Making art, like playing a sport, is all about passion.
Photo by Ivan Pergasi on Unsplash
I’ve met many people who find writing to be nothing but a chore. It’s not fun, it causes discomfort, and there are lots of other things they’d rather do than write.
I feel the same about fiber arts. My wife can crochet anything she sets her mind to. She can also knit and do other fiber arts. While I can sew buttons onto things and darn a tear or seal a seam, it is always a struggle. It brings me no joy, and I haven’t any desire to do it.
There is nothing wrong with this. Not everyone likes the same thing. Take, for example, any and all professional sports. Football fans aren’t necessarily basketball fans. Basketball fans might not be baseball fans. Baseball fans might find cricket unfathomable. And some people don’t care even a little bit about any of these or others.
Likewise, the arts don’t speak to everyone. Even in the world of painting, some people might love one style and loathe another. Among books, there are so many genres that even fans of one sub-genre might not like other works in the same.
When you make art, no matter the form it takes, you do so for the love of the game. Professional, hobbyist, or anywhere in between, the love and passion for creating your work is an important driving force.
The (em)power of creation
When I get to sit down and work on a new story idea, a new novel, or even an article like this, I feel empowered. That’s the true power of creation.
Despite ideas to the contrary, creating doesn’t make you greater, better, smarter, or in any other way superior to or more-than anyone else. There are, of course, many examples held up to society that suggest creating does make someone somehow better than those around them. That’s simply not true, however.
Every celebrity, demagogue, hero, or guru you can name is only human. Like you and me, they have good days and bad days, moments of brilliance and idiocy, and everything else humankind experiences. Edison, da Vinci, Musk, Curie, and any other name you can drop is, when all is said and done, just human.
Many of those who created great things might be remembered. Yet that doesn’t mean they are superior to you and me. They happened to appear at the right time and place to make the kind of impact that leaves your name in the history books.
Creation doesn’t make power. It does, however, empower. When you make something; when you create art, you’re using your skills, abilities, and talents to put your own mark on the world. That is empowering, because you’re not just following where others lead or doing what others might expect of you. You’re taking your power of creation and using it to bring something new to life.
It doesn’t matter what medium your art is in. When you create from a place of passion, for the love of the game, you’re empowered. That is key to anything that can improve and satiate your life. When your life is lived in this way, you’re not just empowering yourself but inspiring empowerment in others.
It doesn’t matter if you make art for only you. Nor does it matter if you make your art for just friends, family, and perhaps a charity or group. Even if you’re a professional and make your living via your art, it’s all about the love of the game.
Making art is an expression of passion. Passion, often tied to romance, sex, and love, is way more than that. Passion is intentional energy behind an act, an idea, and/or a concept that’s tangible or intangible. It’s drive. Passion is making choices and decisions to make shit happen.
The love of the game is the passion you put into your art. The act of creating, no matter if the art is for only you, empowers you. Empowerment of that nature can show you paths to new ideas or even old ideas you’ve had trouble reconciling in new ways. That puts you in control of your life experience.
Artists, from my point of view, tend to be the most passionate and self-aware people. This is probably why so many artists suffer depression, face anxiety, and are empaths. Conscious awareness, being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, and approach – at this present moment – is a key element of creating art.
The now is the only time that’s real. The past has come and gone, and the future is unwritten. An artist creates, here and now. And that is why the love of the game and passion are quintessential to your work.
Don’t let fear stop you
I’ve self-published thirteen books. Nine are sci-fi, one is Steampunk, and two are fantasy novels. By the end of 2024, that number will be 16 books, as I am publishing a book a month to put out my new sci-fi trilogy, Savagespace, over September, October, and November.
I’m fortunate to have managed to see this many books to completion. There are, I know, many more who have let fear stop them from finishing a book. Hell, I know some whose fear has prevented them from even starting.
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you know, where you come from. Do you love to create? Then do it. You don’t have to share it with the world, but please don’t let your passion be locked away because of fear.
For the love of the game, but more for your love of yourself, be a creator. Make your art. Create that thing, no matter what it is. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you. The world has more than enough people who buy into the utterly false messages of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. You have a choice. For the love of the game, be empowered and make art.
Even if I don’t know you, I believe in you. I really do. You are an amazing, one-of-a-kind, singular being. Make art, pursue your passion, and in that way help add empowerment and abundance to a world that can never have too much art, love, joy, and passion.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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