In a field where anything is possible and creations are limitless, there is only one thing that gets in the way of a creative mind- and that is that there are a lot of things that keep us from doing what we love. Whether it be an art form (painting, film or singing) or more on the scholarly side (writing or public speaking), every creative person can attest to the fact that we may have the best and worst passion in the world. While we absolutely love what we do and wouldn't trade our talents for anything in the world, the world, in turn, doesn't understand that we have struggles (mostly internal) to endure, too- even if our work doesn't require rigorous amounts of schooling.
For the people who do have a creative spirit, you know what I'm talking about all too well. For those of you who don't, read on and learn just how being more on the creative side doesn't coincide with taking an easier route by any means.
We take the simplest things and turn them into something way more than it is
A cloud can look like a walrus posing for the camera or a keyboard can look like a never-ending landscape of poetry- however outlandish it seems, creative people have definitely thought about it and have made the simplest everyday things into much more complex entities. A time where I can remember this happening was when I had to describe other people in the cast of our musical during a group-bonding exercise, and we literally spent three hours just complimenting one another on the most minute details. You gotta love us!
Stress is never-ending... seriously
Although being creative is such an enjoyable passion to have, it can also be extremely grueling and tiring. The one thing we count on is the hope that other people can gravitate and equally enjoy what we create, and if that doesn't happen what we love to do becomes super aggravating. What's worse than this happening, and more than once, too?
Our imaginations can be too big
I am the first one to admit that I have such a HUGE imagination, and from childhood into adulthood, it's probably only gotten bigger. When it comes to creating fun projects or trying to stand out from the crowd this very much comes in handy, but overthinking and creating situations that aren't even real becomes second-nature for creative individuals. With the good comes the bad, and the creative mind definitely does not pose as an exception.
School seems like an unnecessary obstacle half the time
The one thing that seems like a big question mark for creative people is whether school is really necessary for our dreams. Sure, actors can get a B.F.A. and artists can study graphic design but degrees are not 100% required for anyone in a creative field. A degree can definitely serve as a safety net just in case (*cough cough* me), but the fact that spending thousands of dollars can easily not be part of the plan makes the creative college student seriously consider dropping out.
We can be misunderstood or perceived as "too sensitive"
Creative souls have the superpower of sometimes being able to tap into the inner workings of an individual's mind, but the other times include people just not "getting it". This comes with the job, but in everyday life, we can come across as sensitive beings from friends and family for being too vulnerable or emotional in order to tap into our creative juices. I may sound like an angsty teenager as I'm describing this, but this is definitely the stereotype we have (and some of us, like me, truly embody this).
Procrastination can become our best friend when inspiration can't be found
Students always joke about procrastination, but this can easily become a constant state of being for creative minds. Inspiration can be found everywhere and anywhere, but oftentimes there are periods where it can't be found at all. This forces creators to enter a state similar to "writer's block" where they just keep going about life trying to find that spark. It can be super irritating because you never know when it's going to hit or for how long, but this is a very much real thing to deal with.
The mind can be our greatest tool... and our greatest enemy
Going back to how our imaginations are too big and we go through dry periods of no creativity, our creative minds drive our whole artistic machine, but this also means it has the same amount of power to stop ourselves from doing what we ultimately want to do. We constantly deal with our brains telling us that no one will even like what we put out into the world, that everything we do may be for nothing or we even go so much as questioning our passions altogether. Investing in creativity is a true art form in itself, and one has to be willing to go through the hard times to get to the good (just as with anything else in life).
We care too much about what other people think (ironically)
This also has to do with the point I just made, but it rings so true that it had to have its own spot on this list. All creativity is subjective, meaning that it is up to the interpreter to judge if they actually like it or not. This is a great and horrible thing for the creator because it means that they are doing their job but it can also turn out that the majority of people don't (have to) like it. In order for us to believe in our work (sometimes), we need proof that people like what we put out and sometimes that requires us to care a little bit more about what people think than we really should.
We can take on too much all at once
If you're like me and are creative in a multitude of ways (I love to sing, read, write and am taking film classes in school), then you get satisfaction when you're taking on more than one creative project at once. In addition to this blog I have here on The Odyssey, I also have a YouTube channel and corresponding Instagram page to promote my voice. In addition to these things, I have schoolwork and musical production auditions I look into on campus, and factor in time spent with family and friends and a good chapter to read before bed, life can get pretty busy. It can get so busy that even creative projects will lack because of the time I don't spend on them, and that's just super unhelpful and unhealthy for anyone trying to "make it" in the creative fields.
There never seems to be enough time
Speaking of spreading ourselves too thin with different creative projects, time always seems to be in scarce amounts for the creator. No matter how early or late in a project one finds themselves in, time is of the absolute essence; yet, this can be a good thing because creators could spend years on end perfecting their latest film or painting. All we have to do is take what we have and run with it, paintbrush/pencil/laptop/camera/microphone/etc. in tow.
