Ah that feeling of creating something all your own and being pleased as punch about it! Here’s how to get it back.
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“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” ~ Pablo Picasso
The natural child revels in the creative process. Whether it’s drawing something that has never existed just like that, making sand castles or mud pies, singing a nonsense phrase over and over, or telling impossible (or at least improbable) stories, it’s the process of expressing something that is inside of them to the outside world that engages us as children.
But then we learn that there are standards. Art should “look like something,” preferable something others can recognize or at least enjoy. Things you build are supposed to last. Singing should involve more than four notes on the scale. And stories should follow an acceptable plot.
Next we learn that, even when we follow the standards, not everyone will think our creation is well, creative.
And somewhere in that “learning process” we lose our love for the creative process.
Here’s how to fall in love with your inner artist again.
Redefine what it means to be creative.
We think the creative process is about art. But really, it’s about change. It’s about taking something that is in one form, and changing it to become something else. That might produce a painting, or a song, but it might also create a process or other solution. Any time you set about bringing something new into the world, you are undertaking a creative project.
Don’t believe the critics.
Don’t ignore them, there may be grains of truth in what they’re saying. But always question what they say. Are they seeing your art from a perspective that matters to your goals? Do they have their own agenda in loving or hating your work? Who will care what they say? Why should you care what they have to say and how can you make it constructive even if they don’t present it that way?
Do your own thing.
There will be times you have to create to someone else’s specifications, but you can still do your own thing. If design is your thing, do that and let someone else sell or code websites. If process improvement is your thing, do that and let someone else balance the budget.
Redefine perfect.
When it expresses what you want to express, does what you want it to do, or sounds the way you want it to sound, it’s perfect. If you’re producing it for someone else then they may want you to change it to express what they want it to express, do what they want it to do, or sound the way they want it to sound — but don’t hold yourself to the standard of some phantom critic you can barely imagine and will never meet.
(BONUS) Master the art of you.
Your life, who you become, how you live, and what you bring into the world is your greatest masterpiece. Be that.
Read More Inspiration Unpacked on The Good Men Project
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Photo: Flickr/Jake Stimpson