Before I worked with Creatives, I was one. OK, I am one, present tense. And little ticks me off more than the Myths/ Untruths / Blatant Lies about being a creative person. Whether it’s your career or “simply” a hobby, the world at large tends to think that:

1. Creatives are stupid. Yup, I graduated NYU in 3 years. Yup, I was a theater major. That does not make it “easier”. Thank you.
2. Creatives are broke. Well everyone knows that you can’t make a living being an artist, or an actor, or a dancer, right? We must hate things like retirement & health insurance. Yuck.
3. Creatives are self-absorbed. Here’s a joke: How can you tell if someone’s Creative? By their big fat head! Here’s another: (Person 1) Knock knock……uh, knock knock……KNOCK KNOCK! (Person 2, the Creative) Oh, were you talking? I didn’t even see you standing there! I get so distracted by mirrors & my beautiful reflection. Wanna hear me belt a High C?
4. Creatives need to be told, constantly, that it’s “hard” to be a Creative. When I was pounding the pavement for 10 long years, & mentioned to anyone that I was Broadway Bound, I got one response, overwhelmingly: “That is such a hard life. Wow, so, so hard. You must have it so hard. It must be so hard for you.” I usually didn’t get that all at once, but it sure seemed like it. And my response, with a smile, was always, “Yup!” Um, I’m living it, idiot.
5. Creatives are lazy. This makes me more angry than any of the others, probably because my mission statement is to help Creatives that will not settle for a career that’s devoid of passion. To do that, there is major, major work involved. Major. And there is major, major drive & major, major motivation that goes along with it. Take Carmen Torbus, a client of mine who is a mother of 2 with a full-time job but is also an artist who leads workshops, writes books, blogs & contributes to a katrillion publications. Yeah, she’s just sitting on the couch eating Bon Bons all day. Puh-lease.

So, here comes that list of all the awesome things that Creatives are. I knew you were waiting for it.

1. Creatives have X Ray Vision. OK, that might be pushing it, but haven’t you noticed that we see what The Rest of the World doesn’t? That we’re observant & inquisitive? That our pictures say 1,000 words & our 1,000 words brings the picture into focus? Yup, we’re all superheros, especially since everyone has the capacity to see the world this way – we just choose to honor it.
2. Creatives thrive within a community. As an actor, I loved meeting new people & being part of a cast. Now, as an entrepreneur dealing with Creatives, I find ‘em on Twitter, through their/my blogs, creating radio stations & podcasts & conducting interviews with each other. They’re here to not only share their talent & to peddle their wares, but to connect with other Creatives & those that appreciate ‘em. In real life, I go to The Magnet Theater every Wednesday to see my husband’s improv team play. Who else is always in the audience? Yup – members of the other teams. They’re there to learn & to be with their friends, but above all, they’re there to support the team that’s up on stage. It’s a very, very cool place to be (every Wednesday night! Only $5 a show!)
3. Creatives are never not Creative. Sure, I can stop pounding the pavement & trying to make my career as an actor, but it doesn’t mean that I’m no longer Creative. It’s not something that can be turned on or off, or only happens in certain spaces, or is something that can be thrown away. Accept it, love it, honor it, live it.
4. Creatives add ridiculous amount of value to everyone’s life. While we may not literally save lives, can you imagine living your life without books, TV, colors, music, graphic design, etc? If everyone stopped being Creative all at once, I think everything might turn to gray. And quickly. Don’t think about this too long – it’s both scary & depressing! (Shivers)
5. Creatives spark awesomeness. There’s a reason why the advertising world has a “creative” side & an “account” side. Not to say that the account side isn’t creative, but if they were the ones in charge of things like design & copy, I don’t think we’d have anything even close to this awesome Old Spice commercial.

So how can you honor the Cool Creative that you are, & hold your head up high, full of pride?

1. Pick up a Keri Smith book (I loved Wreck This Journal, but they all look awesome). Commit to doing a page a day. Carry it with you, & don’t be scared to make messes wherever you go. In fact, aim to be messy & embarass yourself. Man, is it fun.
2. Have a dance party each & every day – just you & your favorite jump-around song (mine’s Blister in the Sun closely followed by My Sharona). Singing into a hairbrush & wearing pants are both optional.
3. I don’t know about you, but I listen to my iPod whenever I’m out of my house & not with another person. Next time you leave your house, leave the tunes (or at least the headphones!) there, too. Spend the subway ride or the afternoon in the park or the waiting time at the DMV just watching, or writing what you’re watching, or drawing what you’re watching. Notice what interests you, whether it’s someone who can easily be the base for your next sketch comedy character or the color of the sidewalk that’ll come in to your next painting.
4. Join / find a Cool Creatives group! Whether it’s virtual (you know that anyone can get a free conference call line, right?) or in person, whether you organize it or join someone else’s, nothing is more awesome than being in a room full of people who get you. Yeah, your friends & family are awesome, but they might not entirely understand. I have a feeling you know what I mean.
5. Have a monthly artist date! Whether you want to subscribe to the local regional theater or just wanna check out that independent film down the street, it is so worthwhile – nay, important! – to do. I know The Artists Way touts the greatness of doing this solo, but I think you could include others. Just make sure they wanna be there, too! Ever see a show with someone that has zero interest? SO not fun.

Are you honoring, living and/or loving your Creative Awesomeness? Maybe it’s time to bring some of your myths / untruths / blatant lies to the surface that you know are holding you back & keeping you in hiding. The Creative Community & all your future fans thank you!

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Tags: Meaningful Mindsets

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 2:58 am and is filed under Career Actions Activated. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.