Why Being Less Self-Aware Can Unlock Your Creative Genius

How Overthinking, Algorithms, and Constant Reflection Can Kill Your Magic

There was a version of me that I still dream about. She woke up without immediately reaching for her phone. She didn’t scroll to see what the world was doing before deciding who she was going to be that day. She didn’t care if her voice was too much, or her silence too loud. She didn’t analyze the angles, the aesthetics, or the analytics. She just lived. Fully. Softly. Boldly. Herself.

And she was magnetic.

My creativity flowed like water. My content felt like an extension of my heart. People gravitated to what I shared because it was pure — untouched by expectation or performance. I didn’t care if a post got one like or a thousand. I wasn’t adjusting myself to trends or calculating the perfect caption. I was simply in it. In my own world. Creating because it healed me, moved me, excited me.

And ironically — that’s when everything grew.

The Quiet Shift That Changed Everything

But then the world got louder. Or maybe, I just started listening more. I became “successful.” People were watching. Engaging. Expecting. I began to pay attention to the numbers, the feedback, the patterns. I started thinking in terms of “strategy” and “positioning.” I began asking:
“Will they like this?”
“Is this on-brand enough?”
“Should I say less?”
“Should I do more?”

I didn’t realize it right away, but I was no longer creating from my center. I was orbiting around public opinion. Around what would perform well. Around what was safe. And it chipped away at me. Quietly. Repeatedly. Until one day, I realized I wasn’t creating from joy anymore — I was creating from obligation. From pressure. From fear of being forgotten.

When Self-Awareness Becomes Self-Sabotage

Self-awareness is supposed to be a gift — a sign of growth, maturity, depth. But when you're in the spotlight — whether you’re an artist, a creator, or someone simply choosing to be visible — too much of it becomes a burden.