on being a creative
I once read that we, ourselves, are creations. And, in turn, we are meant to prevail that creativity by being creative ourselves. How can we be creative?
Creative expressions are habitually depicted as a solitary pursuit. Nobody can tell you what, why, or how to create. The answer must come from yourself, by engaging with your inner self and delving into the mysterious places of your heart - to discover the reason that compels you to create; to create art that is authentic, sophisticated, and extraordinarily you.
To me, creativity is consistency. It is perseverance, resolution - requiring time, effort, and tenacity to endure both the highs and lows of the creative process. In the hard way, I ceased to entertain the idea that achieving artistic excellence magically occurs overnight. No, it is a long-term commitment to perfect your craft, to feed it time, space, enthusiasm, and structure, to smooth the edges and become better and better.
I was always afraid of starting, eluding the start of a creative project for an undefined future till I felt ready. But how do I improve on a blank canvas, if I don't try? I learned to run towards that fear. I learned to embrace the presence of doubt, uncertainty, and fear during the creative process. I no longer see them as jeopardy, but as a prerequisite part of the journey of developing myself, both personally and artistically.
For the longest time, I indoctrinated myself that being a good artist coincided with how good the outcome was, how much external validation my work would receive. Now, I base my success on how much enrichment and meaning my projects have added to my life. After all, the object of making art is not the outcome, but the beautiful, profound state with which you are creating.
Being a creative means constantly learning, growing, expanding, while seeking the pleasure from doing so. It is going beyond the ordinary, persisting where others give up, finding beauty in the mundanity, forming connections between different ideas and things. Being creative means incessant potential.
To those grappling with their own creative endeavors, how long have you been meticulously planning, researching, and preparing? Finish something. Be creative. It doesn't matter how good or how bad you think it is. You just need to prove to yourself you have the capability to produce. There's a whole world waiting for you.