ARE YOU AN ANXIOUS CREATIVE?

SOCIAL ANXIETY

Social anxiety is the fear of being judged - and being deemed a disappointment or ‘not good enough’, and being rejected.?It can affect many areas of life, from talking in public to approaching people for help – even a reluctance to start friendships.?If you’re self-conscious, and don’t like attracting attention to yourself, you are not alone.

“The origin of this fear comes from our ancestral need to be part of a tribe in order to survive,” says Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Gloria Prest .?“A lone human would not have been able to survive predators or hostile conditions.?If you wanted to stay alive, you had to be part of a tribe. And if they didn’t like you, you could be in serious trouble!”

Needing and wanting to be accepted by others, coupled with the serious fear of rejection, is the cause of such anxiety – and this primitive type of fear is more widespread than you think.?“We now recognise it as social anxiety, and it can be very mild or quite debilitating,” Gloria explains.?

Of course, not everyone is affected by this type of anxiety, and the people who are can be affected to different degrees.?Also, a lot of people are good at hiding their anxiety.

“When you walk into a room full of people, you would be surprised to know how many people there are actually hiding some form of anxiety,” says Gloria.?“And people assume that they are the only ones who are experiencing it.?They also assume that?you?are the confident and relaxed person!”???

Why is that??Because, just as when we see swans and ducks gliding gracefully on a pond, we are unable to see the mad paddling that’s going on under the surface of the water.

“The good news is that you can learn to glide, while leaving the mad paddling behind,” says Gloria.?“You can learn how to trust yourself and become more confident, able to understand and conquer your social anxiety.?When you do that, you will be authentically more relaxed and natural in any situation.”

Once you free up the space in your mind that you usually use for worrying about being judged, you can stop wasting time and mental energy thinking about what other people might be thinking of you.?“Once that happens”, says Gloria, “you can concentrate on the things that truly matter to you.”

For more information, you can contact Gloria at?[email protected], or you can book a free 30-minute phone consultation using this link:

https://mindinfocusgloriaprest.as.me/30-min-free-consultation

'On The Couch'?– WEDNESDAY?@ 11am GMT

Renowned as among the world’s top wildlife photographers, DARYL and SHARNA BALFOUR will be chatting to us this?Wednesday the 18th?of July at 11am BST.??

Daryl, a former newspaper investigative reporter and photojournalist, became a professional wildlife photographer after running a safari camp in Botswana with his wife Sharna in the mid-80s.?They’ve published several coffee-table books, and their work is also represented by many of the world’s leading photo agencies, including Getty Images and The Image Bank.?Their photographs have appeared in publications such as National Geographic, International Wildlife, Outside, BBC Wildlife, GEO, and Outdoor Photographer.

The two are based in South Africa, but spend many months of the year leading photographic safari tours in Kenya, North and South America, and Asia.?

You can watch the livestream this Wednesday at 11am GMT on LinkedIn:

Worried you'll miss it??Not to worry, you can watch it?on the @CR38IVES YouTube channel, by clicking below:

CATCH UP!

If you missed last week’s ‘On The Couch’ chat with Maskandi musical duo QADASI & MAQHINGA, you can catch up on the CR38VES YouTube channel.

With five solo albums under his belt, MAQHINGA HADEBE has received numerous awards for his amazing musical skills.?He’s performed to audiences around the world, alongside other highly-acclaimed artists such as HUGH MASEKELA, LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, and SOUL BROTHERS.?

After meeting David Jenkins in Durban during a jam session, Maqhinga directed and produced David’s first solo albums.?The two talented musicians became firm friends, and joined forces.?

Together they have travelled widely, introducing the rest of the world to the wonderful rhythms and beats of the Maskandi musical traditions.?Their third collaborative album?‘Asibonge’?has just been released.?

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

HORSHAM FILM FESTIVAL

Submissions are now open for The Horsham Film Festival, which is now in its fifth year.?Student filmmakers and Over-18s from throughout the UK can enter their short films in the following categories -?Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best Comedy,?and?Best Animation.

There are two other awards: the?Your District Award?for films that have been shot (fully or partially) in the Horsham District or wider West Sussex, and the?Best Business Award?which is open to businesses in the Horsham District which creatively use video in their marketing.

The judges will not be evaluating films based on equipment quality or production values (although they are welcome!), but are interested in films which move them, make them laugh, educate them, or even scare them!?The deadline for submissions is the 22nd?of September 2023, and you can enter using the following link:?www.filmfreeway.com/horshamfilmfestival

THE PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE

The People’s Book Prize is the only book competition that is judged by the reading public.?As such, it’s a level playing field for publishers both big and small.?As most authors will tell you, this is the one to win!?

The call for entries for 2023/24 has now gone out to UK publishers, who can enter three books in each of the following categories -?Fiction,?Non-Fictionand?Children’s Literature.?Books written by authors from around the world can be entered, but they need to have been published in the UK at the time of submission.??

You can download the submission form and email it to?[email protected],?or you can submit the form online.?The link is:?https://peoplesbookprize.com/2023-2024-online-submissions/

The deadline for submissions is the 1st?of September 2023, and the final collection will be open for voting by the public from the 3rd?of October.?Voting closes on the 30th?of April 2024.?

(You can also follow The People’s Book Prize on Facebook and LinkedIn)

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

IN THE SPOTLIGHT?- CR38IVES Member - Author RICK KARLSRUHER

RICK KARLSRUHER is the author of?‘Standoff: How The Cold War REALLY Ended’, a story that you’ve most probably never heard!?

Born in Philadelphia, Rick says the history, music and storytelling of the city became part of his DNA.?He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in Communications.?For most of his working life, he’s been involved in international marketing on six continents.?

“For some reason, the penguins in Antarctica never wanted to hire me!” he quips.

He has written everything from ad copy to lyrics, and more recently books.?‘Standoff’?began life 40 years ago as a movie script, before the Cold War actually ended.?Rick has often said that he lived the story, and that he is still amazed at what happened and how he lived through it.?The legendary comedian DICK MARTIN called it “Dr Strangelove on acid”, and wanted to direct the film.?But studio chiefs said at the time that no-one would believe that the Cold War would end without a shot being fired!

Well, the Cold War?did?end without a shot being fired, and Rick decided to turn the story into a novel.?Before the title reached the public, major libraries on four continents requested copies.?“What do you think they know that you don’t know about this story?” he asks.??

Rick’s next book, called?‘Better Late Than Never’, will soon be available.?It tells the story of the long and winding road of bringing?‘Standoff’?to the world.??

GET?CR38IVELY?CONNECTED!

If you are a creative professional with a fantastic story, come and tell it 'On The Couch'!?We'd love to hear about what you do, and why you love doing it!?If you’d also like to lead a discussion on a topic of interest to creatives on a live CR38IVES Clubroom audio chat, then contact us.

You can follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube – and if you are a professional in any creative field, then come and join our growing private networking group!

Here's to your continued success!