Vanity Or Sanity? Finding Purpose In Your Creative Journey

Find Your Open Mind And Fill It With Imagination


“Expectation is the root of all heartache” William Shakespeare. Our expectations of a certain creative journey or experience can ruin the true purpose of its being made. When we go to an art gallery or read a book, our preconceptions can make it hard to enjoy what is actually given to us. Imagine buying the new album from the band you like and it sounds totally unlike the other one that you enjoyed so much. Without even giving it a chance, you might decide that it's no good simply because it didn't do what you wanted it to. Listening to it again, yeas later when you have gotten over your limiting ideas, you might discover that it's brilliant. Keeping an open mind with every new creative experience will ensure we get the most out of it. We need to be open minded ourselves and of course we need to find open minded people to communicate what we have created with.


It's All On You


A creative exploration in any form is a complete expression of the self. From the things you have learned and practised, the techniques you have adapted, the time you put in, the focus you maintain, the emotional story of your life that determines what you want to do, all of this and more aspects of the self end up in the finished product. This makes art and creativity an incredibly personal and soul-bearing thing to do, which requires a degree of bravery and thick skin in order to manage on any sort of scale.


Becoming Part Of The Story


Society is in constant discussion with itself. We are always looking again at the things we do and creating new things in equal amounts. The direction of change and the focus of our lens is determined on the things people say and isolate within conversation for further expansion. Creativity is essential in this process as we rely on a flux of novel ideas and viewpoints to refocus and redesign the way we live our lives. These personal and formal aspects of life are continually governed by the decisions made by those presented with new information. This means that the language of creativity is an essential tool for implementing the process. The way people choose to interpret new ideas and viewpoints mainly depends on how they are communicated and “sold” to those who they are given to. Art and creativity finds all manner of ways to do this with artistic devices ranging from drama to songs, books, comics, and stills, that do their best to give us something to think about and enrich our understanding of society as a whole.


First Impressions Mean The Most


Because we make decisions based on quick guesses from given information it can be difficult to shake off a bad reputation or image. People are difficult to get through to when they put up their walls so creative people need to ensure they do their best to keep walls down. Creative people are often seen as bohemian and counter-culture. The societal image of the creative is often a white male who dropped out and decided to spend their life doing what they love instead of serving society. This privilege point of view needs to be addressed by ensuring your message is about service and reaching other people. If you're not white, male, and financially stable then art and creativity is equally as valid. If you are white and male then remember this before you start getting yourself noticed. Let people judge you by your character and everything will be as it ought to be. The sacrifice that creative people make in social capital and cultural mobility is often unrewarded and looked down upon, so it's important to have a clear vision of why you do it and who it is for.


It's Ultimately Just Like Everything Else


If creativity is to be successful and long-term then it ultimately needs to have a good business model behind it. This is either done with a separate funding source or it funds itself. Creative output has many faces and the industry of art is heavily reliant on the say-so of peers and established names. Selling art and creativity is highly dependent on the way it is marketed and the people it is marketed to. Reaching the people who matter and finding the endorsements of those who they listen to can be a real challenge. Art is seen as highly lucrative and for many it is, however the majority have to make up for challenging pay with job satisfaction and self-actualisation. Despite the absolute necessity of creative thought in society as a whole, it is rarely given the value it deserves.


Despite The Setbacks It Is Seen As Attractive


Many jobs use the word creative in their description to sell the position when in reality it's being told what to do by someone else. The word creative is seen as a romantic and ideal destination for reasons well beyond the scope of pay. When we understand the true relevance of new ideas and new points of view alongside new technology, being part of this does indeed seem to be very attractive. Industry benefits completely from these new ideas as a popular novelty will be used to sell products and create new ones at the same time. New rhetoric is gleaned by marketers to persuade us to part with our money. This funds jobs and improves society so although it feels like we're on the wrong end of the equation, it's absolutely necessary. We need to work and that means people need to make an income. When creativity is aligned with society and its passage of progress, it becomes a sought-after and powerful aspect. This means we need to be able to continually ensure that our journey involves catching up with the pace of the day. Solving problems and improving quality of life is when the creative process meets the practical world and they begin to get along.    

​