knows all the rules from your other subpersonalities. The body guards of your inner child. It does its utmost to make you follow those rules so you will be safe. That's why it's working overtime. It wants you to be safe, and as long as you try to ignore the inner critic, it will become loud and crude and rude. There is no escaping it. But there's also very good news. Once you become aware of the voices in your head, you will regain control of the steering wheel. The inner voices will never go away. But you can learn to manage all these voices that make up your character. You can regain control. The takeaway is that you can learn to manage all of the inner voices and tendencies. You can develop a relationship with them that will benefit you. There is so much to learn about all these inner voices and I would encourage you to study this by yourselves. You can learn more by reading the books from the list I made that you can download here, and by doing inner work and reflection, this class focuses on that special voice of yours, the inner critic, and in the next lesson, you will meet yours. 5. Get to Know Your Inner Critic: Now it's time to shine a light on your inner critic and to start getting to know it better. Is this a bit scary? Don't worry, your inner critic is just as nervous about being exposed. Now, watch this lesson first and then go somewhere where nobody can disturb you for about 10 minutes. Download the questionnaire and answer the questions. I will also read them for you here. Write down everything that pops up, even if you don't understand its meaning yet. When did your inner critic first appear? Do you remember how it talked to you when you were a child? Has this changed? What is your inner critics favorite topic? Has it ever bought anything positive for you? Be honest. What would happen if they were actually in charge of your life? If you did everything they told you? Now, give your inner critic a name. These are some examples from students of my first-class in this series. Ms. Critic, Erik, Madge or Majesty the Queen, Bob, Gremlin, Shamy, Critical Me, The Doubter, Hole, Nuisance Nellie. Pick a name just intuitively, don't think too hard about a name, but choose one that feels right. After learning more about your inner critic and after giving them a name, you can have a dialogue together. We'll practice this a little bit. We'll do it much longer and deeper in the next class, but for now, let's have a taste of what this can be like. The best way, the easiest way is to do it while writing in your journal. You write something as yourself and then you listen what is the inner critic saying and then you write down what they say. You can also switch seats, but it's not necessary. So let's do this. Here we go. Could you please tell me why you behave the way you do? It's so unpleasant. Now, listen to what they say. Don't you get it? I worry for you. I don't want you to fail and you don't listen to me, so I have to speak louder and be a bit rude sometimes. Try to really hear them and then respond. I wasn't aware of this. I only hear the nasty words and condescending laughter all the time. You're not a bit rude you're very rude. Can you please be more subtle in your choice of words? Yes, if you listen. So this was a short sample dialogue, and you can do this as long as you like. Let me know in your project how this went. Takeaway. Seeing your inner critic in this slide helps you see and realize more why they are there in the first place and how they are not really out to get you, despite their bad manners. In the next lesson, you'll connect with your inner critic on a whole different level. 6. Brainstorm Your Inner Critic's Look: Now that you've studied and contemplated your inner critic, it is time to come up with a look for them. You will reflect and write and you'll brainstorm and sketch. If you don't normally see your inner critic with your internal eye, try and come up with an appearance for how they make you feel. Not all inner critics take the shape of a person, it can also be a shadow, a spiky object, a cube, or even a blob. Often, the inner critic is simply a version of yourself, but with a particular expression like fear, judgment, eye rolling, etc. I think it is important to distinguish your inner critic's look from yours. Even if it looks like you, make it look different so you will remember and realize that it's not you, it's only part of you. I suggest you exaggerate the way they appear and express themselves. Use extra makeup to add a frown, use your facial muscles to show their expression, add a wig or certain clothes. Take some time to discover this, make sketches. If yours keeps quiet, trick them and lure them out by dreaming big or making a drawing that'll probably wake them up. Share your sketches in the project as you work towards your final portrait. Takeaway. You will have gathered the most important aspects of your inner critic, and you will know how to exaggerate them so the inner critic will look clearly different from you. This helps you realize they are not you, but just a part of you. Now you know how your inner critic will look. In the next video, I'll give you some tips on how to make a wig or a headdress at next to no cost. 7. Make a Fun and Simple Wig or Headdress: If you think your inner critic needs a wig or a headdress of some type, you know I would probably agree. I will give you some tips on how to make one at practically no cost. Even if you think your inner critic doesn't need a wig or a headdress, try to give them something to wear anyway. This creative exercise will help you get acquainted with your inner critic in a fun way. When I was making these examples, I had an inner dialogue with Mrs Scared, which was quite illuminating. I'm curious to see if this happens to you too. Let's enjoy a little crafting and create a wig or headdress yourself. A very easy way to do this is to use aluminum foil as the base, like so. You just fold it around your head. Just turn it into a little cap like this by pressing. It really doesn't have to be neat. Give it the right size and make sure it's not too tight so you can easily put it on and off. You can attach anything to it like paper curls, spikes, you could even write some quotes on these paper strips and have this whole cloud of inner critic voices on your head. Let's see what that does. You can also make a simple headband out of cardboard like so, and attach fluffy stuff to it or anything else you see fit. Takeaway. An outfit for your inner critic doesn't have to be costly. You can easily make one and have a lot of fun and even experience a deeper connection with your inner critic in the process. Now, you're almost ready to take the self portrait. In the next lesson, I'll give you some tips on how to do this with your smartphone or your camera, how to get the focus right, and most importantly, how to evoke that inner critic energy. 8. Evoke and Capture Your Inner Critic: In this video, I'll give you some tips on how to take your self-portrait on your smartphone or on your camera, how to get the focus right, and also how to evoke that inner critic energy. First, let's get the technical stuff in place. Put your camera or smartphone on a tripod or a stack of books. I use these books on a stool and a little tripod. You can use anything that keeps your phone in place or your camera. Make a stand-in out of a paper bag on a stand, or use a pillow in a neutral color. I drew a face because it makes it easier to focus, practice, focus, and lighting using the stand-in. I keep holding it until the AE/AF [inaudible] goes on. I'm using an iPhone, but you can use any smartphone or camera to do the same. Now evoke your inner critic. Have everything ready that you need to step into their shoes. Actually, you can put it on when you are in your own seat. The inner critic will be sitting here. I can already feel her creeping up on me. I forgot to tell you, I have a mirror already. I can check my look. Now I'm going to evoke that inner critic energy, feel and evoke their energy and listen to their comments. Let it all show in your expression. Take some time to get this all right. I just listened to her. I can hear her already. She's telling me I cannot impersonate her. You cannot impersonate me? Just feel what it's like in her outfit. I'm only using this jacket and the wig. I've already practiced her face so often, so I don't need makeup to exaggerate it. Now I feel her, I'm going to sit in her seat. Feel what it's like here. [LAUGHTER] Hello. I'm ready, I'm going to take the self-portrait. Make a few different versions. Continue taking portraits until you feel you've captured the right energy of your inner critic. Just try one again right away. If you stop photographing, the whole fixed focus is gone. It's better to take a whole series and then check them at the end. Before you continue, after taking your portrait, please make another conscious decision to step into your own shoes again. Now I'm going to go back to my own seat and to turn back into myself. This is a better place for me, at least. My hair, you can see this in the whole class it's getting flatter and flatter. No self-criticism. That's her job. Now, I'm going to thank my inner critic for letting me impersonate her. Thank you, Mrs. Scared. I'm very grateful that I was allowed to impersonate you. Yes, you're welcome but it was really lousy. She didn't like that. I'm so much better at my job. Don't you think? You are better at your job? Now, click the green button under Project and Resources and start your project. Please also share some words on how this all went. It is an important part of your own journey and you will also inspire others. Yes, I love to see all those portraits of my colleagues. Get your portrait taken, my friends, and let's teach them a lesson. Takeaway, fully submerging herself into that inner critic energy will help you make a powerful portrait and the stand-in made from a paper bag will improve your results immensely. I hope stepping into the shoes of your inner critic gave you more insight in who they are, and in the final video, I'll recap what you've learned and I'll ask you for a little bit of help. 9. Takeaways & a Request: I'm so happy you've made it to this final video. I will recap what you've learned and I will ask you for some help. You got to meet your Inner Critic by stepping into their shoes. You learned they are not out to get you. Instead, you saw that they have a purpose and they try to protect you by becoming your Inner Critic and taking a self-portrait. You honored that part of your personality and you found a way to communicate with it. Now that you have a physical portrait, you have a reminder that they are separate from you. You can start using their sharp eye to your benefit. Just keep reminding them to speak to you in a kind way. If they start to be abusive again, put them back in the corner and tell them you won't listen. If you haven't already, please share your work in the project gallery and remember to add a cover image as well. Also, if you feel comfortable, please share your work on your social media channels with the hashtag Lucy Lambriex and the Inner Critic Series. I really hope you've enjoyed this class and I would be very grateful if you could leave me a short review. It will tell other students why they could take this class, and I'll know how you've experienced it. You're always welcome to come back and ask me questions. Just drop a note in the discussion section or in your project. Follow me here, and you might also want to have a look at my other classes, like the first class in the Inner Critic Series. Win back your creative confidence, and my previous class, unlock your creativity with photography and writing. If there's anything else you would like me to teach in a future class, just ask. I might just do it. For now, thank you for taking this class and see you in my other classes. Bye. This in life is so amazing, sometimes it can get crazy, but, hey, that's okay. We've got another day to make mistakes and say sorry. There's no sense in our worry, because all we can do is try our best to make it through with love.