Creativity is a fickle mistress, seducing you with a brilliant idea one day, only to leave you stranded in a wasteland of self-doubt the next. You’re minding your own business, perhaps having a cup of tea that’s somehow both too bitter and too weak, when a thought strikes you. No, it’s a revelation. “This,” you say to yourself with the smug satisfaction of someone who hasn’t yet faced rejection, “is genius.” You nurture this idea, let it marinate, and then, with the enthusiasm of a toddler presenting a crayon masterpiece, you share it with the world.
What do they do? They hate it. But, here’s an open secret: if they hate it, you’re probably onto something.
When your brilliant idea meets a chorus of boos, don’t rush to bury it in the graveyard of abandoned thoughts. Instead, grab a shovel and dig deeper. Why do they hate it? Is it too different? Too unconventional? Well, if they can’t wrap their tiny minds around it, maybe you’ve just ventured into uncharted territory they’re too terrified to explore.
Of course, let’s not be too delusional here. Sometimes, the masses are right — your idea might actually suck. Yes, that realization stings like a paper cut in a salt bath. But, few ideas are beyond redemption. If you’re dead-set on it, dust yourself off and soldier on. Maybe the problem isn’t the idea itself but the dullards to which you’ve presented it. So, you need to find the people who see your vision through the same twisted lens you do.
History is littered with tales of artists whose work was laughed at, censored, or downright ignored until long after they’d shuffled off this mortal coil. It’s quite possible you’ll create something so ahead of its time that people only get it when you’re dead. It’s both tragic and perversely satisfying to know this may be the case. It’s as if the universe is mocking us, “Look, you were right all along, but we had to wait until you weren’t around to gloat.”
Human beings are inherently creative — no matter how many soul-sucking office jobs and mind-numbing routines try to beat it out of us. Also, creativity isn’t confined to writing novels or painting masterpieces. It can be found in the small things, too, like finding a new way to procrastinate that feels almost productive or inventing a method to avoid that one coworker without them realizing you’re dodging them. If you’re improving someone’s life, even in the tiniest way, you’re creating.
But, we can’t pretend it’s always smooth sailing. Still, stressing over creativity is like trying to force a cat to love you — it just doesn’t work. Some of my best ideas have been born out of the most absurd, mundane moments. Exceptional creativity isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about taking the simplest, most overlooked things and twisting them into something new and bizarre — something that makes people stop and think, or at least scratch their heads in confused admiration.
So, if you can make someone smile, laugh, or even just pause in their relentless scrolling, you’ve done something creative. You don’t need to be the next Shakespeare or Picasso. Just be a decent human who doesn’t lose themselves in the process of giving to others. If after all that, someone still hates what you’ve created, well, there’s always the option to kill them with kindness. Because if they hate it, you’re definitely doing something right.
~ Amelia Desertsong
