Creativity is Not a Competition
Jess singing and recording music for fun!
Stop Comparing Yourself to The Best of the Best!
We often place heavy expectations around creativity. In our digital world, we have access to view the greatest creative works of all time. Within a matter of minutes, you could listen to the greatest songs on Spotify, see photos and videos of the greatest art pieces, and check out which books are at the top of the bestseller list.
Our ability to recognize and appreciate great creative work comes before our ability to make it ourselves. If you start comparing your creative abilities to the creative GOATs (and to the superpowered AI megacomputers that have access to all of that data and can make weirdly mooshed versions of them in seconds), then you might start to get discouraged.
Humans Need to Create
As you face this overwhelm and the weight of these expectations of the "ideal creations," a question you might want to ask yourself is this: “Even if I don’t become the greatest, or my work is the worst, would it still be worth it to make something?”
The answer to that question is always YES! The process of creation is valuable in and of itself. It is necessary for humans to CREATE.
Lack of creativity leads to starvation of the soul. It is often the reasons that people leave jobs, or feel a general sense of anxiety about the world. As humans, we need to create to process our confusing, complicated, and often messy existence. Creativity is essential to generating meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our lives.
The Bagpipe Master
Developing creativity should be a mandatory part of our personal development. In my husband Josh’s case, his mom required all nine of her children to learn an instrument. He was the fourth child, so the piano, guitar, and violin were already taken. He wanted to do something different and more exciting, so he chose the Scottish bagpipes.
Playing the bagpipes has been a source of joy and creativity, and has opened doors to many musical and creative opportunities for both Josh and I. (Check out our Bagpipe Master YouTube Channel)
What are the things in your life that have sparked your interest and curiosity, and that look like something you want to try?
Trying something new always requires a bit of bravery, but what if, instead of focusing on becoming the best in the world, you focused on finding things you are curious about and that feel exciting and energizing to you, and took the chance to try them?
It is never too late to pursue a creative dream, and you might be surprised at the energy and excitement you feel just by allowing yourself to go after something that might seem silly.
Even if you are terrible at it, there is still value in being part of a creative endeavor. What do you think? And what would you be willing to try if you stopped worrying about making "the best" thing? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. If you are looking for more guidance on your creative career journey, check out my Creative Career Clarity course!
