Are You Creatively Satisfied?
Are you creatively satisfied? Is it even possible to feel creativity satisfied, or is creative satisfaction an unattainable myth? Is it perfectly normal to sometimes feel it, and sometimes not? Like feeling happy or content or sad or thrilled?
What about hard work and putting in time and effort? Does feeling unsatisfied creatively drive you to work harder and become better? Is it actually a healthy driving force and motivation to improve? Or is it even possible to feel pure joy in the midst of fierce competition? Can we be both ambitious and happy? Or does ambition with its constant hunger for more put a damper on our ability to feel satisfied?
Or as Kevin Richardson writes, "many of us feel this way [unsatisfied] due to a constant comparison to others. ... It’s this daunting feeling that pushes us to measure ourselves against our peers and covet their talents and project opportunities. Surely nothing good can come from that."
The internet provides us with lots of ways to connect, to gather inspiration, to participate in creative communities, but it also gives us the tools for round-the-clock comparison. Our lives becomes more global, but at the same time, more people are being inspired by the same things and sharing the same dreams. The world both opens up to possibilities and narrows down into sameness.
“The danger that lies within comparison to others is the inevitable trap that it comes with. When you’re motive is simply an effort to keep up with everyone else, you start to lose the personal character within your work that only you can create. You cheat yourself and end up becoming yet another clone who has followed a trend down it’s rabbit hole. I assure you, there is very little satisfaction found here.”
What is creative satisfaction anyway? Is it when we achieve? When we feel we do our best work? When we sell our work or creative services? Does it happen when we allow ourselves to get lost in flow? Is it a state of bliss and spontaneity? Or a feeling of accomplishment? A pay cheque? When do you feel creatively satisfied?