The struggles of being a “Creative”
About a week ago I was speaking on the phone with a close friend of mine, who is an up-and-coming musician about the challenges that come with being a “creative”. After about an hour of us going back and forth talking about the different hardships that we are facing in our separate creative endeavors I found it amazing how despite the different avenues of entrepreneurship and creativity we were in, the struggles were consistent.
The conversation inspired me to write this piece.
I think there are two main struggles that every “creative” face.
Creatives see the world differently than others.
I think that all creatives are very nonlinear people, meaning that we don’t think in terms of what is but what could be. Possibilities, dreams, and aspirations are the lifeline of a creative. This point of view is completely different than how most of us were raised and even taught in schools. That is where the struggle comes in. Because creatives see the world through a different lens than most, there is a disconnect between our thought processes and emotions. Trying to love or work with someone who doesn’t see the same way as you feels impossible for a creative because we feel and see life as so much more than it appears.
For example, I am a lover of music. I am a person that believes that a simple song can change a life. There have been times that I have been with my family or friends showing them a song and trying to explain how the lyrics make me feel and going down this long road of introspection, to have them look at me and say, “Caleb, it’s just a song, it’s not that deep.” To them, it was simply just a song, but to me, it was more than that. It was a connection that I think only other creatives feel. We feel things on a soulful level, and art is like fuel for the soul.
Creatives struggle with being vulnerable with their work.
I think that most creatives would agree that authenticity is what matters most in their work. Whether you’re running a startup, a photographer, a writer, or a musician authentic work is what we are all shooting for. Authenticity explores a wide range of human emotions, perspectives, and situations, and to reach this level you have to allow yourselves to be vulnerable. As creatives, we continuously have to put ourselves out there. We put our everything into our crafts and sometimes the world doesn’t receive them in the way that you hoped. An investor will shoot down the business idea that you have been working on for months, the song you poured your heart and soul into didn’t quite get the traction you wanted, or your online blog or podcast doesn’t get as many views. These things happen, and at times they can be detrimental to the mindset of a creative.
But we cannot let fear keep us from being vulnerable and authentic. Authenticity is what makes our art matter. And that's the beauty of being creative, is that what we create doesn’t have to identify to the masses, it just has to be true to who we are as individuals. If you don’t get it you don’t get it, but if you get it, it’s because you live it.
What struggles are you facing?
I would love to hear the other struggles that creatives are going through out there to let everyone know that they are not alone in this journey.
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