Creating Art Is Overcoming The Inner Battle

When you decide to create, you are overcoming the self-doubt and fears that are inherent in every creator. You are displaying yourself in all your vulnerability and putting your pride on the line.

Each time you decide to create, you are building courage and confidence.

While this belief can work for you, it can also work against you.

Every time you decide not to create, to give in and believe the self-criticism, you are encouraging regression and fear.

The more you allow the darker aspects of your psyche to control you, the more you will be unable to create.

You must understand that fear is always part of the process. Because the act of creating is a heroic act — it is a leap into the darkness, an encounter with the dragon of chaos.

To create is to present your inner self to the world. You will face all kinds of reactions. Some will like what your inner self had to present, and others will dislike it.

There may never be any work that truly pleases anyone. So if that’s the case, it doesn’t matter if your work “flops” and isn’t liked by many people.

As long as it works for the right people (people who appreciate your work and find it meaningful to them), it’s art.

You may doubt your ability to create artistic works.

But will you not be a different artist than you are right now if you decide to take the responsibility to practice and hone your craft? If you regard your current creations as required practice for your future great works, could you not create with reckless and passionate abandon?

Let’s say you’re not creating anything because you’re scared people won’t like it or will consider it bad or ugly or unskilled.

If you allow other people’s perceptions to dictate your actions, will you not grow to hate them? It’s possible that you may become an artist who can only serve the public’s interest and is forever bound in servitude to them.

And worst of all, will you not grow to hate yourself because you know you allowed it to happen?

You, who could not find the courage to live authentically and display your true self to the rest of the world, will find it hard to forgive yourself in the future for allowing such trifling, insignificant, and worst of all IMAGINED opinions to stop you from living the life you wanted.

To withhold your specific and unique talents with the rest of humanity would be a true shame. Especially if it was because you were not willing to be a fool before becoming a master.

We can’t avoid failing and embarrassing ourselves throughout our lives. But what we can avoid is failing to get back up after falling on our faces.

Why do we fall sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.

— Alfred Pennyworth

The faster we accept this truth, the faster we can go on to live the authentic and artistic lives we were meant to live.