You don’t have to stunt your storytelling.
I’ve seen beautiful work from people who don’t know themselves well. I’m admitting that up front because it is such a part of the norm, though not the only option, when in fact, if you don’t address your fears and bad habits, the resulting point of view is going to impact your art, and I’m simply warning against the repetitiveness of that. Have a distinct, strong voice, have a message, but if for years, you’re getting a dopamine hit from the same belief, using the same neural pathways, this lack of flexibility is guaranteed to show up in your work. Stubbornly maintaining a radically honest connection with self is one thing and stubbornly refusing to evolve is another. How worthwhile is the output if you’re decidedly not changing perspective?
Authenticity is not a buzz word in the wellness industry but a necessary ingredient for more success. If you are determined to broaden the audience of your art, you want different opportunities, and maybe you want a bigger house and nicer car, aim for sustainability. Aim for growth. The discomfort is worth it! There is more enjoyment and fulfillment to be had when you figuratively look into the mirror and express what you find. You don’t have to stunt your storytelling. I know I don’t like those limitations when, as a writer, I’m creating fictional people, do you? Whether making a painting or screenplay, your message is far less satisfying if your attitude is, ‘This is who I am. I won’t look again at my flaws or beliefs, traits or behaviors’. That refusal can lead to stagnation, which can lead to a near-constant hunger for distraction, and that is unfulfilling. In the words of James Wanless, “defeat and difficulty are regenerative”. Inventors can recognize something that needs a solution and build upon that, thereby not having an issue, but a catalyst, and I love that in a comparable way, you as an artist are a seeker, going after the truth or the cause of something within.
Help make the world a better place by exploring your darkness. Sharing the impact of an experience helps empower you and many others who take in your work, so when you’re ready, please be an explorer of self. That will give you more material as a creative person, and breathe more life into each project.
