Have you seen it? When an artist pulls you in with himself or herself? It’s not easy to do. It’s not easy to push all the heavy air occupying the place where you stand into the corners of the room , so that everyone sits with baited breath only breathing in what you let out.
It’s not easy. It’s not easy to move your legs and bend your body in submission to the beat, or sway with the bass. The stage is always a blank page, and some people paint with the most admirable fervor and passion. They paint without ever thinking that maybe they would get a stroke wrong, or place the wrong colour.
That is a gift. To let it all out and still have people give it back to you saying that it wasn’t good enough. Do they bare their souls for a living with the risk of being told that what they’ve treasured for so long is ugly, or not good enough? Do they? Does that office job leave your feeling the high of fulfillment? If it does, by all means, carry on. That is what you are made to do and the world is a better place because of it.
But, if it does not, maybe you need to reconsider. Maybe, you need to take a step towards living your dreams.
I recently read Steven Pressifield’s book The War of Art; I highly recommend it to every person who considers him or her self a creative and who wants’ to do work that will impact culture. Pressifield mentions that it is important for one to develop a core of self-confidence and advancement.
I have met many people who simply don’t have the drive to do or be better, it is truly sad. Meeting people like that made me sure of the life that I didn’t ever want to live.
Socrates said, “The truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery, while those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.” One may initially face fear when cutting themselves free from groupthink, and this is what Pressifield calls the despair of freedom.
Once one has done this – taken the leap of faith towards realisation in their own life – they will almost never criticise others. If they speak at all, it is to offer encouragement. Watch yourself carefully; lest you start to manifest critical behavior because it is resistance against you doing what you were meant to do and you will only harm yourself. It is also impetrative that you as an artist or dreamer realize that the best thing that you could do for someone else like you is to serve as an inspiration or example to them. If you are finding yourself being very critical about those who are taking the risks, maybe it’s because you haven’t faced the fear in your life! Look, fear is normal. Following one’s dreams is a scary business, but this is what our Creator made us for.
“Are you paralysed with fear? That’s good. The more scared we are of a work or calling, the surer we are that we have to do it. The degree of fear equated to the strength of resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there would be no resistance.” – Steven Pressifield