Creative individuals are anomalies. Embrace it.
When you reveal your identity as a writer, you notice a shift in the atmosphere. The curiosity in their eyes is palpable, and as you delve into your craft, their interest only grows. “Have I come across your work?” they inquire. But as the conversation veers towards the intricacies of writing, their gaze changes, as if you’ve transformed into a mythical creature. It’s a familiar feeling, isn’t it?
Creative people are an oddity. We are not typical, nor should we seek to be, if we wish to be successful at what we do. When we are creative, we bring something new into the world; in the best cases, we change the world.
The norm is the benchmark. Always keep that in mind. The act of creation demands both bravery and effort. It necessitates the audacity to perceive things from a unique angle, to draw inspiration from various fields, and to amalgamate them into a novel creation. It requires the toil of acquiring knowledge and experience and the determination to break free from the mold, which is essentially a battle against inertia.
Creativity requires total immersion and knowledge in and of one’s craft. Some may view us as obsessed, single-minded, disrespectful of traditions, and unable to be understood. We are none of these. We are voyagers on a path to discovering something new and unique that, in the best cases, we cannot wait to share with others. The thrill of unveiling our creations, of seeing the impact they can have, is what drives us forward.
It’s not easy because creativity requires more than what comes naturally to the average person in their daily life. Time must be carved out of one’s life to study and implement personal education and progress. One must know one’s discipline completely (know the rules to break them), and we can combine other disciplines to create something new. We’re not specialists, really, nor are we generalists. It takes extra work to master more than one discipline and then combine them in a new way.
Indeed, creative individuals are anomalies. The exceptional ones strive to challenge the status quo. They endeavor to blend elements from disparate disciplines and transform them into something unprecedented. So, if you find yourself in the company of misunderstood creatives, remember you are not alone. You are an anomaly. And I urge you to embrace that uniqueness within you.
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