I’ve always identified as an artist, a creator, whatever you want to call it – I just like to make things! However, there is an aspect of creating that is seldom talked about, and that’s its at times uncomfortable nature.
Sure, there may be artists out there for whom the entire creating process is pure joy from initial inception to final touch, but I believe those people are few and far between. A more common experience is that the uncovering, the meandering, the trying to create something before you know what it is, is – understandably – a bit uncomfortable!
And why shouldn’t it be? I’m a person who loves organization, order, and a solid game plan. Sitting down to write a song forces me to throw all those things out the window and simply be in the unknown of what may or may not come in the moment.
I write this blog today because I’d like to tear a big hole in the common misconception that creators love every moment of creating. Not so! It’s not always comfortable and can even be painful or frustrating at times. So why do we do it? The end result, of course. It’s the greatest reward in the world.
In the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody, there is a scene in which Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury is sitting at the piano writing the very beginnings of their most famous song and he stops suddenly and says aloud “Oh, that’s good. That’s really good.”
There’s simply nothing else like it: to sit back and witness something you’ve created and know that it’s truly good. It’s one of the finest experiences there is.
And before you go excluding yourself from this entire experience, everyone is a creator in one aspect or another. Whether you’re dreaming up a three-course meal, a master spreadsheet, a presentation, a book, or something else – it’s all the same. You, your creation-to-be, and the experience you’re having while creating it.
If you identify as a creator as I do, I say this: if creating is ever uncomfortable for you, you are not alone.
And if you don’t identify as a creator, I say this: never let uncomfortable feelings stop you from making something – anything – in this world, because those feelings are simply a part of it.
And the end reward is so, so sweet 💕
