The creative process is often a solitary one. While the finished products may be interesting, few people want to watch an author write, an artist paint or a musician make sheet music. Nonetheless, creativity needs community in order to survive. Without it, creatives can fall into a very dull, dangerous place.
Community is necessary for both the creator and creative process—both ultimately fail without it.
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For the creator, the need for human interaction cannot be understated. This is a necessity for human beings. And while creative individuals may have specific talents, they have not become more than human.
Poor health that comes from isolation will affect their ability to create as they would like. It will also affect any of the work they produce or attempt to—not necessarily for the better.
Edgar Allen Poe is the exception, not the rule. While many famous artists, writers, musicians, etc. have suffered from poor mental health, there are more average people with the same talents but no motivation to create as a result of declining mental health. One of the key symptoms of depression is a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. Depression just so happens to be a result of isolation as well.
Subscribing to solitary creativity also limits the perspective of the creator. Everyone sees the world differently and has some beautiful insights to contribute that another may not see. Even if the other person may not say something that directly speaks to an issue in question, they are still capable of broadening the horizons of others, which undoubtedly helps future works.
Ignoring this reality not only limits the mind of a creator, but it limits their work as well, making sub-par compared to what it ultimately could be. It is a form of arrogance that hinders its holders the way pride so typically does.
In addition to different perspectives on the world, others can offer different perspective on a person’s work. This does include criticism, which is a scary word for many of us. However, it is important to realize that criticism is not meant to tear down a person. Rather, it is meant to build up their work.
Another limitation comes in the area of encouragement. Individuals deprive themselves of the opportunity for some really awesome, helpful encouragement when they don’t allow other creative people into their lives and work.
For me, it has been a while since I questioned whether or not I was a good artist. I tend to paint with a more realistic style, and can see very clearly when I am satisfied with my work. However, it was not so with my writing. I could be confident that a piece was well-written when I read it on my own, but the minute I had the option to share it with others, I would completely doubt any merit it had.
This began to change after I joined a creative writing group. I got honest feedback by lovely, loving, talented writers, and it was mostly positive. It helped me to grow and build my confidence as a writer. I knew I had something important to say, said it well, and had others affirming the quality of my work. It strikes me as unfortunate that others would choose to forego this important aspect of creativity and deprive themselves of honest, uplifting encouragement.
All of us are on a journey where improvement is always possible. None of us will ever be perfect. This is a good thing in some respects, because it means that we can always improve our work and our skills. I don't know a creative person alive who wouldn't want to that. An easy way is simply to allow others into the creative process.
Ultimately, while there certainly are times to be alone, those involved in creative pursuits cannot merely work alone. Even in fields where solitude is a big part of life, we cannot forget the importance of being with other people.
