Good day, friends. I wanted to take this opportunity to address the importance of this section of the forum, as well as rules and etiquette.
"For what purpose do we create? Is it to put money in our hands, or to prove our superiority over others? Has it ever been about that? Nay, though gaining sustenance through our passions is the most enjoyable of jobs, creation has never been held hostage by notions of consumption or survival. To create is to LIVE. To fully embody the spark inside of you is to nurture that long-forgotten inner child.
The inner child is a facet of ourselves that we often squash, whether due to society, our parents, or our own broken dreams. How many of you wanted to draw something, only to stop, thinking:
'Well, I can't draw'. You can.
'Well, I can't sing'. You can.
'Well, I can't dance.' You can.
Many of you were likely dissuaded from creating art, or singing or expressing yourselves in home or otherwise. When we are children, we seek the innocent acknowledgment of our parents or siblings. In some cases, this is given freely, in many more, we are ignored, or downright scolded for trying to be different or expressive.
I say to you, forget those who told you that drawing isn't worth it if you're bad at it. Draw stick-figures. Draw lopsided circles. Sing terribly to yourself. Dance like a fool to your favorite music. Write terrible poetry. Paint badly shaded landscapes. Do all these things, and REJOICE. For what you do with love and peace, you spread to those who see it. The critic may see a lopsided circle or poorly shaded flowers, but the heart sees an attempt at being true to one's self. I have found love, hope, and peace in some of the most 'conventionally' hideous art; I have found beauty in the flaws of both media and man, in the shaky shapes of the lines, and in the broken teeth of the elderly. Flaws are beautiful. Flaws are unique. Flaws are to be embraced.
Let us have our hearts speak freely, that our love poureth over each other as wine glasses stacked in a great pyramid of hope. Be brave. Show others to be brave. Show others that creation is our divine right, and not to be held hostage by professionals or experts. Do these things, and someday, you will no longer be terrible at them. Some day, you will wake up and find that your talent has grown tenfold, and your confidence a hundred times that.
Create. Create. Create. Never stop. Never let others discourage you. Never let your inner critic discourage you. We all need to be children at heart, bursting with curiosity and exploding with creativity. Let us return to that poor child who may have been buried under relentless criticism and tell them it is okay to be flawed. It is okay to need patience to get better at things. It is okay if we are never good at something at all. It is okay to exist, to be, imperfect and flawed, but creating from our heart space. That is what truly matters: the LOVE we pour into it, the HOPE we have in expressing ourselves freely through color or song, the PEACE of being ourselves and not someone else. You are you, and only you can make your art, whatever that may be. Let us see your soul laid bare in perfectly profound percussion or deftly detailed drawings. Let us see YOU.
Be well, friend."
RULES:
There will be no flaming, insulting, or otherwise unprompted criticism in this section.
If a member wishes for CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, they may request that in the title or body of the post. Remember to remain civil while engaging in such matters.
Do not mock others for a lack of resources. Art can be created with leaves and twigs as well as expensive oil paints. They are both welcome here.
Do encourage others. Putting ourselves out there can be terrifying.
NSFW Art Rules coming soon upon discussion with the team.
More may be added in the coming days.
ETIQUETTE:
This goes without saying, but don't be a jerk.
Comment and interact with other posts if you want yours to be interacted with.
Do not judge or condemn others for their style of subject or media. Emotions can be expressed and processed in many ways, and sometimes that comes in forms we may not personally understand.
Taste is personal, but kindness is collective.
And the good thing is, if you do something badly for long enough, youll eventually become good at it!
Incarna and all,
Gratitude for your being, i feel the love. This creativity sub is such a beautiful organic creation in its self! Thanks for providing a source of motivation and community. One thing I feel like commenting, is that my intuition tells me we can be creative in anything, not just traditional art or what we see around us. We can create new way of helping love ourselves, neighbors and the world. We can create new novel perspectives on the world around us. We can create new way to create, lol not to get too heady. I have been working on creating a business environment for myself that allows myself more freedom. I originally envisioned this freedom centered around free time and financial balance. I am now working on shifting perspective goals to center fully around non profit(501c3 or likely a new organic form), community building, free education centered around the business ie (construction training, art classes, basic business(ethics) education. I move slow, and I can't lie i still have lots of personal growth to experience before reaching my true selfless self. I am happy to receive any advice, comments, and critics. I am mostly posting as way of keeping myself socially accountable while I developed and strengthen my ethical code. Love is all, all is one.
Best wishes,
TJ
This was so well said, and I thank you for saying it! Looking forward to all the cool creativity incoming!