who's driving?

When I feel overwhelmed or off track, I’ve trained myself to ask a simple question:
Who’s driving right now?

I know. There’s nothing “simple” about this. It can feel… confronting.
Because the answer to this question (in those overwhelmed moments) is rarely the grounded, focused, future-oriented part of me. More often, it’s a much older version. One I didn’t consciously choose.

But they showed up. And now I’m in the co-pilot seat.

It might be the overachiever who only feels safe when delivering results. Or the people-pleaser who confuses being liked with being free. Or the skeptic one, who protects themselves with doubt, so they don’t need to take any new roads.

All these parts have their reasons. But their driving license has expired. They can still exist in the car, but they’re not allowed to drive anymore. Especially not when it comes to your creative life.

Your Psyche Isn’t a Single Voice

The self is not one unified “I.”
It’s a system made of parts, roles and unconscious patterns: some of which were created to help you survive what you didn’t yet have the tools to process.

When Jung spoke of the shadow, he wasn’t just referring to the dark or negative parts of us. He meant anything we haven’t integrated: the repressed, the unexpressed, the misunderstood, even the brilliant parts we were told were “too much to exist.”

And until you bring those parts into the light, they will continue to influence your choices, your moods, and your creative flow (without you realizing it).

I know. It’s a “cliché quote.” Especially with all the pop psychology floating around the internet. But still, most people don’t truly grasp how this plays out in their creative life:

– When you say you want to post content, but keep delaying it.
– When you have ideas but can’t seem to finish them.
– When you know you’re capable, but you shrink when it’s time to take up space.

This is how the unconscious steers the wheel. Your wheel.
And you’re the one inside this car. For life.

If You’re Stuck at the Starting Line

You may feel lost, unmotivated, or unsure of what your “creative thing” even is.
You know there’s more in you, but… clarity or direction feels far away. And honestly, you’re exhausted from thinking about it. Am I right?

This is often a sign that the ego is over-identified with survival.
It doesn’t see options, it only sees risk. So even dreaming feels unsafe.

Clarity is something you meet through action. By starting where you are. By doing the thing (even if you suck). By moving through resistance instead of negotiating with it.

You won’t “figure yourself out” by waiting in the car. You must drive toward the unknown and trust that the path will reveal itself. It’s like driving on a foggy day. You won’t see the full road ahead. But if your lamps are on, you will see just enough to move forward.

As ridiculous and obvious as this sounds:
To get anywhere, you need to start driving.

If You’re Tired of the Start-Stop Loop

You’ve done enough to know you’re creative. You’ve seen what you’re capable of. But consistency? Focus? Creative confidence? Feels like thin crystal. One wrong move and it fractures.

The mistake here is thinking it’s a discipline problem.
Most likely, it’s an identity conflict.

There’s a part of you that’s deeply creative… And another part that’s terrified of what success might cost: Visibility. Responsibility. Change. Pressure. Ouch.

Your energy is split. You’ve outgrown your old identity but haven’t yet embodied the new one. And that space feels like limbo: part of you wants to expand, while another part is still clinging to the past.

Consciously choose: Who do I want to become?
Start creating from that version of you, not the one who’s still reacting to yesterday.

But Something Still Feels Off

You’ve built. You’ve shown up. You’ve developed real skills.
But now you’re being asked to go deeper. Not just in your work, but in how and why you create.

Subtler shadows start to surface:

– Am I still creating from old performance habits?
– Am I shaping my voice for validation, or is it truly my own?
– Am I aligned with my true vision, or am I still trying to prove something? To who?

This is the work of individuation, another key concept in Jungian psychology.
It’s the process of integrating all parts of the self into a coherent whole. We’re coherence-driven creatures. That’s why we hold our identity so tightly.
It’s a safety blanket.

However, when you do the work, you go beyond. You meet the self beneath the survival.

The reward is creative authority.
But the price is honesty (and the courage to change what no longer serves you).

“But I’m… Broken.”

There is nothing wrong with your creativity. It’s not “blocked.” You’re just being misled by who is driving. That version of you who was trained to play small. The one who doubts their worthiness of their creative voice. The one who learned that hiding, or not starting, was safer than being seen.

But don’t be mad at them. That version of you helped you survive. They did their job.
They just can’t take you where you want to go.

The creative mind is not a machine.
It’s an emotional, symbolic, living system.
It requires safety, truth, and integration.

Which is why asking “Who’s driving?” is not just a cute reflection. Only the brave ones will be able to answer.

Unless you claim the driver's seat, fear, doubt, or old wounds will continue to drive the car. You know that’s not fair to the future you're trying to build.

Who Is Leading You?

I’ve mentioned this here before, but I created a free quiz to help you understand which energy is currently driving your creativity. Not a label (because you’re not here to be boxed). But a map. So you can work with yourself, not against yourself.

→ Take the Creative Energy Quiz (100% free. You’ll get a PDF with your results and next steps)

Your ideas aren’t the problem.
Your talent isn’t the problem.
Your lack of awareness is.

So ask yourself again: Who’s driving?
And is that the version of you you want to follow?

You can’t complain about the route if you’re not driving.

Thanks for reading,
Yoli