I've never doubted myself and I will never do it again... this oxymoron reflects the true struggle of the creative: our lack of self-confidence. One day we love what we do and the next day it's all rubbish. Paraphrasing Yeats in The Second Coming, why is it that the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity?
We creatives have an amazing power in our hands: we decide and create the life that we want to live. We don't just accept reality and follow the pack. We build our world from scratch with our own hands and imagination. We translate what we see in our minds into images, tangible things or experiences for the rest of the world to enjoy. From the void, from the nothingness, we fill this planet with beauty, with questions, with answers... So why is it that the thing that makes us so powerful also makes us so weak? Why is it so hard to value and respect ourselves and our work? Why is it that we are always considering other people's grass better even when they are spraypainted green while ours is taking the right amount of time to grow and get to its appropiate shade?
You are great, your work is great, and you want to know why? Because in creativity there are no right or wrongs, there is only taste. And like Jonathan Gillete said: “when you don't create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability. Your tastes only narrow & exclude people. So create.”
Never doubt yourself again.
Photo credit: Behind the scenes photography by Stef Mic
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