Take Back Your Life!

Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. ~  Sir Cecil Beaton

Like many people, I have seen Wonder Woman at the movie theater. I’d watched some episodes of Wonder Woman when it was a TV show starring Lynda Carter and knew it was based on a comic book character created in 1941 by psychologist and inventor of the lie detector William Moulton Marston. Early feminists and a lover that lived with Marston and his wife provided inspiration.

It was fun to see a woman other than Angelina Jolie be a fearless bad ass. My favorite scene was the one where WW/Diana bursts into No Man’s Land, while the men are cowering in the WW I trenches. Nice role reversal.

Wonder Woman took a risk because she didn’t have another choice that sat well with her. She showed those around her how to get over their own fears and take action.

Some artists — and I’m grouping all kinds of creatives in here — can get frightened to try something new, especially if they are getting “the applause.” They get used to the applause or think they need the applause and get scared to deviate from the kind of work that gets the applause — even if they are bored to tears with their own work.

Creatives might consider challenging themselves more often. Trying a different medium if they are painters, a different genre if they are writers, a different story architecture if they are screen writers.

Otherwise, they can get stale and uncreative. Almost turning into a robotic creative, or even a non-creative. Sure, they might still get the applause, but inside are they feeling “on fire”? Are they pushing themselves in new ways into new territory?

When I was pursuing a graphic design certificate, I tried something new for every project. For some reason, I kept thinking in my novice design head, “I don’t want all my designs to look the same.” About a month ago, someone contacted me about a logo design project. The first thing he said was, “All your logos look different.”

For me that was a neat compliment! Sometimes I look at other designer’s portfolios and immediately notice how similar all the logos look. Similar fonts and flourishes and symbols.

Yes, it takes a bit more energy to keep trying new things. It would be easier to get lazy and do the same thing over and over. If I did that, I’d feel lazy, not creative.

Take a look at your own creative endeavors. Is the applause keeping your from venturing out into new territories? Are you playing it safe or taking a risk? Are you still in love with your own art, music or crafts?

Muse Thx, G.

ps Check out my new upcoming painting program, Get Over Your Painting Fears. Click HERE for more info.