Does your creativity make a difference to the world or are you just being self-indulgent?

When you are a creative person it is easy to get precious and self-absorbed about your art. It is something that you pour your life and soul into and feel that you simply must do it. But every now and then, when negativity gets to you, it is easy to think things like:

“Does anybody care about this?”

“There is so much awful stuff going on in the world, how can my painting of a woman on a bike change all of that?”

“But I’m only making bracelets. It seems so frivolous when there are children dying in Syria.”

It is easy to devalue your creative efforts as “I’m only doing XYZ. It’s not important in the grand scheme of things.”

 

Here are three reasons why your creativity does make a difference

 

1.    You are channelling your emotions into your art

When people experience your work they also have an emotional response.  Sometimes this will be very powerful for them and might make them feel loved and understood. They will feel empathy with the artist and feel reassured that the artist has empathy with them.

If there was more empathy in the world there would be less shit going on!

 

2.    When you are doing your art you are working from your best self

Being creative means that you are disciplined and able to move beyond your comfort zone. You regularly reach inside yourself to be better than you thought you could be.

Imagine if more people went about their daily life in this way.  Wouldn’t the world be an amazing place?

 

3.    You’ll be unhappy if you don’t do your art

If you don’t get to do your creative work you will be unhappy, unfulfilled and maybe depressed. It is much harder to create value in the world from this position than when you feel that you are doing what you were born to do.

 

We don’t have to be ‘great’ to make a difference

Sometimes we think that we need to cure cancer or solve the problems of war in order to lead a meaningful life. Sure, there are people for whom that will be their mission. There will also be people whose mission it is to be an accountant and help people get the most from their finances or to be a lawyer and fight for justice for their clients.

And then there are people whose mission it is to write romance novels which give the gift of escapism from the rigours of daily life.  Or to make music, which gives a sound track to someone’s life.

Others are put here to make coasters out of recycled material which shows how we can re-use objects and be less wasteful in daily life. Such an object, though seemingly frivolous can bring a smile of pleasure and “I love those little mats” every time a sip of tea is taken.

 

Stop devaluing yourself

You must recognise the value of everything you do, not just your art but other activities from your daily life too.  If you live with conscious value then you make a difference in all of your daily interactions.

We all touched by cheerful people in our surroundings.  One person can create a bad atmosphere and destroy a work place but equally, one person can change it for the better.

 

Does your creativity make a difference?

If you are satisfied in your life then your best side comes out in all your interactions. Your creativity can be at the root of this.

Imagine a world with no music, no stories being told, of nothing on the walls, of nothing nice to wear and no useful tools for going about daily life.

Does your creativity make a difference? Absolutely, yes.

 

Now I’d love to hear from you

What are your thoughts on using your creativity to make a difference in the world? Do you feel that you can make a difference or do you feel that following your creative urges is a selfish pursuit? Leave a comment below.

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