On Masterpieces and Being A Creator

The other day, I read a passage by Nikki Warne, author of Walk the Earth, that goes like this:

We have forgotten that we are made to create. We have forgotten that our hands, our hearts, our voices were never meant to simply consume, be idle, to blend in, to follow paths already made. We are meant to bring forth beauty. To create things that make us feel, things that help us connect with each other…We are meant to shape and touch the world with our unique touch. To turn ordinary moments into sacred moments. You do not need to be an artist to create. We are all made to create… Return to the roots of being human… Don’t spend so much time consuming. Plant seeds in a garden. Make your meals beautiful. Let your table invite connection.… We are made to bring our big and little ideas to life…”

I remember a conversation I had a few years ago with a friend who enjoyed painting. She created beautiful watercolour images — greenery, and architecture, and intricate patterns — that she painted for herself as a hobby and gifted some of her pieces to friends. I once told her that she could sell her pieces. Her response has always remained with me. “I do it for myself,” she shared. “Doing it for money would take away from the joy of it.” I stopped in my tracks. Wow, I thought, I really never saw it that way.

Contrary to what living in a hyper-consumerist, capitalist culture has ingrained in us, not everything needs to be monetized. There is value in doing things simply for the experience… the process. We have been programmed to aim to capitalize on every act, big and small, and are left to believe that pursuing activities otherwise are simply a waste of time. But we have forgotten that we are all creators at heart — from the days that we once built sandcastles and pillow forts and messy drawings, to the times when we began creating masterful spreadsheets, pages of complex code, volumes of eloquent books, exquisite meals, aesthetic homes — and the quieter things we created in between — a magical story unfolding at bedtime, the seeds of a new idea discussed over tea, a silent pouring of the heart on paper… perhaps the most significant creations made purely for ourselves.

I have found that when the creative energy we harbour remains stagnant, this unused potential can quickly drift into unproductive and potentially self-damaging tendencies — mindless scrolling to fill in the gaps of time and energy, endless comparison with what others are capable of, overthinking and overanalyzing, self-denigrating, over-consuming… and more. This mental chatter absorbed from the world will always push us towards and self-doubt. It will make us belittle and question the value of what we can bring to the table. It will try to convince us that the work has been done before, or that others can do it better, and that their work is worth more than yours. It will appease us into passivity and convince us that consuming what’s already out there is much easier and more efficient than creating with our own skills and talents.

Efficient though it may be, there is an inherent joy to be found within the slow, onerous, but fulfilling process of exerting our creative energy and actualizing our vision, no matter how far it reaches, no matter how imperfect it may be. The simple act of creating, then, becomes an act of defiance — a courageous vulnerability allowing us to take up space in the world with what matters deeply and uniquely to us — our own creative energetic fingerprint. Such creations stem from a place of love. And if that can reach even the heart of one other person in a meaningful way, perhaps we’ve ended up with a masterpiece. You really can’t put a number on that.

In an effort to contribute my creations, this is my first Substack of hopefully many more of my musings. I am always looking to make connections and learn from others. If my writing resonates with you, let’s start a conversation. Please share with others who may resonate.