Celebrate Your Creative Work

Issue #40

Unlike Conrad, I do like to work. I find that if I don't work, I become bored and more tired than when I work. However, I do, from time to time, find myself procrastinating, particularly with creative work. My creative side doesn't want to sit down and do the work. But I strongly agree with the second half of the quote. Work allows me to explore who I am as an artist and writer. Work helps me to understand myself better and to appreciate my talents and gifts. Work also challenges and pushes me to go farther than I thought possible.

We ought to celebrate work. All work is honorable if approached with the right attitude. Housework and housekeeping are essential work. So is child-rearing. Raising and educating the next generation is probably the most critical work.  

I am in awe of people who are knowledgeable about the work they do. When I meet a sales clerk in a store who knows his product, I compliment him. I love to listen to the sales pitch of great salespeople. Sometimes I buy, and sometimes I don't, but I enjoy the ride. I celebrate people who work their hands — carpenters, farmers, mechanics.  I am not good with my hands because I am too slow. Some people have the gift for gab. I have heard some fantastic speakers in my life. Work, for me, is both an art and a skill.

The work that creative leaders do should also be celebrated.  Sometimes, people don't understand the creative process, so they don't appreciate the working habits of creative leaders.  Creativity is not a 9 to 5 job.  You may work for an hour here and an hour there on a problem, but your mind is always working unconsciously.  In fact, the unconscious work for a creative leader is probably the most crucial and challenging.  So celebrate and appreciate the work you do.

Do you love the work you do? Do you have fun working? Are you proud of what you do? Are you happy working? Or are you always dreaming about some future job? Be where you are now. The future will come when it is ready.

If I go too long without writing, I feel it in my soul, not my body.  I think something is missing — that my life is out of whack. And the only way to bring everything back into balance is to put pen to paper. I have been writing for over 50 years, and I know I will continue to write as long as I can breathe and my mind is sound.  

Years ago, I met a man who was writing his first book at the age of 101. When I saw him two years later, he was working on his second book. Creative leaders need to produce creative works. Several actors have turned to painting in their later years. Some actors write novels. Writers often turn to painting, and painters take up writing poetry.

What happens when you stop creating? Can you feel the change in your soul?  n your bones? Do you feel yourself drawn back to work?

Creative individuals must create. Whether you write, paint, draw, sing, dance, or crochet, your soul demands that you create. If you don't, a part of you will die. Unfortunately, our society says if you don't publish and sell your work, you are not successful. This is far from true. Success exists in the process of creation, not in publication or performance.  

Don't give up because no one has bought your paintings, or you can't make a living from your writing. It's okay to take a job to pay the bills and spend those spare moments creating. Creative work is what our spirits need and demand.  Don't deny your spirit.

Plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others.