Creativity As a Way Forward: Expanding Possibilities in the New Year
As a new year begins, many of us feel a subtle pressure to figure it out. We often do that by setting goals, refining habits, and mentally mapping our way toward change. The cultural narrative suggests that January is a time to become a better version of ourselves. To improve, optimize, and finally get it right. Its a time many commit to reading more self-help books, starting therapy, or finding a life coach. If wishing to create something new, why not also turn to an exploration of personal creativity? Creativity rarely emerges from force or self-correction. It comes from something quieter, deeper, and more instinctual.
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. ”
I tend to agree with Carl Jung, that creativity is not about thinking something up. It is about listening inwardly and allowing something essential to emerge. It requires feeding the small threads of inspiration. Nourishing the small green spikes that push through the hard cold ground of winter. Admiring their youthful lack of rules, and embracing their imperfection.
Creativity is often misunderstood as productivity or artistic output. But at its core, creativity is a way of being in relationship with life. It expands what feels possible emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. It invites movement where we feel stuck and offers new forms where old ones have become too tight.
Moving Beyond the “Better Version” Narrative
The idea that the new year requires us to become better implies that who we are right now is insufficient. For many people carrying burnout, grief, or long-standing self-criticism, this narrative deepens shame rather than supporting growth.
From a depth psychological perspective, change does not arise from self-rejection. We do not transform by fixing ourselves. We transform through integration—by turning toward what is already here with curiosity and compassion. Creativity asks for inclusion, not improvement.
When we release the mandate to be better, we create space to become more whole. More honest. More embodied. More aligned with what feels alive rather than what feels expected. This kind of becoming cannot be measured or optimized. It unfolds in its own time, guided by inner necessity rather than external pressure.
Creativity Beyond Control
When creativity is treated as an intellectual exercise, it becomes another performance. We ask, What should I do next? What’s the smartest plan? But Jung’s insight points toward play. Outside the pressures of adulting, and if we loosen control, play offers an instinctive movement.
In depth psychotherapy, creativity often appears not when insight is forced. Instead it stems from something unexpected emerging. A dream image, a bodily sensation, a shift in feeling or meaning. These moments expand the psyche rather than narrowing it. They offer new possibilities without demanding immediate clarity.
Expanding possibility in our lives often requires tolerating uncertainty. Not knowing is uncomfortable. It is, however, the human condition. And it is not a failure. It is a fertile state. Creativity needs openness. So does healing.
Carl Jung, Julia Cameron, and the Creative Psyche
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way is deeply informed by Jungian psychology. At Rezak Therapy we embrace Jung’s understanding of the unconscious as creative, symbolic, and inherently purposeful. Cameron's suggested practices of Morning Pages and Artist Dates mirror Jung’s belief that listening to the psyche allows something new to emerge. Making space for creative flow can be quite powerful. In Morning Pages we drain the brain of its negative thinking. In Artist Dates we fill the well with inspiration and new ideas.
Cameron emphasizes creativity as a spiritual and psychological process. This echoes Jung’s view that creativity is a natural expression of the psyche when it is given attention, safety, and space. The Artist’s Way does not ask us to become better artists or better people. It invites us into relationship with our inner life.
In this way, creative practice becomes a form of dialogue with the unconscious—one that expands possibility, restores vitality, and reconnects us to meaning. We offer a group exploration of creative recovery in our Artist's Way Workshop each January and September.
Intentions Instead of Resolutions
Traditional New Year’s resolutions are usually outcome-driven and control-oriented. They ask us to perform, achieve, or eliminate parts of ourselves. Intentions, by contrast, are relational. They shift the question from What will I accomplish? to How do I want to be in relationship with myself and the world?
Creative intentions might sound like:
I intend to listen more deeply to my inner signals.
I intend to make room for rest, play, and spontaneity.
I intend to follow what feels alive rather than what feels familiar, and am aware this may generate discomfort in the short-term.
These intentions allow for movement without rigidity. They honor the psyche’s natural rhythms and recognize that growth often happens quietly, beneath the surface, long before it becomes visible.
Let Go, Let God, Let Them
Creativity also requires release. Many of us enter the new year carrying old roles, expectations, and emotional burdens. Letting go is not resignation; it is an act of trust.
The 12-step slogan, “let go and let God” speaks to surrendering the illusion of control—whether understood spiritually or psychologically. Mel Robbin's famous catch phrase "let them” invites us to allow others to be who they are without reshaping ourselves in response. Together, these practices free energy for our own creative and emotional life.
An Invitation
If you are longing for more spaciousness, clarity, or creative aliveness in the new year, you are invited to join an upcoming Artist’s Way Workshop. We offer both an in-person cohort in Pasadena, California and an online cohort live via Zoom. Our promise is a safe space outside the pressure to become a “better” version of yourself.
This small-group experience offers a supportive container to explore creativity through reflection, writing, and shared process. It is grounded in Jungian depth psychology, spirituality, and non-linear thinking. You do not need to identify as an artist. You only need a willingness to listen inwardly and allow something new to unfold.
Creativity is not a self-improvement project. It is a way forward. And it begins exactly where you are. If you’re curious and would like to learn more, let’s jump on a call and talk about it.
