Art doesn't take talent
“That's easy for you to say you are so talented” is the phrase I have come across over the course of my creative career. And I call Bullsh*t. The only natural talent an artist has is the desire to create, everything outside of that is the desire to create. This need to create pushes said creative into the realm of discomfort, where they take the magical image in their head and try to materialize it in a three-dimensional world.
Anyone that tells you they know what they are doing in the raw creative flow is just lying. Sure they have picked up skills and patterns along the way but I am talking about the ugly beginning where pride must be put in the back pocket, a dose of humility administered, and vaccination of confidence, trust, and faith in the process to keep pushing on.
One of the hardest things as a creative is realizing that it will always have an ugly stage, a stage where no one gets it because they can't see the bigger picture in your mind as you lay down layers and build skills as it develops over time. It's hard, not that the acquisition of the skills so much over time and with repetition that skill will develop. No, what I refer to is the ability to let go.
To let go of what it is supposed to look like. To remove time frames, expectations, and the need to “know” how it is going to turn out. To know each step.
I believe we are all creative to what extent and in what area of our lives we are creative depends on our comfort with letting go in that area. To ignite that childhood sense of play. The thing is as adults we feel this is somehow immature and selfish, impractical, useless even. When it comes to opportunities to create there is always another option a more practical and beneficial thing to occupy our time, noble and essential acts of duty such as paid work, cleaning, cooking, errands, reorganizing, relationships the list is neverending.
What happens to creativity? It feels like a guilty pleasure. We avoid it. We convince ourselves we aren’t creative…but we don't spend enough time in the trenches of the creative development process to see where that creativity can take us. That would be like going to the gym once, eating healthy occasionally, and expecting a fitness model body. We say it doesn't work.
Who needs another thing to practice? Who needs another area to develop? What good is creativity anyway?
For those that have experienced the freedom of creation, there is no feeling quite like it, for those who are creatively curious or don't remember let me paint a scene. Imagine you are out in the rich greenery of an enchanted forest. You don't remember how you got there but the greenery around you is vibrant and awakening your body.
You catch movement out of the corner of your eye. Turn. Nothing. There it is again, you swear you saw it. Turn. again nothing. Then you catch a glimpse of what looks like floating light, like a little fairy, you are immediately filled with a sense of wonder and disbelief, these magical beings ARE real. You creep closer to steal a glance, inch a bit closer, and your whole world shifts. A flood of light and possibility erupts and a primal urge to hunt and capture the magic ensues.
You are soooo close you feel it, but that bright light of inspiration feels that urge and it is a playful, mischievous little being and loves the chase. It teases, tickles, and whispers grand plans and visions. It is intoxicating. Excitement builds and joy radiates and you feel a surge of energy flowing through you. You find stamina you never realized you had, you are lost in the depth of that forest but you don't care because the deeper you go the closer you get.
Boom, Boom, moooooommmmmm! Ring Ring… ERNT ERNNT ERRNT. the demands of the “real” world start stripping the color from the world, the magic starts t crumble and you find yourself frantically trying to catch the light before its too late before you lose it, you have this sense that if you can just capture it you will preserve the magic and make the impossible real.
Rough hands shake you out of your flow and its gone. The world looks dull and flat. Defeated you fall back into your routine, wondering if you’ll ever have the chance again.
That my friends is the feeling I have been chasing since the depth of depression and the despair, of loss had been broken by the spread of watercolor across the page. The calm, the stir of curiosity, the first glimmer of possibility, or life outside of a tormented mind.
Some days I am hot on the chase and others it feels like what's the point? It feels like you are making no progress at all. It feels overwhelming and invigorating all at once.
There are days I just can’t bring myself to generate the energy, the faith the belief in the chase. It's easier to look the other way. It's easier at the moment to put it off to procrastinate because sometimes it hurts too much to get that close and pour so much time and energy and your very essence into creation and have it fall apart.
When that happens I’m looking more at what creativity can do for me rather than realize what I have to learn in the chase. It's not easier though. We are creative beings that need an outlet to explore, play and make things out of nothing. It's that hollow you feel in the pit of your stomach, that feeling like something is missing, that low hum of just get through the day.
No, it doesn't take talent to create, to make art in whatever form inspires you what it does take is a commitment to show up for the chase and keep following the energy that brings life to your experience. Stop saying you’re not creative and get ready for the chase, walk if you have to crawl but show up and try.
Let go.
Hi, I’m Leah spelt Ligia, thanks for reading!
I am an artist, a writer, a speaker and an all-around lover of life and learning.
This is my journey into the world of following my creative dreams. I’m the author of “Living with Dirty Glasses” if you are ready to clean your life lenses and start creating the life of your dreams you can grab your downloadable workbook here.
Thank you for reading. This is my journey into the tumultuous world of following my creative dreams.
You’re welcome to join me for the ride (:
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