Allow your creativity to shine first

Are you a creative, an artist? Then you must have been confronted with the harsh reality of choosing to create art that is aligned with who you are and/or trying to make art to please an audience and get more visible. In this post I will discuss how we can lead with creativity first and what it involves. Can we ever get success by being ourselves?

I came across this word in my quest to become a meaningful artist. Creativity first, when I heard it, it felt like a light bulb moment. For so long, I didn’t allow my creativity to shine. I was trying to fit into what being a photographer meant for me or imagine it did like doing 4 to 5 portrait shoots a day, but this was not why I loved being a photographer. I wondered if you can ever make photography your job.? You can, but I didn’t want to make a living from photography this way. I knew something had to give way to keep my sanity and allow me to embrace being an artist.

Working on some personal projects made me realise that using my voice as a photographer was what lit me up. The art of photography was a way to express myself and convey a message. I admired photographers like Brooke Shaden or Kate Woodman; they knew how to tell a story. Photography was not just photography anymore; it was art. Looking at them made me consider how to evolve my artistic practice.

A quest for meaningful work

When we start tinkering towards creating art, the first thing that comes to mind is how I can make it more meaningful. Being an artist can mean putting yourself out there, your flaws, your vulnerability, and your personal story. Are you ready to share all of this? If you are a perfectionist in evolution like me, look out for censorship, blocking you from creating meaningful work and being stuck on doing pretty, working for recognition and in trend. Be honest, this is not you. And I get you. So many times, what I was creating was not me. I was trying to emulate someone I was not. I have been guilty of doing this not only in my creative work but also in many areas of my life or what I would call typical jobs. I couldn’t embrace who I was because I didn’t want to show anything about myself; I wanted to give this perfect and controlled image of myself so people would love me, but inside, I didn’t know who I was anymore.

So when creating meaningful work, be ready to embrace you! Ask yourself, what does making art mean to you? What do you want to say? What are you scared to put out there? It may be time to look at it with honesty. Meaningful is sharing authentic work, sharing the only thing that makes you unique. You

Embracing creativity first

What does creativity first mean? I already mentioned it a few times in this post. Creativity first is accepting the need to create meaningful work for you. This might be a harsh truth, as it is not designed for an audience or a client or to get more followers on social media. And that is why so many of us are afraid to put creativity first when we launch ourselves as artists. What if no one likes what I do? No, X, Y, Z is so successful. By doing that, I can do the same. I need to earn money. All these fears are legitimate, and these are the ones I was confronted with as well, so I get you. I won’t stop you from creating work to please your audience, as putting creativity first can mean that you might struggle to make a living from your art and might have to find other ways to support yourself, but there’s nothing wrong with it.

I have also seen very successful photographers and artists who have managed to create a business out of their art, along with a fantastic personal brand promoting who they are, their personality, and their work, all packaged nicely together. It worked for them because they were true to themselves, and their work was aligned with who they were. I’m not saying it will be easy, but working from the heart rather than the head is for the long run. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so trust yourself and keep putting creativity first; you will gain much in return.

The biggest challenge

Your biggest challenge in your creative quest will be to stay true to who you are. Resist the get-quick-rich schemes, being influenced by the number of followers on your social media the posts that get the most likes. I understand that I am entirely going against the flow by sharing this. But these words come from someone who didn’t dare to be themselves, and I wish I had my wake-up call much earlier, but there’s nothing I can change about it; at least I can share my insight and story. You are free to implement it or not.

Can creativity be monetised?

It can. You might be an overnight success or a slow burner, and it might take a long time to shine through finally. More than your art

will be needed to become successful. You must be able to market yourself; that topic is another blog post. What I’m trying to say is believe in yourself. You have something to share with the world, and like you reading this post, someone will learn and evolve from what you have to say and share. You are as meaningful as the work you put out there.

In the comments, share your biggest struggle with being creative.