Creative inspiration – Motivation to keep creating #2
You seemed to have enjoyed the first article of motivation to keep creating. Here are 3 more of my tools to keep creating.
Be original, be yourself
This tends to be one of the biggest things young or new artists struggle with. We’re usually looking at other artists who are much bigger than we are, and have already achieved some kind of success, and we think we can never be them.
When you’re hesitant to upload your work online and you’re thinking, “I’m good enough”, “I might not get a lot of likes or followers”, “I don’t think people will appreciate my work”, your focus might not be on the right thing.
What can keep us down and hold us back is the fear of not getting the response we expected or wanted from others, or the fear of rejection. Forget about this, especially in the beginning. Instead, focus on your own creative journey and get the ball rolling.
More than likely when you begin posting on social media or on your own website, you won’t receive any likes or engagement. You might be discouraged by this, but it can be a good opportunity. It gives you the opportunity to become comfortable to share your work online without the world bombarding you with positive or negative thoughts.
Maybe after a handful of posts over a period of time, you will begin to receive a tiny bit of engagement and feedback from one or two people. It will most likely be positive feedback. Now you’ve received your first taste of engagement. It wasn’t too overwhelming. It was just enough to give you the feeling of fulfilment that there are at least one or two people out there who appreciate what you’re sharing.
If you keep going and growing, two people might become twenty and eventually two hundred. Now you have built a small community around your niche and you might receive a good amount of engagement.
But soon, it might not feel like enough. You want more, and more and more. Two hundred followers aren’t enough. Neither is two thousand or ten thousand. After chasing numbers for a while, you forget why you were doing this in the first place. Which was to focus on your own creative journey and sharing your creative work.
Keep moving forward
Keep creating. Keep doing the work. Network with like-minded people in your niche. Have fun with it. Keep moving forward. Your community might grow rapidly as an indirect result of you simply having fun and sharing your work. A growing community is a side benefit, not the goal.
The goal should be to have fun creating and sharing your work with others. Whether it’s five people or five thousand people.
The moment I stand still and allow things to slow down, it’s difficult to get everything moving again. I’m constantly moving from one article to the next. From one project to another. I try to be in the flow the best I can. I enjoy losing myself in the process. That’s where I have the most fun.
Everyone starts somewhere
Always keep in mind that all the artists you admire and look up to also started from zero.
When you’re starting out, don’t focus on the numbers,. It isn’t a worthy measurement of your creative work. Focus on creating the best work you can and getting it out there. You should have butterflies before you upload it, because it probably means you’ve put effort into it and you’re proud of what you’ve created.
Something I’ve mentioned a few times is,
Do it for yourself.
If we’re not enjoying the process, then why are we doing it? We should do it for ourselves to improve our creative skills and to learn more about our craft. Along that journey, we can share what we have learned and share our work with others who are also interested in it or simply enjoys being on the journey with us.
Thank you for nice support article.
It was just what I needed to hear at the moment. I love my work❤
<3
Aww! I really love the last part. Thanks for sharing ❤️
My pleasure, Rosell. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Inspiring manual
Glad I could help! 🙂
It’s the artist duty…to share beauty.
Thank you🙂
May you be blessed. Thank you.
Thank you! You too!
This is so good! Artists are creators, and it is in us to make something beautiful and release it into the world. The world is a better place even when something beautiful is released in secret. Even when no one else knows. There is now more beauty than there was before.
You’re absolutely right, Joanne. Well said 🙂
So true about wanting validation that what I’m creating/writing is having an impact . I also podcast and it’s discouraging to get so few listeners . But it’s nice to know that even a few people think it’s worth their time. ☺️
Keep growing and building 🙂 And don’t forget about the people who are already giving you their time to listen 🙂
Hi Hannes (or should I call you Wandering?) I loved this post. It caught me where I live. After several months of travel (and blogging). I am going home. I want to continue my blog. But what do I blog about? The great thing sbout travel is everything is new and shiny and fascinating. At home its the familiar and routine and personal. Not sure how I am going to adjust. It will be a true test of my ability to sustain my blog. I really hope I rise to the occasion.
Call me Hannes 🙂 Try not to think about all the blogs posts that lie ahead. Just focus on the next one. Take it one at a time. You can reflect on your travels and share what you have learned and how it has changed your perspective about the world. 🙂
Thank you for sharing that!
My pleasure! 🙂
Thank you this was very encouraging.
I’m so glad to hear that 🙂
Such a good way to think. Well expressed. Enjoying what we do is 90% then the rest is for whoever else might appreciate it. Thank you.🙂
“The goal should be to have fun creating and sharing your work with others. Whether it’s five people or five thousand people.” That’s the RIGHT Idea! Good words, my friend.
c.a.
I hope I can always be focused on the joy, the pleasure, of creating, and not by thinking that the number of followers I have isn’t enough. Focusing on the numbers will never give me joy; it will take from it. Thanks for the reminder.
Sound and encouraging advice 🙂👍
That’s very encouraging, thank you for sharing.
Big up! Thank you for this 🍒
Thank you for the tips! I’ve just started my very first blog and this sounds like pretty good advice!
Goodluck and have fun!
Encouraging advice. Keep it up
Thank you for the support! My husband and I have spoken often about this new journey of mine to create writing that means something. Even if it only reaches a few, it will be worth it in the end. Keep moving forward! 💖🖊
It will absolutely be worth it in the end! You might inspire others across the world with your words, and that can be such a fulfilling feeling 🙂
Great post
I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Great advice. Look forward to your posts!😊🦁
Thank you for sharing this. This is an interesting and helpful post. We have a post on motivation coming out this week that we think you should check out.
I’m reading this post and feeling the energy through the lines. Thanks so much for the words of encouragement.
It’s such a pleasure. I’m glad you received value from it! 🙂
Good advice! It’s funny how “trying to be successful” at something can be counterproductive, and success happens when you just do the thing and enjoy it.
You’re absolutely right. It’s interesting and strange how that works.
Helpful advice! Thank you for sharing
My pleasure! I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂