Just a few reminders for other creatives and artists out there. This is something I am learning:
You’re allowed to take a break from the things you love to make.
You’re allowed the work you enjoy time and space.
One of greatest the challenges of creativity is that we tend to think of it in terms of the final product, and not the process. Many of us have received the message that our value comes from what we can produce and how we can be productive. As a result, the process ends up seeming like a means to end.
What I am starting to discover more and more is that the process is where I must put my focus. And you know what’s an important part of the process?
Periods of rest.
When I think about all that it took for me to get here today, I forget about the thousands of hours I spent sleeping that are just as much a part of the process as anything else.
I forget about the days where I just couldn’t find the energy to complete tasks and how this too, was a part of the process.
I forget about all the times where I was doing absolutely nothing, and yet still, those moments were integral parts of my growth.
I realized not too long ago that I first downloaded a drawing app on my iPad 7 years before I started making the art I make today. I remember sitting in the Barnes and Noble Starbucks by the Atlanta airport when I drew my first picture. I looked down at it and said, “I’ll get back to this later.” I did not open that app again for 7 years.
This makes me wonder: how many little things am I doing today that I might not see unfold until a decade from now? What projects have I set down that might show up in my life later in ways I have yet to realize?
Isn't it beautiful
how some things
just fall together
when and how they are meant to,
and we didn't even have to force it?
I share this in hopes to encourage anyone who feels the pressure to figure it all out right now. I hope this can be a reminder that even when it comes to things you love, you are free to slow down. You are free to take your time.
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All of this was inspired by a recent conversation I had with Chicago-based videographer and photographer @erinmorgantaylor. Hear our conversation on my podcast!
