Creatively Standing Alone

Over the years, I’ve discovered most creatives feel like a round peg in a world of square holes. We’re the ones that chase rabbits in meetings trying to improve systems that have been in place for years. We’re the outliers who are challenged by the idea of a “status quo.”  We’d rather fail trying to be extraordinary than succeed in mediocrity.

It’s what’s educationally driven me to develop innovative ways to inspire curiosity and creativity.

It’s the wellspring for endless stories running through my head.

It’s also the reason I sometimes feel isolated and alone.

I love solitude. I really do. It’s a time to create, think, and develop my craft. I love endless days with Charlie at my feet, working on a blog post or writing a new scene.

But I also need interaction, which isn’t easy for me. The desire to just fit in is, at times, overwhelming.

Humans are social creatures. We crave a sense of belonging. We need community, connection, and acceptance.

My creative tribe is spread across the globe. (Thank God for social media and the internet. 🙂 )

But in day-to-day life, when surrounded by colleagues or in social settings with new people, I often withdraw, editing my thoughts before I speak, continually afraid of being too weird, too “out there.”

It’s strange to feel so connected to people who are hundreds of miles away and yet feel such distance with those sitting in the same room. I have so much to contribute, so many thoughts and ideas. But I’ve learned the hard way that most people would rather speak than listen. And it’s too much trouble to change a system–even if that system doesn’t work.

And that brings feelings of being discounted, unappreciated, and misunderstood.

See? Round peg, square hole.

The other day I ran across this Brene Brown segment, it struck at the very heart of the issue.
The opening line is as follows:

“Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong–because you will always find it.”

From there, she drops one truth bomb right after another.  It’s definitely worth the ten minutes to watch, but her talk is centered around the fact that, even though we all need community, at the end of the day, creatively, we stand alone.

And that was something I needed to hear.

 

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