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#6: Forget What 'They' Say

By Chris Dunmire

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Obviously, there are standards out there for some things, and for good reason. But more than a few myths have been spawned from these often "traditional" standards, which unfortunately, get recycled into embellished opinions about how things should be.

For example, I think it's fascinating to witness the evolution of the publishing and music industries right now. With the rise of self-publishing tools and new music formats with their subsequent channels of distribution, artists of all kinds have more creative control and options for putting their work in front of an audience than ever. Yet, the debate over being a self-published or publisher-published author circles on between the purists and the innovators taking matters into their own hands. Eventually, I believe this debate won't be an issue anymore because the flow of progress is putting more power into the hands of the people.

Why it's ALL Good

Renaissance paintings. Brancusi’s sculptures. Pollock’s splashes. Urban art. Music and literary genres. Romance novels. Self-help books. Blue Man Group. Cirque du Soleil. Nit Wits comics. (Insert your own creative passion here). There’s room for it all. Artistic expression is a reflection of not only our history and culture, but of our interpretation of life and what’s going on inside of each of us within our gradient spectrums of wisdom, maturity, understanding, skill development, and growth.

It's all good because one affects another. One teaches another. One learns from another. A big-picture view of this web-works reveals the oneness of all. You understand it perfectly when you see a NASA photo of this magnificent green, blue, and white sphere that is our home. From that perspective you understand how our unique qualities and gifts all add to the blending of one masterpiece.

Last month, I visited the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) in Wisconsin. Along with applauded works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Alexander Calder, and Claude Monet accenting white gallery ceilings and walls, expressions of creative artistry reflecting the mundane abounded. One gallery featured home decor and furniture from the 1950s. Another featured Duane Hanson’s “Janitor” (1973), a life-like sculpture of a balding, middle-aged custodian leaning against the wall made from polyester, fiberglass, and mixed media. The sculpture blended in so well that I thought the "man" was just another patron in the gallery until I did a double-take and realized he wasn't moving. Why a janitor? Why not? Why do photographers take pictures of what’s already there? Because their eye is focused on some personal beauty while their mind creates a context for it that we, as outsiders, are unaware. Perhaps Hanson had a fondness for mops.

So you nurture your creative life by forgetting what “they” say, and listening instead to the voice within and following your own intuition. You know yourself better than anyone else does. You know your needs and desires, your motivations and intentions, your curiosities and intrigues. Focus your attention on your own journey of creative expression in whatever form it takes. Honor your right to explore and express your voice in the parameters that suit you. If you write, call yourself a writer. If you create art, call yourself an artist. If you perform, call yourself a performer.

• • • Take Action Now! • • •

You are real and what you create is real too. How can anyone tell you otherwise? Have you allowed what “they” say to dictate your personal creative adventure? If so, I invite you to try the following exercise.

1. Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. Label one column "They Say" and one column "I Say."
   
   
2. Write down all of the comments "they've" said to you that have discouraged you from pursuing your art, writing, performing, or creating to the extent that you'd like.
   
   
3. Next, write your response in the "I Say" column to each one to reaffirm your resolve to honor your right to explore and express your voice in the parameters that suit you.
   
   When you're finished, hang the paper somewhere where you'll see it often for the next week like on the refrigerator door, bathroom mirror, or office bulletin board. •

© 2008 Chris Dunmire, CoachingYourCreativity.com. All rights reserved. (2/9/08).

About the Author
Chris Dunmire is the founder of the award-winning Creativity Portal® Web site and is a Master-in-training Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coach who supports clients through overwhelm, procrastination, perfectionism, and other blocks to their creativity AND celebrates the joyful, expressive parts of being . . . an imaginary being! Connect with Chris to experience how creativity coaching can enrich your life.