𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲.

Christine M. Smith, Group Creative Director of Innovation at Virtue, the creative agency by VICE, knows this struggle well. “Whatever I do, I see the worst cases,” she shares. “It doesn’t mean it comes out in my work as the worst case scenario, but I see through everything around me that could go wrong.” Christine has faced significant personal and professional challenges, which have, at times, triggered anxiety that “kidnaps” her inner child, stifling her creative flow.

𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝑨𝒏𝒙𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒕𝒔 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚

Christine explains that anxiety often manifests as a narrowing of possibilities, a mental state where the freedom to create is restricted by fear. “Anxiety is when you… don’t see the solution,” she says, explaining how anxiety forces our minds into a tight space, closing off the imagination.

Through her own experiences with PTSD and anxiety, Christine has learned that this mental tightness is the enemy of creativity. “When you let your subconsciousness work for you and stop forcing it, you can find the path again,” she says. But first, we need to confront the kidnapping head-on and rescue our inner child from the clutches of anxiety.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆-𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅

Christine offers a powerful three-step approach to help rescue your inner child from anxiety’s grip:

1. Find a Safe Place to Let Your Guard Down

The first step in rescuing your inner child is to find a safe environment where you can lower your defenses. “I chose to work the way I do today, in a safe place, at home in Denmark, but still be part of the industry,” Christine explains. This physical distance from the typical stresses of agency life helps her maintain a balance that protects her creative spirit. “You nurture the child in a way that continues to have a safe upbringing,” she adds.

Finding a safe place can be a literal environment, such as a quiet room, a favorite park, or a corner in your studio filled with creative tools. It can also be an emotional safe place – a group of supportive friends, mentors, or colleagues who encourage you to explore your creative side without fear of judgment. The goal is to provide a space where your inner child feels free and unthreatened, allowing it to emerge from hiding.

2. Rationalize Your Fear: Understand What Is Truly Dangerous

The second step involves rationalizing the fear that anxiety feeds on. Christine points out that when anxiety takes over, it often amplifies threats that may not be as serious as they seem. “Your head can talk you into so much shit,” she says. “But when you talk to someone else and get another rational perspective of the situation, it often changes how you see things.”

To rationalize your fear, ask yourself: What is the real danger here? Is it the act of presenting an idea, or is it the fear of rejection? Christine shares how she had to rationalize her fears after traumatic experiences, understanding that the fear of going into a car was linked to specific events and not the car itself. By separating the actual danger from the perceived one, you start to dismantle the walls that anxiety builds around your creativity.

3. Re-kidnap Your Inner Child: Take Back Your Creative Freedom

The final step is what Christine calls “re-kidnapping” your inner child. This involves actively reclaiming your creative self from the grip of anxiety. “Get back into playing,” she suggests. “Face your fears, in the sense of kidnap your child back.” Christine emphasizes the importance of forcing yourself to re-engage with what scares you in a safe and controlled way.

After traumatic experiences, Christine made a point of confronting her fears head-on. “Forcing yourself to go to the situation you’re scared of again… it’s cognitive. You need to process what happened and rationalize what the real danger was.” This step is about empowering yourself to take charge of your creativity again, allowing it to flourish beyond the confines of fear and anxiety.

𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅: 𝑨 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈-𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚

Christine’s approach goes beyond merely rescuing your inner child; it’s about raising it in a way that ensures lasting creative freedom. “Raising your inner child is not about making the child an adult,” she explains. “It’s about making a stronger inner child.” This mindset requires continuously nurturing your creativity, allowing it to grow and mature without losing its essence of playfulness and spontaneity.

As Christine points out, the goal is not to let the pressures of life and work squeeze the joy and freedom out of your creativity. Instead, it’s about fostering an environment where your inner child remains open, fearless, and ready to explore new ideas. “The older you get, the more playful you should become,” she says, reminding us that creativity is a lifelong process of rediscovering our most authentic selves.

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑹𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅

Ultimately, the process of overcoming anxiety to reclaim creativity is about “re-releasing” your inner child into the world. Just like a bird that has been captured and must be set free again, your inner child needs to be re-released from the constraints of fear and doubt. Christine’s insights remind us that creativity thrives not in tightness and restriction but in openness, freedom, and trust.

“Always trust your gut,” Christine advises, emphasizing the importance of listening to that inner voice that guides us toward authenticity. By creating a safe space, rationalizing fears, and actively re-kidnapping your inner child, you can overcome anxiety and unleash your full creative potential.

(This text is based on an interview I did in Copenhagen a few days ago. It has been edited by AI to enhance and correct my non-native English writing )