I try to be a creative person. I feel better on days that I’ve done something creative. Mostly, that consists of writing, sometimes photography, sometimes it’s drawing or painting- though I’m not very good- but sometimes, it’s just daydreaming. I like to think that daydreaming is creative. I mean, it’s creating a story in your own head, why wouldn’t it be?
Weird enough, I get stuck in ruts of not being able to bring myself to be creative, even though I know I’ll feel calmer and more clear-headed after I do. I can’t seem to figure out what it is that stops me from creating. I’ll have Word open, or I’ll have my camera right next to me, I just can’t bring myself to create. It’s not a creative-block, though sometimes it is, mostly it’s just the fear of once I create this, it’ll exist and what if it’s bad? What if it’s not what I meant for it to be?
I’m scared to start over. I feel as though it’ll lose authenticity if I start from scratch again, or it’ll come out wrong, give off the wrong idea. People tell me it’s okay to create bad art because it’s still art whether it’s good or not and I can improve on it even though the thought is daunting. While I’m sure this is true, the idea of throwing away a piece of art feels as though I’m throwing away a piece of me. I know I need to work on this, as all artists sometimes have to alter their work, I just wanted to put it out there in case there are others who feel the same way.
On days where I cannot create because of this fear, I turn to daydreaming. That’s something I’ve never been afraid to alter if it begins to go down a path I don’t particularly like. In daydreams, anything can happen, it’s like writing a story, but it happens much faster and I don’t have to worry about proper spelling, grammar, or how compelling it is. It’s therapeutic in a way. No one else can see my daydreams and I find peace in that. I don’t have to worry about what other people think of it and maybe, if I like the daydream enough, I can turn it into a story. I can share it, but only if I want to.
The best part of daydreaming is that it can happen so fast or so slow, I can skip over boring parts or rewrite a line one person says if they don’t say it perfectly. It’s a perfect way to kill some time while still being creative. All daydreaming is boiled down to is another potential story to create, without actually having to write the story. Many of my ideas for stories or poems I’ve had have come from daydreams. It’s a beautiful thing.
I want to hear from you guys! What are your favorite creative outlets? What ways do you get your creative wheels turning?
Lauren Hayden 