I had the pleasure of hearing Aminatta Forna (7x Author) speak at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY on Thursday, October 14th, 2021.
One of my favorite questions from the night was: “How do you know when a piece is done?”
Her reply: “It’s never done. But, when you can’t stand looking at it anymore, then it’s time.”
Try adding the 3 “C’s” to your day:
My friend’s Instagram got hacked.
She had 27k followers.
Then, get this, the hackers messaged her on WhatsApp asking for a ransom.
There are people out there who actually do this.
This is simply to say:
Pretend like all of your accounts just got hacked and you lost everything you’ve built.
You lost all of your connections and you had no way of communicating with anyone on social media.
If you really want to feel that reality, delete all social media apps on your phone for the next week.
See how it feels.
Then, imagine you finally got them back after a ton of back-and-forth and pain-in-the-butt customer service interactions.
What steps would you take to prevent that from ever happening again?
Do that now.
Get more bored.
I find that the more I force myself into boredom, the more creative I get.
Conversely, the more distracted and entertained I am, the less creative I get.
When do I get some of my best ideas? While I’m showering, driving, walking, napping, meditating, staring at a blank screen… it’s when my mind is bored and free to wander.
And it’s not even close...
When do I rarely ever get ideas? While I’m working, watching TV, playing a game, having gossip-y type conversation, or otherwise actively engaged in some thought-provoking tasks.
You might think you’re“not the creative type” or that you“lost” your creative touch.
I’m willing to bet you haven’t and that you are—we all have creative energy inside of us.
You’re just not allowing yourself to get bored long enough.
“My life has been my music, it’s always come first, but the music ain’t worth nothing if you can’t lay it on the public.”
Louis Armstrong, via MoveMe Quotes
Artists look at their paintings and think: Ugh, those strokes.
Writers read their paragraphs and think: Ugh, those words.
Actors watch their performances and think: Ugh, those scenes.
The people those gifts weren’t intended for think: Ugh, why this?
The people those gifts were intended for think: Wow, thank you for this.
The people who never receive your gifts think: …
Well… nothing at all—what they see instead is an unexpressed, mysterious, doubt-filled person.
And what a poor replacement for what could have been a gift to the world.
Share your art.
Not when you look at your art and think: Wow, that’s perfect.
But, when you look at your art and think: Ugh, it’s not perfect, but it’s damn good.
Because sharing your art is how you share your self.
And who you are is an imperfect, ever-changing, highly-emotional being—
—Who is putting a fragment of themself out into the world as a gift.
A gift that says I’m human—maybe you’re human, too, and we can connect over this fragment?
Not everyone will. But, the ones who do?
The ones who do will change your thought processes; your direction; your art; your life.
And maybe your gifts will do the same for them.