Why I make art anyway
and why you might want to
This post has formatting that’s too hot for Substack to handle. For maximum reading enjoyment, view it in this magical document I prepared earlier. Onward—
In a world of side hustling and overtiming our way to the better tomorrow mirage, there are only two reasons to prioritize your creativity—now not later. I started off with an idea to write a list of ten, but…there’s only really two.
Reason one: Because you want to
And if you push the desire down your to-do list, you’ll spend the day wishing you were creating instead of slogging along with items to be checked off a list and as the sun sets
the list will still be there and you’ll wonder where your light went.
Reason two: Because you don’t want to
It’s silly and childish and impractical. And there'll be time for those things after you grow your business or start your side-hustle or get that promotion at work. After you get more money you’ll have enough to do what you want. So you…
pack away your watercolors, and your yarn,
and your imagination to use only when
you have the spare time. And
decades later, you realize: There is
never spare time.
Hmm…maybe it’s just the one reason?
Something is asking to move through you and if you keep stopping it up you’ll always feel squashed, buried, hidden, locked up with the key thrown away when the whole time you could’ve picked the lock.
🧐
What are the specific things that get in the way of you making space for creativity, art, play?
Are those obstructions as urgent or important as they feel?
This is a great question/encouragement, Ryn. I find myself wondering about this sometimes. Writing for my business legitimately feels like a creative process, but I do wonder if I am giving myself enough room to do something just because I want to and because I deserve that magic. A lot of the things I do I feel like I have to both enjoy and be "bettered" by in some way; I don't think I'm particularly pro-hustle, but productivity culture has done a number on me!! It's inspiring to think about ways to rebel and "make art anyway."
Related:
"The challenge wasn’t to blow up your life. It was to set off tiny bombs all the time. Maybe no one even noticed but you. It could be as small as clenching your fist."
(Marie Solis, on Miranda July in the NYT)
Whenever social conditioning kicks it, my self-expression (and joy) gets pushed away. After years of working on my own awareness, I learned to notice when it happens or could happen and take countermeasures. As always, awareness is key, but working on our thought patterns and beliefs is, too. Thank you for your reminder, Ryn!