To be creative is easy, you just need to start. Some people are probably thinking they don’t know enough techniques or have enough tools or know the right people in order to be creative. And yet, I’m here to tell you that none of that matters if you’re not passionate about what you do. Writer’s write. Painters paint. Singers sing.
I know that sounds too simple, but that’s the bottom line. A writer doesn’t sit around “not writing” until they’ve thought of the best selling novel. Painters don’t wait until they have a gallery-worthy idea before they start painting and singers certainly don’t wait until they have a guaranteed Top Forty song to sing. Who would want to read a book by someone who has never written before? (Yes, some people, who can’t write a complete sentence, have bestsellers–but they didn’t actually write the book, they used a ghostwriter.)
Vincent van Gogh created 860 oil paintings and over 1300 drawings, sketches and watercolors and yet he only sold one painting, Red Vineyard at Arles, in his lifetime. Today, he is considered one of the greatest artists, with paintings going for millions. I don’t think anyone would say he wasn’t an artist, that he wasn’t creative before he sold his first painting. And he kept going, even though people weren’t buying his work.
The important thing is to create. Nothing else matters, creation is all.
Pablo Picasso
The reason there are bestsellers or hit records or gallery shows is that these artists practice their craft first. And, for the most part, they practice because creating is a desire that they need to fulfill. Selling your work doesn’t make you an artist, creating it does. And being creative isn’t only for writers, painters, and singers.
Scientists are creative, inventors are creative. But the same holds true for them, inventors invent. Their first inventions might not work, or might not create something that works better than what’s currently in place, but an inventor doesn’t just stop and give up. He continues to try, invent, to think of new directions to go because of this desire to create. (Check out Use Your Imagination to find more ideas on imagination and creativity.)
I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to write, to be a writer. I can remember being eight years old and writing in notebooks that were just for writing, not schoolwork. I wrote and doodled my way through school and continued writing. But it would take another 45 years before I got enough courage to share my writing with the world.
Writers write and I will always write something, somewhere. I can’t help it. Will it all see the light of day? No, but that’s ok because most of it is just me scribbling out sentences until I find the one I want to use.
If you want to write, you must simply write. Don’t worry about who will read it or if it’s good enough. None of that matters as long as you just write. The same is true of any artistic endeavor. You do it because you must. It’s something inside of you that you need to express. Tell me about your artistic creation.
Well said!
this is so true – if you love something you should have a go at it and invest yourself in it. Writing is a good example because it improves with time and effort and sharing your heart.
So true, the more you practice, the better you get.
So true – we only get better by doing the things we want to get better at. I had notebooks filled with stories when I was 8 also.
If the desire is there, you can’t hide it. It appears we knew our true selves at 8!
My sentiments entirely! Since I stopped giving a care about the end result, I have spent hundreds of happy hours immersed in paint/pastels/food dye etc. I frame the worst ones and put them on the wall just for the hell of it. I used to say ‘I can’t paint’ now I just get on with it. My paintings are the equivalent of talking nonsense – which I also enjoy.
Painters paint Gilly. (I seem to recall telling you that before…lol) I agree though, and maybe it’s when I pushed past 50 that I started caring less about whether what I wrote was perfect, then I started having more fun with it.
I am always plagued with “not good enough” syndrome. I once told a friend that I didn’t like writing dialogue because I didn’t think I was witty enough. He said that by saying I wasn’t witty enough told him I was. I write. That is all. Thanks for a great post!
Exactly, I write. Thanks for stopping by.
“If you want to write, you must simply write. Don’t worry about who will read it or if it’s good enough. None of that matters as long as you just write.”
Thank you for the reminder.
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by and write on!
Very true. It takes a long time to be brave enough, but in the end it gets to “What the hell”.
It does get to the “what the hell” stage doesn’t it? Thanks for stopping by.
I love this post – such good advice. I teach art to people with disabilities and that’s the message I always try to convey, to them and their carers – creation is all. It doesn’t matter what other people think of the end result, it is the doing that is important. Reading this post gave me inspiration to take my own advice in regards to writing. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the hype re likes, comments and subscribers you can forget why you even started.
How many times can I say amen sista! We are ready to create, ready to write. We just have to DO IT. You never will feel good enough or ready enough. As the Nike slogan goes, Just Do IT!
Exactly. Just write.
Tony was just telling me about a new movie coming out about Van Gogh’s life. It animates his paintings while telling his story. You should see it then do a follow up to this post. 🙂
Yes. I heard about the movie and keep looking for it. Maybe I will do a follow-up post! 😉