Sep 22

Sep 22 Creative Advice: Stop Listening to Others and Listen to Your Own Voice

As a creative this is the hardest thing to do: stop listening to others. Sometimes that includes yourself.

I know for myself, I struggle with this a lot. I’d love to say that I have a protective shield of creative confidence. And that my magic shield protects me from the doubts, insecurities and thoughts of inadequacies about what I am putting out into the world.

Is this good enough? Will people like it? Do I really have talent? Will people understand it? What if I am just wasting my time? Who am I to think I can do this? Will it be appreciated?

Do these questions sound familiar? If you struggle with some of the same issues of creative confidence that I do, then they must. In fact, there are probably more that I haven’t even thought of. Feel free to leave them in a comment below. You aren’t alone. I’m not alone. Even though it feels like it some days, I know I am not. And that in itself brings me comfort.

Creating is such a solitary endeavor. It makes sense that we can get lost in our own heads sometimes. Flying solo--whether in front of a computer keyboard or a music keyboard, an artist’s canvas or a camera lens-- can be scary, overwhelming and isolating.

We are called to create

Yet, even with the voices of self-doubt and inner criticisms, we have an intrinsic compulsion to express our thoughts, feelings and ideas through a creative medium. I believe it is something uniquely connected to our soul. And the soul knows what it wants. The universe sends us signals. We get hints along the way of our journey. We just have to be open, and courageous enough to listen. Listen AND believe.

Who’s to say?

There is one very true, but I think, liberating, fact about being a creative. The “value” of stuff we create, the art, if you will, is so subjective! What is liked, important, or valuable to one person, may not be to another person. When this concept really “clicked” for me, it freed me to just MAKE and stop WORRYING as much.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have self-doubts and insecurities. But knowing that no matter how “perfect” I make something, it still won’t resonates with someone, or anyone, frees me to just JUST CREATE.

“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” – John Mason

I don’t know if I will ever get to a point of not comparing the stuff I make to the stuff other people make. Or worrying about if what I am making is unique enough, creative enough, amazing enough. I think some of that insecurity is just inherently part of human nature. It is part of our ego that wants to protect us and keep us safe. The fear of criticism keeps us in the safe cocoon whereby if you don’t create, you don’t risk.

I decided long ago, however, that living a life of fear, particularly creative fear, was not a life that I wanted to live. I have too many other things to worry about that I really can’t control. Like earthquakes here in my home state of California, for example. I refuse to fear the one thing I can control: what I make and contribute to the world.

And if that means I need to listen to myself more, and others less, then that is exactly what I am going to do.