Celebrating Capacity
Last week was the summer solstice, and with the lengthening of sunlight with each passing month, I have felt a lengthening in my capacity. I mean that in a very literal work-sense: I have more...
A Creative Salve
Ashli here! It's been a while... eight months actually! For a long while, I've felt like I lost something meaningful to say that felt worthy of being in your inbox. Basis got busy, holidays happened, the world got loud, and the internet just has been feeling weird to me.
Last night, I watched a video of Dan Levy talk about the process of making creative things and what he said really resonated. You can watch at the link above, but I typed it out below — in its entirety — to share here. (I'm a written form kind of a gal.)
I hope it is a salve for you. I know it was for me.
"Hi everybody. I just wanted to talk to anyone out there with a creative brain who's in the middle of making something, and you're feeling a little discouraged, or you've hit a roadblock. You're thinking of packing it up, and you're scrolling the internet, and you're looking at all of these people that you love, and all of the work that they've done, and comparing it to the work that you've done. You're questioning if will you ever do anything as good as what they've done.
"The funny thing about social media is that it kind of removes the process from creativity. You see the people you love, and then you see the output. But rarely do you get to see or understand the challenges of the process, and that can be intimidating because it gives the illusion that what people make comes far more easily than what is actually the case.
"And as someone who is going through a creative process right now, that is totally inspiring... but also completely challenging.
"I just wanna put a face to the challenge and say, if you are out there and you are struggling — you are not alone. Creativity is hard.
"We are living in a f*ed up world where there is a lot of darkness. There's a lot of hatred. There's a lot of injustice. One of the amazing things about having a creative brain is that you can make things to offset that.
"It's a small contribution, but it's a contribution nevertheless.
"I guess I just want to say that if you happen to find this little video on the internet, and you're going through it: don't give up. So from one creative brain to another – keep up the good work, and follow through."
