The Art of Being Original

Being an artist means one has to expose oneself. The energy of creativity will only have power when the artist creates from deep within his soul. She has to put a little bit of herself into her work in order to truly reach others. Art is appreciated and understood from a level beyond the mind. When an artist sincerely expresses himself, his art will inspire others to sing their own unique songs. It is the artist’s intention to create and his willingness to be open that make the dream world accessible, both for himself and his audience.

The artist’s biggest obstacle is the fear of exposing himself. It is much easier to find a way around his yearning to create by lying to his soul. He could tell himself that it is impossible to make a living as an artist, or that he could never be as good as other artists. He could make excuses, saying that it is too late to start or that he doesn’t have time.

Failing at something we don’t care about doesn’t really hurt. It is therefore much easier than failing at the only thing that we value with our entire being. This is what prevents the artist from cultivating his talent and trying to succeed at his true craft. It makes no sense, yet the artist tells himself that it is easier to cultivate a skill that doesn’t come naturally to him.

In the end it is frustration that frees the artist. The soul is clever and it knows that the artist will feel it when his soul is dying. It will refuse to accept his dispassion, for it knows that the true artist cannot handle numbness. She desires experience and is willing to endure pain in order to feel alive. The soul will not play along with indifference, for it knows that the artist wants to break free. She will eventually return to claiming her true identity and embrace the pain that goes hand in hand with creativity.

It is only through exposing oneself that true originality is born. Fear of rejection or failure is the artist’s greatest obstacle, and yet vulnerability is his greatest strength. When an artist is truly himself, he has the best chance of being great, because only then does he become all that he was born to be.