Being an artist is amazing. Whether the art takes its form in a visual, performing, or written nature, I have so many ideas I want to pursue. My mind bursts with inspiration which is a wonderful thing…mostly.
There are a few downsides of being a creative person—not that I would trade it for anything, but being creative, like most things, has its side effects. I will refer to these side effects as curses, though whether or not they affect an individual negatively depends on how they are handled.
For some artists, a curse may be the seeming lack of improvement that demotivates them from trying. It’s mentally straining as it is to be creative at the whims of others’ expectations. Couple that with dissatisfaction in your work and you begin to wonder why you even try. Everyone around you, in your eyes, is leagues better and you’re embarrassed to show off your work to your peers. Even if you are already very skilled, self-doubt has a habit of lingering, trying to take control.
I believe these thoughts of inadequacy or imposter syndrome affect all artists at one time or another, including myself. I still get nervous when sharing any original work of mine for the public to scrutinize. Even thinking about publishing this post makes me nervous! Truthfully, I never feel I’m good enough because I always see potential for improvement. That’s a good thing—to have a sense of self-improvement. It only becomes a curse when used as an excuse to avoid trying. There are simple ways to overcome these thoughts by focusing on the positives instead of the negatives, but these curses aren’t the ones I hold the biggest grudges against.
As frustrating as the curse of inadequacy is, there is another that affects me even more. I’m uncertain how common this curse is and haven’t met many other artists who experience it. The curse, believe it or not, is being too creative. When endless ideas flood my mind, how do I choose which ones to fish out of the stream of thought to create and complete? There’s only so much free time to do all I aspire to do and it never seems to be enough.
Outside of the occasional lapses through procrastination or burnout, I have an enduring need to keep my mind active. The best way I have found to do this is through more creating and less consuming. I have found the better one gets at a skill, the more time it takes to see the task through to completion. When in the zone, my brain functioning at 100%, it’s easy to lose track of time. It’s disheartening awakening back to reality only to realize I barely made a dent in what I was hoping to accomplish in one creative session.
Bursts of motivation and creativity appear at moments when I can’t do anything about them. It’s worse when I’m preoccupied with an uncreative task, sitting idly without any creative tools at my disposal. Carrying around a sketchbook or writing things down helps a lot, but I’d rather release these creative brainwaves on a “real” task.
When new ideas emerge, it’s easy for them to be buried in a to-do list. I can’t tell you how many new ideas arise for each one I finish. I write down many, and many get buried so deep I’ll probably never get a chance to see them to completion. Having all these ideas and goals makes me antsy, like my life will be rendered meaningless unless I keep creating. I become trapped by my own imagination waiting till I can finally relieve it in my next “creative session”—or at least attempt to. Procrastination or distractions get in the way, but it’s just as hard managing time when I am in the mood to be creative.
It can’t be overstated how inspiration is a never-ending flow for me. Ideas come, not just from what I see others creating, but also from nothingness. They pop into my head only for me to file them away and clutter my mind. I wish I had the capacity to release them all at once. Perfectionism, time, and the learning curve seem to be the major roadblocks. I already put most of my spare time into creative projects, but it never seems to be enough.
What can be done about this problem? I doubt I will be able to fulfill all my fantasies in one lifetime—therefore I must choose. Prioritizing is the key. The best thing that can be done when racing the clock is simply to focus. Focus on something—anything. Any little amount of progress is better than freezing from overthinking as I often do. It also helps to narrow the focus as much as possible. I’m not very good at this. I have far too many projects and creative pursuits—oftentimes with multiple projects ongoing.
I’ve been asked on several occasions “How do you have the patience to do such large projects?” And my typical response is “I don’t.” I’m a very impatient person. With all these ideas competing for my attention, I will work countless hours on each one because I’m impatient for it to be finished and to move on to the next item. The long hours that it takes aren’t really noticeable outside of it hindering me from doing all my ideas at once. Maybe that is a bit of a stretch to say I lack patience. It still does take perseverance and focus to see a project through to completion. Still, for every new project I start, I think of ten new ones, making it harder to focus on the current task. Most of my ideas may never see the light of day. It’s incredible I even took the time to write and revise these thoughts in this way! I must have thought it was important enough to do so.
The best thing that can be done as a creative person with a hyperactive mind is to simply take it one day at a time. Set goals. Start small if you need to. My favorite Bible verse is Ecclesiastes 3:1 which says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” There will be times of failure and times of success. I will embrace and look forward to any new opportunities that find their way to me.
Half of the fun is pushing yourself to the limits and seeing what you can achieve. It will take time, but if you enjoy your craft, it’s very much worth it.