The ‘Entitled’ Gremlin:
ONCE YOU EXPECT SOMETHING, EXPECT NOT TO BE ENTITLED
What do I mean by this? Let me set the scene. Someone says to me, ‘Oh, I wish I could do painting. I used to love it when I was a kid, and seeing you paint makes me want to start again.’ ‘Go for it’, I say. I bite my tongue because they don't want it enough to risk feeling uncomfortable. I gracefully let them out-talk themselves when they start romanticising painting. ‘So Go For It and STOP TALKING ABOUT IT’ I tell them again. Sometimes, my lack of patience for people who romanticise creativity is palpable and out of character. I get fed up with 20 - 30 something, frustrated creatives, who wistfully say that they want to make in one breath and, in the next, distract themselves with another fantasy. Stop diverting the energy and do the thing. It isn't that deep. Step by step.
In studio, photo credit Kirke Club
L E S S O N S
After so many of these interactions over the years, I’ve realised that the person usually falls into two categories
1. They are humble, but their perfectionism, fear of judgment and overthinking has blocked them from their inner artist. They want to create but have become too adult about it.
2. They are entitled. What they mean when they say they want to “insert X action” is that they want to get something from said action. They EXPECT a return without PUTTING IN the work yet. AND THAT IS ENTITLEMENT.
As soon as something is expected in return - i.e. I want to get paid, a tour, an album, an exhibition, more views, then simply doing the act of creation isn't enough.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
When you ask the spiritual act of creation to bring you a return BEYOND the satisfaction of practice & expression, you step into an arena that requires sacrifice, hard work, resilience, humility and relentless carving out of yourself. And most creatives I meet want the romanticism of the creator without the hard work of the business person. And it gets me so annoyed.
The entitlement that most people have makes them think that just because they made something, they can stop there, and people will listen or pay.
When silence is so beautiful, how dare you expect that just because you made something, it deserves someone's attention? Unless it is more beautiful than silence, you have no right to be so entitled.
And even if you are competing with others to get seen, again, it will take work. This is the difference- when you create, do you want to make purely to develop, or do you want something in return? As soon as you want something in return, then how much will you sacrifice and for how long?
Answer.
Everything. Forever. Nothing else will cut it.
In studio, photo credit Kirke Club
S O G R E M L I N S
Next time you are inspired and wish to be more creative, is it the act of creation you want, or is it the life of a creator? And then next time you glorify that life, look harder, look at the daily routines, the sacrifices, ask and confirm. The artist sells their creations. Their job is to make it look easy.
However, the commodification of art worldwide asks artists to show up, network, plan, strategise, circulate and prioritise, which is the business and responsibility of looking after the creative baby.
This is not to put you off, but to ask that we stop glamorising a creative life and just put our heads down. If I hear another person saying they wish they could create but don't, my response will be, “Is it that you don't know how to and don't have time? Or don't you care enough to risk everything else in your life?”
Because that's the only sacrifice that matters.
Till Next week
Love
Karimah x
