Don't fear! Create!

Today, I made bagels!!!

First time making them, and they turned out better than I expected! I am trying to not eat the whole batch in one day...

I have been thinking about music and songwriting lately. I have written a few songs myself, but I never really play them for anyone. Negative feedback would stop me from writing, because I would be even more self conscious. But positive feedback would just embarrass me.

Why create something just to hide it? I have no idea. I guess sometimes I just have something to get off of my chest and it comes out in the form of a song. Or a rant in my notebook. Or an art piece. Art is very personal for me, and it's hard to put my heart and soul and tears into something and just throw it in front of everyone who walks by. Sometimes, it is the only way to get a chaotic mess of emotions and thoughts in order. Yes, we creatives are crazy.

Another reason I hesitate to share my creations. I once showed a song I had started writing to someone who studied music, and they said that I had to follow a certain structure, have a chorus, three verses and a refrain, maybe a prechorus. I didn't try to write again for a couple of years. It was probably a terrible song, but the structure didn't necessarily determine that. Some of my favorite songs don't follow the songwriters formula.

Fear of failure or rejection gums up the creative process for sure.


So I guess the moral of my story is this:

1. If you know a "creative type" person, be kind and truthful. We don't want people to lie if they dislike our work, but we can be very VERY sensitive. For us to keep creating, we need to feel safe to open up, experiment and grow.

2. If you are a "creative type" person, remember that not everyone is as sensitive as us. Most people don't have the intention of hurting us, and not all remarks are about us personally. Just because someone may not like our work, does not mean that they don't like us.

3. You don't have to show everything to everyone. But don't be scared to show what you love doing to people that you love.