What We Can All Learn From Drake’s Dance Moves in New ‘Hotline Bling’ Video
Why “dance like no one is watching” is actually a really great way to live. (Photo Courtesy of Cash Money Records Inc)
Drake just released the long-awaited video for his song “Hotline Bling.” And we have to admit, he just gave new meaning to the saying, “Dance like nobody’s watching.”
While he’s certainly no Usher when it comes to his shimmies and shuffles, there’s something mesmerizing — and endearing — about his goofy moves that he makes us feel like, well, cutting loose.
But the truth is, all of us can learn a thing or two (maybe even a dance move) from Drake — because his I-don’t-care-how-I-shake-it attitude can help boost creativity, ultimately improving one’s mental health.
“If you’re too mindful of expressing yourself creatively, you’re going to trip yourself up, metaphorically and literally,” Jacqueline Hornor Plumez, Ph.D., a psychologist, career counselor and author of The Bitch In Your Head, tells Yahoo Health. “When we are self-conscious, we become self-critical and much more unable to be good at whatever it is we want to do.”
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And these thoughts and actions can quickly chip away at our self-esteem. “Once you begin feeling incompetent, you’re going to be more afraid of making a mistake,” explains Plumez. “Or if you criticize yourself for making a mistake —either way, you will never have enough confidence to try anything new or expand your repertoire.”
She adds that the key to opening yourself creatively — whether it’s doing something different on-the-job or taking a chance on the dance floor — is learning to take in constructive criticism, not destructive criticism. “Constructive criticism is when we see we’re awkward, so we can identify the problem and find a solution,” says Plumez. “Destructive criticism is truly the bitch in your head — it’s just insulting and negative, and leaves you unable to correct the problem. Instead of thinking about solutions, you’re just thinking about how terrible you are.”
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Plumez concludes by saying that keeping your creative juices from flowing (or in Drake’s case, keeping his dance moves to himself) will also hold you back from having fun. “Whether it’s painting, writing an essay or dancing in public, just go with it and stop critiquing yourself!”
Watch Drake’s “Hotline Bling” video here.
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