My 4 Lessons On Shipping "Creative Work"

Over the past few years, I've been dipping my feet into a range of creative pursuits.

From different mediums of photography to introspective writing on Stoic reflections about my personal life. For the most part, these have brought me great joy and fulfilment.

As of recent, I've been feeling the pressure of not shipping my work. As much as I want to deny it, the reality of getting exposure for your work is in the hours. And admittedly, I have not been doing so.

The guilt of not having creative discipline nor building consistent habits looms upon me. I haven't invested enough time nor energy to warrant that I've tried. As I watch on these other creatives thriving off the back of these new trends like Instagram reels, a part of me feels demotivated. An overbearing sense of "where do I start" or a defeatist "is there any point of doing all this."

And yes, I am completely responsible for putting myself in this viscous cycle of creative self loathe - all generated by the act of not implementing a process, having decision fatigue and unable to retrieve any momentum.

I'm trying to find my feet still but here are three thoughts I've been exercising.

1. Be True, Always.

It starts from the inside. It always has and it always will.

Being a creative is a tale of two processes.

The first is the learning process and mastery of your craft, where you discover your artistic gifts and what you truly are inspired by.

The second being the ability to share your work with the world and even more importantly, have an impact on those who consume it. The kind of impact that sparks their own creative impetus to leverage their own unique. Or the kind that adds a new dimension to their worldly perspective.

While both parts play an instrumental role in shaping our creative identity, recent times spent on social media has seen the latter dominate... at least for me anyways. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but for me personally, it can distort the first part.

When you get caught up with the likes, shares, downloads etc., it's easy to be drawn away from the intrinsic. The reason why you started pursuing these hobbies or passions in the first place.

There's no doubt that there's that hit of dopamine when you see your work being applauded. It acts as a subtle reminder that your work has value and that your pursuit has a role in the world.

I suppose, what we have to remind ourselves is how much we want to read into these numbers and secondly how important are these to us. To some, it might be pivotal for their success towards monetisation and perhaps thats why I'm in denial with it. But with where I am right now, I'm definitely trying to not let these numbers get to my self confidence.

After all, even if I did achieve such numbers, chances are I would probably be feeling a void - knowing that I have soooo much more to learn and experiment with my craft. I think it's safe to say that to go long and free from turbulence, focus and stay true to your why and refrain from short term gratification and highs.

2. Know Your Threshold

There’s no doubt that right now as the creator economy is skyrocketing and people are empowered to create, there's a a lot of distraction. From people who are pursuing illustrations on Twitter to people going viral on Instagram with their reels. I'm sure that at some point, there's gonna be the motivation to want to spend countless hours to try get that engagement rate. And while it's admirable, and even though I love creating, to me personally, it's only a small part of my life.

Many times have I spent (too much) time focusing on how to grow my following that it started to take away from the actual joys of going out to shoot photos. I would spend x hours trying to figure out how to increase my following, and in doing so not only took away my other creative pursuits but also other parts of my personal life.

So I think it's really important to get a grasp on what exactly matters to you and the benchmark hat would give you contentment.

3. Practising Self Forgiveness

I am not afraid to make this concession at all; and I'm sure that some will probably relate. I would scroll on Instagram in admiration of the global talent, but in doing so, a subtle yet deep sense of insecurity strikes.

Jealousy? Maybe...Defeatism? Perhaps.

Either way, I've built an unhealthy habit of self doubting my work. Feeling as though my best work, though once loved and proud of, will never stack against the likes of others. And so spiralling down, I question whether exerting such energy is worth it.

When I see myself enter this pitfall, it's very easy to forget of the work that i have achieved. I lose perspective on both how far I've come and how much is awaiting for me.

Even with all the current talk around NFTs and seeing amazing photographers sell their works, I try to remain emotionally disciplined. Not as a defensive mechanism but as a way to remind myself that being too focused on this will only take away my energy from other parts of my life.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's really important to have dedication and be convicted in sharing your work. But sometimes, it's best to remind yourself that first and foremost, art should be created for you. Everything else that comes after is just a bonus.

So next time, I start to feel a bit self-deprecating about my own work; I tell myself that I like it - and that's all that matters.

4. The Select Few Who Matter

In addition to the idea of shipping in public and with how the algorithm works, I think at the end of the day, what matters most is having people you actually care about appreciate your work. It was one of my favourite basketball players, Dwyane Wade who mentioned it on a podcast where he said at the end of his career - all he cared about was that his loved ones appreciated his work. Everything and everyone else was simply white noise. Sure, having huge masses of people support your work is a great feeling but just because you're not getting those kind of numbers, doesn't mean your work is any less. Chances are there are people who love you and your work. These people matter. Not the masses.

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I'm still trying to navigate my way around the process of shipping my creative work. Backing myself and believing that my work matters to the world (as Seth Godin would always say). I by no means, have a huge following or am a leading creator. However, I'm apart of the creative journey as a participant. t's a tough journey, but one that's definitely worth it.