Blog
It’s Okay to Find and Create Joy - Even Now
The doom and gloom need pushback.
Unless you’re living under a rock – and if you’re reading this, I know that you’re not – you see a lot of doom and gloom all around you. Even if, like me, you don’t actively read or watch the news, you can’t miss it.
Between idiotic economic and social policies, insane world affairs, and an increasing lack of basic human decency, it’s unfortunately all too easy to feel lost in the quagmire. Doom and gloom have become an unfortunate down blanket people are accepting with less resistance than they should be.
Due to this unfortunate state of the world, finding and/or creating joy may feel indulgent, inappropriate, and possibly even selfish. Except nothing could be further from the truth.
Your mindset matters
When you allow yourself to give in to the doom and gloom, it takes very little to wind up on a downward spiral. I’ve been there many times along the way. Something made me upset, I felt like I could do no right, and before long, I was depressed, exhausted, and lost.
While the collective consciousness of our society can take a decidedly unpleasant turn, that only impacts you and me directly if we allow it to.
Nobody but you is in your head, heart, and soul. Hence, nobody other than you can think, feel, intend, choose a positive or negative approach, or take action for you.
For some, this is a daunting and intimidating notion. But when you get down to it, and take a close look at it, you can see a whole other truth. This is incredibly empowering.
People can and will tell you who, what, where, how, and why you should be. They can and will tell you that all day long and twice on Sundays. But when all is said and done, you ultimately make the choices and decisions for how to shape that.
The doom and gloom we face today is not so different from past doom and gloom. Frankly, it’s similar, but more hyper-focused thanks to the visceral immediacy of the internet and social media. What used to be seen only on the nightly news or the next day’s newspaper is right in front of you, often AS IT HAPPENS. That causes information overload and overwhelm.
This is why it’s in no way, shape, or form wrong for you to find and/or create joy, even now.
Find and/or create joy in art
As a creative, this can feel especially extravagant. You might find yourself asking, “How can I make art when the world’s on fire?”
The truth is, the world is always on fire, somewhere. While the current shit going down is especially distressing, infuriating, uncertain, and scary, life still goes on. Chances are, you’re indirectly impacted by these things (or so I’m presuming if you’re reading this). That doesn’t mean you can or should ignore them. But you can choose how much power and energy you give them.
One of the best counters to the doom and gloom is to do creative work. Write that novel, paint that canvas, sculpt the clay, develop the recipe, crochet the pillow, or whatever your outlet for creativity might be.
Do not deny yourself the joy that comes from creativity. It’s not selfish, reckless, rude, or bad to do this, even now. I think, instead, it creates a necessary elixir we need more of.
Too little joy and too few sources of joy rob us of our sovereignty. When you become disempowered, you turn your life over to your subconscious and open yourself to more manipulation. Then, before you know it, you feel awful.
Joy is never bad
Finding and/or creating joy in any way is never bad. Joy hurts and harms nobody. It doesn’t lessen or take away anything because it’s an element of pure, unadulterated abundance.
Doom and gloom are products of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. Lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are regularly completely artificial. Someone is trying to manipulate you via these artifices to buy this, hoard that, keep the “other” from taking what’s rightfully yours.
Joy is for everyone, everywhere. Finding and/or creating joy is a tool of empowerment that you can share. One way to do so is by creating your art.
It can feel like you’re standing against an incoming tide. You might have days where you think you’re mad, alone, and unnecessarily challenging the status quo. Yet finding and/or creating joy via art is a huge tool for growth, advancement, evolution, and positive change.
Even today, amid all this doom and gloom, we need all the joy we can find and/or create. This empowers you to do amazing things and be the optimum version of you that you can be.
Please don’t let the naysayers derail you or push you from being a creative. The world needs you, your art, and the joy they can generate. You’re not a bad person for striving to be a light in the artificial darkness.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own creator, whatever form that takes?
You must be logged in to post a comment.