Summary of why are we afraid of LOVE? 🥀reflecting on creativity + eros 🌹

Summary of Key Wellness Strategies, Self-Care Techniques, and Productivity Tips:

• Understanding Erotic Energy (Eros) and Creativity:
  • Erotic energy (from Greek eros) is a life force linked to creativity, power, and harmony.
  • Creative and sexual/romantic energies are deeply interconnected and can fuel each other.
• Desiring Desire as Motivation:
  • The state of desire itself is valuable and motivating, not just the object of desire.
  • Having a crush or desire can inspire creativity and personal growth.
• Balancing Romantic Energy and Creative Energy:
  • Romantic obsession or limerence (intrusive, melancholic thoughts about someone) can drain energy and distract from life.
  • Redirecting obsessive energy into creative projects can transform that intensity into something empowering and productive.
  • Dedicate consistent time (e.g., 1 hour daily) to a creative skill or project to build momentum and satisfaction.
• Reclaiming Creativity Amidst Heartbreak or Romantic Challenges:
  • Instead of pathologizing feelings like limerence or heartbreak, use them as fuel for art and creative expression.
  • Avoid self-shaming or over-intellectualizing attachment styles; focus on creating and expressing instead.
  • Creativity can help shift from mental invention (obsessive thoughts) to presence (seeing and appreciating what’s real and in front of you).
• The Role of Art in Healing and Presence:
  • Art serves as a grounding practice that can capture emotions and moments, preserving them beyond fleeting feelings.
  • Creating art allows you to move from fantasizing about love to experiencing and witnessing it.
  • Using heartbreak or romantic experiences as inspiration can reclaim personal power and presence.
• Recognizing Different Types of Relationships:
  • Some people who attract you romantically may be better suited as creative partners rather than romantic partners.
  • Healthy love should be generative and not consume or diminish your sense of self or creative energy.
• Critique of Attachment Theory Labeling:
  • Attachment style labels can become moral judgments that trap people in fixed identities.
  • Awareness of behaviors is useful, but rigid self-labeling can hinder growth and healing.
• Practical Self-Care/Wellness Tips:
  • When feeling stuck in limerence or heartbreak, consciously shift focus to creative work or projects.
  • Maintain friendships and social connections as a priority, even when romantic or creative energies fluctuate.
  • Use creative outlets as a form of self-expression and emotional processing rather than only seeking external validation.

---

Presenters/Sources Mentioned:

• Host of Wild Geese podcast (unnamed)
• Audre Lorde (essay: Uses of the Erotic)
• Rui (TikTok creator discussing desire and creativity)
• Rosie Ramada (music producer, advice on daily creative practice)
• Vanessa Life is Art (TikTok creator discussing limerence and creativity)
• Substack Attachment Theory is White Supremacy (critical view on attachment theory)
• Solela (Substack: Not All Love Stories Are Romances)
• Still Yearning (Substack: Love, Love, Love, and Everything in Between)

Category

Wellness and Self-Improvement

Video