I don’t know about you, but being a creative is hard, especially when you do it for a living. It doesn’t matter if you own your own business or even if you work for one, there is always an opinion. Sometimes it comes with a tinge of constructive courtesy – sometimes it’s in your face and straight up hostile.
“Hey! Come up with something! And it better be good. And it should be flawless. And the message can’t be missed.”
And that’s the first part of the challenge – to answer a question that may or may not exist. To create that answer. And try as we might, sometimes the project becomes us. Whether you paint, write, sculpt, film, compose, perform, or draw – your very essence is somehow captured in that creation. Non-creatives don’t get it and will always disagree with this. Many type-A business types don’t understand it, either. But it’s a beautifully dangerous process. You’re putting yourself out there and you hope people like your work, because hey – if they do – maybe that means they like that part of you, too.
I’m tired of people saying, “Get off the sensitivity wagon and just separate the criticism from the critic and the opinions from your worth. You are not what you create.” Well I wish I could agree with that sentiment, but it’s not [always] that easy. And truth be told: I don’t think it should. What if I told you it was okay to be attached to your work? What if I told you it was okay to be offended when people trash your work? Now we can wrestle all day about whether or not our works ARE us, but I think it’s perfectly fine to get a little sad/frustrated/defensive when people dislike your finished work: but it’s still worth the process.
There are many children in this world that create all kinds of terrible things – but they love it and, even though I think they know it’s terrible, too – they know they’re going to get better next time.
And so that’s what I want to do: enjoy the process and get better.
Now go. Create something – like inward singing.