Why Creatives Are Kick-Ass Confidence Gods (Pt. 1)
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There are a lot of people who consider themselves members of the “creatives” community, but, perhaps, are not. Lots of people work in the realm of creativity, but most are “duplicators” versus “creatives.” The previous statement is not an indicator that this little talk is about to devolve into a phallic measurement contest –– one between true creatives and faux ones. That would be petty. That article is coming later.
This particular installment is simply an honor bestowing clarification of what CREATIVES ARE and what CREATIVES DO –– and why CREATIVES ARE BUILT TO GET THEIR ASS KICKED more than you ever will have the guts to. And buddy, if you call yourself a “creative” and are not getting your ass-kicked every once in a while, you’re probably not really a "creative." You’re a "duplicator" –– playing in the safety-zone. And good on you, you little rule follower you.
Herds, by nature, are safe little insecurity mobs who check the temperature of everyone else before they determine what temperature to be.
Creatives, a.k.a. "confidence gladiators," on the other hand, are those who bring art and design of all types into the world that were not there before. They are not duplicating but actually creating, freshly, from nothing. Creatives are personified firsts. Creatives create trends before they trend. Creatives create pop before it’s popular. Creatives do things that are way out of the current scope of the herd before these things become the “herd mentality” 10-20 years later. But during those years prior to the herd finally adopting the new creation, as the new norm, the herd is likely going to drag the sh*t outta that creative for attempting to do something different. And that's exactly why I'm honoring the CREATIVE today.
Herds, by nature, are safe little insecurity mobs who check the temperature of everyone else before they determine what temperature to be. Ever watch a cow herd? They walk nose to ass, then nose to ass, then nose to ass by the hundreds –– following each other like mooing meat-drones. It’s no wonder they end up hamburgers. Their only future vision in life is the big fat ass of the cow in front of them. Wherever that cow is going in front of them, that’s where they’re going too. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses or the Kardashians, their life is all about keeping up with the big fat asses in front of them. That’s literally their sole and solitary mission in life.
A nose in a smart-phone or a nose in a TV screen is still, in many ways, just a nose in a cow butt.
Well, before you snark and chuckle about the plight of a vision-less, goal-less cow, you might want to check the mirror. Then you might want to check the current shade of your own nose. It might be more brown than usual. A cow’s life isn’t always a cow’s life. Sometimes a cow’s life ends up a human’s life.
We, as humans, don’t stare at literal cow butt for our direction and cues in life, but we certainly stare at our TV screens and social media pages to see where the “others” are going so we can lazily follow without thinking. A nose in a smart-phone or a nose in a TV screen is still, in many ways, just a nose in a cow butt.
Now, why have I taken the time to drag cows and those who see them as life role-models? I’ve done so in order to build a context for why CREATIVES are so f’ing kick-ass. Ok, wait. Did I really just use the phrase ‘kick-ass’? Yeah, I just did that. Boom. I felt like doing whatever I felt like doing without concern for your lame-ass comment about my lame use of a lame-ass phrase, because that’s what CREATIVES do –– not give AF –– and that’s the SUPER-POWER OF CREATIVES.
The herd zealot even corrals tiny herds within the herd to help them drag and castigate the creative for attempting to create a new path as an alternative to the well-worn one.
To be a CREATIVE in the herd called humanity, the creative must have the bulging testicular fortitude to say things, sing things, paint things, sculpt things, design things, build things and do things the scared-as-sh*t-faced herd-minions are scared to do. When the CREATIVE sticks his or her neck up and out to declare a new direction, the herd-zealots come out in force to troll the creative, drag the creative, criticize, discourage, poo on, and generally go nuts about them breaking from the herd. All innovators fall into this plight in some form or fashion.
The herd zealot even corrals tiny herds within the herd to help them drag and castigate the creative for attempting to create a new path as an alternative to the well-worn one. The more innovative the innovation, the more this rule is true. It's always one versus the herd. Creative verses the creatively stagnant. Free Thinker versus the traditionalists. Who will ultimately have the strength to drag who? Which will win by sheer force of will and confidence and raw IDGAF?
For the luminous creative this steely match of wits and will becomes the decisive metric determining them victor or victim. This determines their rise to greatness, or their descent back into the unforgiving heard –– a falling star that could have been. If the creative can weather the tug-o-war of nervous opinionating, and the herd’s launching of bombs, projecting their own fears onto the creative’s valiant moves of independence, the creative will be worshipped and celebrated by the same herd who dragged him or her.
Knowing the truth of the journey of a creative is the key in successfully navigating that journey to an ultimate goal.
This, my friends, is human nature. It is the human process of humans testing those humans who embody the best of human nature before they are allowed to be hoisted onto a pedestal as “the new direction we are going” as humans.
So what’s the ultimate point really being made here? The following statement is my point. Creatives are “CONFIDENCE GODS.” Give respect.
That is not only an accurate observation, it is a useful declaration during the act of creativity, and a powerful understanding and orientation of the journey of a CREATIVE before you embark upon it.
Knowing the truth of the journey of a creative is the key in successfully navigating that journey to an ultimate goal. If you are a true creative and not just a safe duplicator, listen to me when I say this. You will be digitally stoned –– by the trolls. You will be mocked by friends and family members. You will be assailed by the critics –– the professional ones and the unprofessional ones –– who are likely just in a bad mood because of their latest hemorrhoid flare-up. You will be assaulted by the doubting voices in your own mind. But all in all... their words are not personal. None of them. Not even the ones in your head. It's all just the explosive process of creating something new. The birth of a human, a star, a butterfly, a diamond, all comes via incredible unforgiving pressure. You have to be okay with that, as a CREATIVE.
When you choose to stand yourself or your works before a crowd for evaluation, some will throw flowers at you and others will throw rocks. You have to learn how not to be affected by either. If you think criticism is the only thing harmful to your sense of self, you haven't truly examined a compliment and it's possible effects.
If consumed irresponsibly, compliments are a sweet kind of poison. If consumed responsibly, criticism is a healthy power tonic with more boost juice than a Red Bull factory. This is because some critics actually…
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