The most important thing you can give to the creative in your life are the words that say, ‘I did not see the discarded canvases. I did not see the proofread scripts. I did not see the crumbled clay or the wadded paper. I didn’t see the frustration or the doubt (……ever, the crippling doubt.) I did not see the original idea or the multiple versions before conclusion.
What I do see, however, is the final result which looks shiny and easy and as if it spilled out of you as a whole and finished work. I see the energy you’ve put into your work. I see you struggling against the odds and showing up again and again.’
Appreciating art of any kind is somewhat easy. Wrapping words of appreciation around the art and offering those words to the artist as acknowledgement of their efforts, can alter a Creative’s perspective.
In this season of giving – and please oh please, all year through – if you’ve been given something that came from the creative’s unique talent, know that your words of encouragement are the power that undergirds their next step. It might seem simple to you, but it is soul-giving to them.
To all the creatives trying to balance passion and self-doubt, you have a grateful friend in me.
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