How To Know If You Should Do Creative Work
I thought being an artist was going to feel magical.
I didn't expect being an artist to feel like failure and frustration.
A little backstory
I moved to Nashville, TN, over 15 years ago to attend Belmont University, full of excitement and green optimism. Since graduating, I've had a few part-time jobs here and there, but most of my income for the past 12 years has come from being a songwriter, recording, and touring artist.
My experience
My creative journey has had a few highs and a lot of lows. The "wins" in my creative work are loud and visible, but they are also short-lived, unsatisfying, and are usually standing on a pile of silent, lonely days feeling discouraged and disillusioned.
I'm thankful I've been able to cobble together a living making music, but I rarely wake up feeling like an artist.
Or maybe I do…
I'm comforted when I hear from others who do creative work because it turns out they aren't riding a magical high every day either. Many of my heroes, artists that I love and consider to be successful - they too struggle daily with their work and identity.
It makes me wonder if my experience is what it feels like to be an artist after all?
That might sound dramatic, and it probably is. But it's actually been helpful for me to realize that artistic work is work. The chance to do creative work isn't some magical unicorn hidden away in a land flowing with inspiration and fame that only the lucky find.
Like most jobs, my days of creative work are mostly mundane and habitual. Things occasionally go my way, but I do a lot of work that doesn't bear much fruit. And it turns out that musical and creative skill isn't enough to make a living. I've also got to grow some business, people, and organizational skills.
Though I've voiced a lot of negativity, I love the creative work I get to do. I can't imagine NOT doing it. I need to create. Creating is fun and deeply meaningful to me.
Thinking through the pressure and angst
When I drill down and explore where my feelings of angst are coming from, I find myself thinking that I need to "make it," "arrive," or "get discovered." Over the years, I've spent time asking myself:
Where do these thoughts come from?
Do I really need that?
And what do these thoughts even mean?
You and I live in a world where the general thought on what it means to be successful as an artist is defined by this one limited and misguided measurement. That's like thinking that you don't have a real career unless or until you become a famous and prestigious CEO.
I can't tell you how many people who like my music have said to me, "I can't believe you haven't been discovered yet." I'm genuinely flattered. The comment comes from a place of wanting to be encouraging. They just don't know any better because this is the general understanding of what it means to be an artist. They've never had a reason to think through their current understanding.
But if I want to continue in my work and craft, I have to mentally let go of the internal pressure to achieve some level of fame for my work to be real, meaningful, or valuable.
The general public also acts as if "making it" was some objective truth. But there are some who look at my career and think that I have "made it" (on some level at least), while others wonder when I'm going to finally call it because, after all this time, I haven't "made it" yet.
As for me, I don't feel like I've "made it." I feel like I'm making all this up as I go along. And though I have developed some wonderful and helpful partnerships in my work, I haven't been "discovered" in the traditional sense. No one has offered me fame and a bunch of money so that I can go and live the dream. And to be honest, though I would like to continue to grow my reach as an artist, at this point I'm not sure that I want to "make it" or "be discovered." The level of fame and success usually ascribed to these phrases seems to be more of a curse than a blessing.
The answer is: "yes"
To keep my head on straight and continue on in my work day after day, I have to ask myself: what is the goal of my creative work?
How do I know if I should continue to do my creative work?
When is doing creative work worth it? And when is it not worth it?
Even on the days when I'm feeling discouraged and disillusioned, when I've given up the hope of ever "arriving," do I still want to do the work of an artist and songwriter?
The answer to that last question is: "yes."
I need to do creative work. There is something in me that needs to create, to process, to find and channel the beauty around me and to share what I see and how I see it with others.
Doing the verb
If you've stuck around this long, then it's likely that you feel a similar longing to do the work of an artist.
When writing about creative work and identity, Austin Kleon says,
Lots of people want to be the noun without doing the verb.
At the time of writing this post, this is a newish blog. And it's partly a blog for those interested in "doing the verb." Those of us who are tired of worrying about whether or not we're an artist, writer, photographer, painter, or any other label that only gets placed on us when we finally "arrive."
Those of us who just want to go and do the work of singing, writing, creating, shaping, capturing, forming, and sharing because we simply love doing these things and we feel deeply compelled to do them.
Over the last 12 years of my career, I've grown less interested in how to "become an artist," and I've developed a growing interest in the creative process. I've been slowly learning that the label of "artist" might feed my ego for a second, but doing the work of an artist is what feeds my soul.
What about you?
If you want to do creative work, do creative work. You are what you do, not what people ascribe to you. If you want to be a photographer, go take pictures. Stop worrying about whether or not you are a "good" photographer. In time, you likely will be.
There isn't a need to wait for anyone's permission or approval. Go create. Be bad at it. Be good at it. Enjoy the process of creating.
Take time to be sober-minded by thinking through your goals for your creative work. When I say goals, I mean thinking about why you are doing this creative work. Think through what matters to you and why it matters to you.
Making Creative Work A Career
And if you want to make a living doing creative work, here are some things to know:
Some parts of the work won't be fun.
Most days will be hard.
You will need to see yourself as an entrepreneur or partner with one. After all, an important goal is making money if you're trying to make a living with your creative work. If you don't like thinking that way, let your creative work be a serious hobby. There is nothing wrong with making money or with hobbies. You've just got to choose and gain some clarity.
Habits, rhythms, and self-discipline are the keys to growth and freedom.
Create even when you aren't feeling it and not just when inspiration strikes. Doing so actually increases the frequency of inspiration.
Speaking of inspiration, capture and take note of everything. Get good at this by developing a system.
Some of the doors you want to open for you won't. That doesn't mean you're a holistic failure. No one makes every goal. In time, you'll be surprised by wide-open doors you didn't even know existed.
Receive feedback.
Never stop learning.
Spend more of your efforts on growing and giving to your audience than on impressing "the doorkeepers" and industry elite.
More To Come
I'll be writing more in-depth about these things and the practical ways I make a living as an artist in hopes that it can help you in some way. To help me know what to write next, what are you curious about? How can I offer more clarity on some of the thoughts in this post? I'm also curious about what thought from this post was most helpful and meaningful to you. Let's chat about it in the comments.
And if you'd like to sit and talk with me personally one on one, I'm currently making myself available to you for a free 30-minute phone chat. We can discuss your music, business, creative work, branding, strategic steps - whatever you'd like and however I can be helpful to you. The button at in the top menu will lead you to my available time slots.
