Introduction
Creating artwork in a pushback world can be a daunting proposition, for sure. Yet sometimes, the most pushback can be found within ourselves, in our own negative self-talk and bad habits. That being the case, there are some immutable principles to keep us true to our Path, true to ourselves, and true to our art. And these are non-negotiable tenets — they are Absolute Truths as decreed by the Universe. They just are. If we create by them then, we aren’t only going to gain a lot more authenticity and composure, but we’ll also set ourselves up for doing more art, doing better art, and having a lot more fun doing it. Who can say “no” to that? Indeed, those artists who do say “no” to any one of these truths ends up miserable, below potential, or disillusioned in some way. Who the heck wants that?
Wrap it all up then and these doctrines then can be thought of as the Ten Commandments of Creativity, the fundamentals every artist should be practicing relentlessly with everything they create from the smallest bauble to the most grandiose masterwork. Indeed, they not only determine our creative destiny, they establish our mindset getting there. So let’s get to it…
The Ten Commandments of Creativity
1. Thou shalt regard each piece as practice for the next.
It’s said that “every new piece is your comeback,” and that’s certainly true. But what’s even more true and far more profound is this: “Each piece is practice for the next,” as wisely observed by Ed Gonzales. That’s to say, forget about comebacks, kudos, fame, and fortune. Those are superficial motivations and fleeting gifts that inevitably fade and fizzle out. They’re the veneer of success, not the meat of the matter. Instead, what’s far more compelling is the practice of our craft with reverence, love, artistry, and enthusiasm. When we walk our Path with devotion, we gain something not afforded any other way — creative poise, a confident pivot point that keeps us growing, adaptable, curious, and centered despite any setbacks or challenges. And not just the kind of confidence that tells us we can create any kind of piece beautifully, but more importantly, the kind of confidence that assures us we can bounce back from every blunder, stronger, more aware, and more adaptive than before. This is the kind of confidence that will launch our progress best by gifting us with composure, courage, and moxie, things that will serve us far better in the long game.
This also means to stay focused on the process and jettison this fixation on the outcome. Why? Well, the outcome is merely the incidental byproduct of the process. So if we’re too tunnel-visioned on the outcome, we’re going to compromise our process and self-sabotage everything right out of the gate. Never do this! Keep all your attention on how you create things, not what you’re creating. Truly, keep your focus where it belongs like this and a great piece, maybe even a masterpiece, is the inevitable result.
Always remember that the “truth is in the work” — always. No matter what flub-ups we make along the way, and no matter how publicly embarrassing they are, just get back to work. Everything we seek is in the work so the answer to any problem, any question, any doubt is to simply get back into the studio and make more art. “Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art,” advised Andy Warhol. Nailed it!
2. Thou shalt not compare thy work to others.
Absolutely, never compare your work to others, but only to your previous work. Your “only rival is within,” as Ruelle sings. Indeed, “comparison is the death of joy,” as Mark Twain said, and he was absolutely spot on. Now it’s okay to be inspired by other artists (as long as we don’t plagiarize) or gain technical insights from them for improving our use of our materials or media. But beyond that? Leave it be. Just let it all go. Seriously.
See, here’s the thing: The work of your admired artists may seem inordinately magical, but believe me when I tell you — you have your own magic, special and perfect! And a magic that is utterly unique in all space and time. Think about that for a moment, how profound and precious that is. In other words, you don’t need to create like so-and-so or become as good as who-zits. You don’t need their magic—you have your own! So release your envies and fears, and come to embrace your magic and let it fully shine through! Because even further, your unique art only has you in all existence to manifest into reality, you are its one and only conduit. What a reverential gift, so value it for the miracle that it is!
It’s always a losing proposition to denigrate your work or inspirations as compared to others, especially those who are long established and successful. Even science tells us that we should never evaluate our work against those at the top of the game because that inevitably leads to frustration, intimidation, and disillusionment. So if you do feel the temptation to compare your work to others, studies show that picking those at your level or one higher is the better policy. By doing so, you stand a better chance at gaining an insight without becoming overwhelmed or distraught. But ideally, avoid that temptation all together. Rather, we should study the living subject more closely and look to our older work for guidance, both of which tend to project us onto more meaningful and authentic progress with a healthier mindset.
3. Thou shalt not believe in perfection.
Undeniably, perfection is an illusion. It’s a lie, a myth, and a delusion. As Stephen Hawking said, "One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn't exist...Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist." Indeed. And no — no one is creating “perfect” equine art. Absolutely no one, ever. Even scanned 3D prints are flawed due to the inherent limitations of the technology. Only Nature can create perfection. Equine DNA has it on lock. As for us, we are fallible human beings who will always input errors and skews in our work no matter how hard we try. Even our technologies will ultimately fail us. In fact, we could attempt something one thousand times and still pull up short. Even the potter who’s made ten thousand mugs still doesn’t create a perfect mug. "Inevitability, Mr. Anderson."
Now this isn’t to say to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Absolutely, we have to be as technically accurate as we can muster in this equine realism art form. Instead, it’s to say we should stop bullying ourselves and each other when that brass ring is missed. Everybody misses that brass ring! And even more, how cruel is it to shame someone for missing it when missing it was inevitable? What kind of impossible task is that? And "perfection" is an entirely subjective construct. Indeed, put a “perfect” piece in front of ten learned folks, and each one will pick out an error. Why? Because what appears “perfect” to one doesn’t to another. This is because everyone perceives reality differently, generating very different ideas of what “perfection” actually is. This is why twenty different artists can paint the very same still life apple and their paintings will all look quite different. Truly, it’s a marvel at every paint n’ sip I attend when each painter’s interpretation is markedly different! Same paints, same brushes, same lighting, same canvas, same teacher, same process, same example — yet all completely different. And here’s the kicker — this not only is a curious thing, it’s a marvelous thing for our art form! How so? Well, different strokes for different folks! This phenomenon keeps our clinical art form from becoming stale and irrelevant through that injection of the human heart. It’s not a liability, it's a benefit!
Rather than fixating on perfection then, the better option to immerse ourselves in the Japanese concept of imperfection and impermanence, or wabi-sabi. Here we find all our answers for creating great work from it's single-minded focus on the creative process to the acceptance of, even the rejoicing in imperfection. In fact, this is embraced so much that the wonderful practice of kintsugi is an old cherished repairing method in Japan. See, in wabi-sabi, the very human experience of creating art is appreciated in all its depth with the keen understanding that a great outcome is merely a happy by-product of a fully engaged process. That's so important to fully understand! If we adopt wabi-sabi then, we'll find that our studio life improves ten-fold as we loosen up and lean into our techniques, instincts, and Voice more which, in turn, improves our art in ways that only come this way. In essence, we come to stop fretting over the "perfect" product and come to savor the creative journey more and in so doing, come to find new meaning and motivation in our arting plus an improvement of our processes. Now this may seem wildly incompatible with a technically based art form where we have to create as "perfectly" as possible. And this is true, but only to a point. Because it's also true that Nature is defined by "organic chaos" and happenstance so unless we can inject that into our clay or pigment, we'll miss our mark all the same. In other words, true realism is a balance of order and chaos, but here's the kicker: It's only through wabi-sabi that we can best achieve this coveted balance! Ultimately then, only when we loosen our grip on "perfection" do we learn to bend the rules to best express all the diversity and situational variations Nature presents us. It sounds crazy, I know — but it works!
So as Vince Lombardi wisely advised, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Well said. Strive to be excellent, not perfect. One is achievable and the other isn't, and we need to know the difference so we don’t bully ourselves — and others — along the way. Honestly, what’s far more important is preserving and cultivating art joy in our community, that unbridled zeal for arting that keeps people curious, engaged, and bold. This is the means to lift up our art form, this kind of positive reinforcement that builds confidence and self-worth, not berating criticism that only serves to poison our well with disillusionment, discouragement, and shame. If we want more people creating more great work then, it’s through art joy! So spread that around! Lather, rinse, repeat!
4. Thou shalt not chase external validation.
Believe it or not, but you are the only person you have to please with your work. You, and only you. Anyone else? They should have no place at your table. As Rick Rubin advises, “The audience comes last.” Why? Well, when we seek kudos from others, when we put the audience at the forefront of our creative concerns, we’ll pretzel ourselves to please them and that’s the moment when we compromise, even pollute our own Voice — never do that. Why? Because our art will lose its purity and power with our betrayal of its essence. That’s to say, we’ll cease to actually create our art and create the art of someone else’s sensibilities, and that, my friend, is an artistic cardinal sin. Our individual Voice is unique in all existence — never ever forsake it, especially to seek someone else’s approval or the validation of the hive mind. We should create according to our own Voice at all times, potently, powerfully, and unpolluted. This is what makes our art our own and what collectors actually appreciate most. This is also how we carve out a lasting dynasty of our own. Absolutely, it’s the artists with the strongest and most distinctive Voices who have the lasting impact, not those who create compromised work because they chased the wrong motivations.
Now this isn’t to say that seeking constructive critique from trusted peers is wrong. Nope. It’s to say to keep all that and any input — from criticisms to unsolicited “advice” — always in very sharp perspective. Never forget, you don’t have to take anyone’s suggestion as gospel! Not anyone’s. Why? Because remember that they’re human, too, with all their blindspots, biases, knowledge gaps, conceits, and skews. We have to stand on our own feet first in order to put their suggestions to the test and jettison them confidently when they don’t actually jive with our own goals or sensibilities, or our Voice. What's more, having this sort of authority puts us in a strong position to defend our work, a survival skill every artist should cultivate. Because there will come a time when we will have to do just that and we'll need that credibility and confidence to do that incisively. But more still, we have to defend our art from ourselves! Yes — ourselves. We must realize that the greatest threat to our own work is ourself — usually in the form of negative self-talk, spinning our wheels, "updating," or overworking — and we need this kind of self-reflected composure to leave things be when they're actually the best they can be at that moment. Indeed, calling done with a piece is as important a moment as starting a new one.
See, here's the thing: No one knows your Truth like you do. If you aren’t validating something unethical, always walk the Path according to your own Truth. And if you feel compelled to consider the advice of learned others, never take it at face value. Put it to the test because, never forget, everyone has flawed Sight, even the most accomplished among us.
5. Thou shalt fear no mistake.
So many folks never even start arting out of fear — fear of failure, fear of shame, fear of intimidation, and especially the fear of mistakes. What a needless avoidance! See, here’s the kicker: Mistakes aren’t your enemy, they’re your very pathways for improvement! We simply cannot get great at our craft if we don’t make mistakes. Everyone makes them! And every great artist ever has made more mistakes than they can count — that’s how they got great. So never fear a mistake — embrace it for the moment of enlightenment that it is.
What’s more, so often a mistake is really a happy accident that takes our piece either into a new exciting direction or to a whole new level. Absolutely then, always remain sensitive to the happy accident! In fact, learn to generate them and preserve them, and we’ll find that our pieces begin to create themselves, and much more effortlessly, more accurately, and more enjoyably. The truth is when we make our creative soil fertile for that seed, the quality of our work accelerates exponentially, even beyond our control, and pretty soon we’re wondering how such great work is popping out of our studio!
More still, we should learn to trust our creative instincts, our artistic guts more. That’s to say, if we dedicate ourselves to excellence with diligence long enough, we’ll eventually find a stillpoint inside our skills that allows us to tap into our gutty instincts a lot more. This, in turn, lets us release our fervent mind that makes us prone to overworking and overthinking, two things that kill almost as many pieces as fear. And the more we mine our instincts, the more powerful our Voice, the more realistically organic our work, and the more compelling our art becomes. But here’s the thing, it’s in our mistakes where we find the clues about our instincts, our Voice, and our Truth! This is because what looks right or wrong to us as we develop on our artistic journey are the features of our creative guts — pay attention to them to find the edges of our strengths, our trouble spots, and our creative sensibilities. Learn to do this well, and sooner than we think, we’ll improve our work in ways that come no other way.
Wrap it all up then, and we should come to trust ourselves in our ability to fix our mistakes on the fly. Honestly, most mistakes are fixable! Never forget that we are the creator here — what we create we can redo to try again. And if we get stuck — hey, it happens — that's when we reach out to trusted peers for solutions and, in so doing, expand our own skillset and grow. So we shouldn't fear mistakes, we should reinterpret them as our stepping stones to progress. Without a doubt, no artist anywhere at any time has never made a whole heckuva a lot of mistakes. It's simply an integral part of the arting process. So deep breath and onward to glory!
6. Thou shalt embrace hard work, patience, and perseverance.
Creating art takes work and courage. Creating good art takes more work and gumption. Creating great work takes a lot of work and perseverance. Creating a masterpiece takes even more work with dedicated, patient followthrough. If we want to make incredible work then, we need to walk the talk. Great artists are made, not born. That’s to say, innate talent will only take us so far before it fails us at which point, it’s training and dedication that’ll take us further to carry us to mastery. This also means that someone with “no talent” can become a master given they’re willing to dedicate the effort. As Bob Ross astutely observed, "Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." Yep.
The fact is that those who fail and quit, even if they have a “natural talent,” didn’t embrace this truth. They simply stopped — from fear, frustration, disillusionment, or discouragement — before the real work began. In all actuality, too, those with a “natural talent” tend to fall into this trap quicker because when a real challenge pops up and they struggle, they’re the most prone to quit. Hey, if things have been too easy for us, that tends to make us "soft dogs" in the face of a real challenge, a sure recipe for quitting. The truth is that we must learn to persevere through the hardships and setbacks to always double down and try again — and again and again and again until we learn things so thoroughly that they become second nature. Then after we’ve learned these technicalities so well, we can stop thinking about them and springboard off our instincts, and at that point, the pieces just create themselves. In other words, we must learn the alphabet before we can make words (passable work) and sentences (good work) and paragraphs (great work) and finally the novels (masterpieces). And learning the alphabet simply requires hard work, endurance, and patient followthrough. Honestly, attaining mastery is really just the result of a lot of that synergy.
And sure, those with natural talent sure make it seem easy, but most of them are trying their hardest, too, and making plenty of mistakes along the way as they learn the technical ropes. Always remember that no one is creating “perfect” work and what seems like natural, blithe ease is really years of experience at work. Like a classically trained actor who knows their lines, cues, and marks on opening night, so does a masterful artist know their materials, tools, techniques, technicalities, theory, and particulars. And once the lines are memorized, the acting can begin just as once the technicalities are learned, the real art can be created. And yes, all this takes focused hard work and loving perseverance. There's no other way.
7. Thou shalt have faith in your art’s appeal.
If there is one universal truth to all art, it’s that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It may be cliché, but it's still an absolute truth. There is no rhyme or reason to what artfully triggers someone. It’s a true mystery and one of the many magical features of art. Maybe it’s a memory, a visceral reaction, or maybe just a love for the feel of our work, our technique, our color palette, or maybe it’s simply “just cuz.” But whatever the reason, the truth is there’s always someone out there, somewhere who'll love our work. Every single piece of art, no matter how “bad,” has a home somewhere. Heck, there are fans of black velvet paintings and paintings of poker-playing dogs! There are those fifteen-minute, $35 paintings sold on the side of the road that can sell like hotcakes! Someone I knew in college actually paid for his four years doing just this! And there’s Jose Trujillo on eBay who sells his quickie pieces that go at auction from anywheres of $5 to $500! There is a piece of art for everyone.
Our job then is to find those who’ll love our art and target them in full confidence that they’re out there. So have faith. Also consider this: We shouldn’t put too much credence into those who don’t respond positively to our art, but focus on those who do. Because the flip side to all this is that we won’t appeal to everyone with our art either. We just cannot please everyone, all the time. And that’s perfectly okay! Hey, if we are pleasing everyone, something is very wrong, isn’t it? What are we compromising? What are we not pushing and challenging? Where are we being too timid, safe, and milquetoast? Dumbed down art does have a home, too, but the point is we'll fall far short of our potential if we pander to the masses. Always create your artistic Truth.
Any which way, believe that your art has inherent value and trust that someone will love it like bonkers — because they’re out there. Yet here’s the thing, create your art anyway. Even if the cosmos decrees that we never match up with those special someones out there, we should be creating our work anyway. Because here’s the deal: The real joy in creating art isn’t to be found in the kudos, it’s to be found in the making. All the love, devotion, dedication, learning, and sanctity we poured into our piece is the real satisfaction — always remember that. Your art always has intrinsic worth!
8. Thou shalt not listen to critics.
As Brené Brown admits, “There is nothing more vulnerable than creativity.” She goes onto observe, ”Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity. To create is to make something that has never existed before. There's nothing more vulnerable than that.” Truth. All this is to say that creating art is inherently a position of vulnerability. Not of weakness, but of vulnerability — there’s a difference. And as magnificent as this is, it also does make artists highly susceptible to negative feedback if they don’t have ample coping mechanisms to process it all out — because out it has to go. Not internalized, not evaluated, not agonized over — simply out out out. Why? Because all those terrible voices in our head can be a fatal distraction to our creativity and our Voice that can even get us to stop entirely if it spins out of control. We’ve got to nip it in the bud and filter out all that poison to stay joyous, engaged, and bold in our arting. Simply put, we’ve got to learn how to jettison all negative pushback for the disposable noise that it is.
But this is no easy feat as we humans have a negative bias hardwired into our noggins. This tendency is thought have helped our survival during evolution by fixating on those patterns or events that proved threatening but, well…when it comes to making art, this is actually a liability. How so? Well, this negative bias will force us to fixate on the one or two unpleasant comments out of the sea of kudos, wildly compelling us to distort the reality of things. This is exactly why an artist can get a hundred positive comments, for example, but they all go out the window in lieu of that one negative comment which then loops in their minds until that’s all they hear — forever. So unless we find a way to short circuit this effect, we’ll quickly pollute our art joy and get disillusioned. We do this by first understanding that this phenomenon is just a knee-jerk hardwired reaction that has no relevance to creating art and, second, that it doesn’t tell us the truth of things by presenting a skewed perspective. So when we come to fully understand that negative pushback and our negative bias work together to present a distorted reality, we can better learn to take it all with an enormous grain of salt and call it a day.
And this is of imperative importance because the unfortunate truth is that creating art automatically attracts ugliness — often in the form of criticism — like a moth to a flame. Because everyone’s a critic, right? Sadly, yes. And the more successful we become, the more negative pushback we’re going to attract. It’s almost like an icky badge of honor. You’re a popular artist with a bunch of yappers, trolls, icky comments, and naysayers now? Welcome to the club — you’ve arrived. Despite it all, there are just some people out there who derive their life-force from being awful or who are just careless and thoughtless, and that’s just the way it is. And there are plenty more, typically non-artistic types, who have no qualms about imposing, even bullying their creative sensibilities onto creatives, not understanding what bad manners this actually is. It’s not “helping,” it’s harm! It's not offering a "helpful" insight, it's lobbing an injury! There are also others out there who are so damaged that they lash out at others who outshine them to sooth their own deep, festering insecurities. And then there are all the prowling trolls and haters who just have to be horrible to feel alive. All this is to say that these situations are a them problem not a you problem. As the Germans would say, it’s all “hobbyless behavior” (or in German, "hobbyloses verhalten”). Literally, these folks need to get a life. But will they? Nope. They’ll just plague artists by the herd-full and the more we put ourselves out there, the more they'll show up. Just remember it’s all coming from the same yucky place — a deeply insecure need to feel important and powerful. That’s to say, it’s all insecurity and fear, so if we can keep it framed that way, negative pushback almost becomes a spectator sport. Honestly, as Taylor Swift sings in her song, Ours, “People throw rocks at things that shine.” Indeed, someone rises higher in some way, and there’ll be someone compelled to chop them down as sure as the sun will rise.
So don’t let them. Don’t let them win! Their goal is to make us feel inferior so they can feel superior, so why hand that to them? We have more gumption and punky attitude than that! So as Brené Brown keenly advises, “If you aren’t in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your opinion.” And there it is. Period. Full stop. In fact, her quote is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s powerful “Man in the Arena” 1910 speech:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
And whomp, there it is. In kind, there’s also the astute observation of Anton Ego from my favorite movie, Ratatouille, a film that speaks directly to artists:
In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.
Booyah. So always always always “dare greatly” and ignore the pushback. Just flat out ignore it. We should never allow someone to dull our shine. Blaze brightly, artist! And to do just that, internalize and live by these wise words of Georgia O’Keefe, “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.” Absolutely, there’s no better headspace for an artist.
So no — our critics don’t count. Not in the least! They’re just disposable noise out there so instead focus all that energy onto making more art, courageously, boldly, joyously, and rebelliously! Creative mosh pit!
9. Thou shalt not chase your Vision too zealously.
Our vision is an impossible grail, by design. It has to be, doesn’t it? This gleaming, shining, and perfect inspiration to get us off our duff and diving into the passion of creating it — so of course it is! Its perfection becomes our tempting carrot to chase — just don’t chase it too manically. Like perfection, our impeccable vision only exists in our heads and that’s were it’ll ever exist. Like a beautiful dream we can’t quite remember upon waking, our vision sits just beyond our grasp but always drawing us forwards towards it, forever a glowing, exquisite moving target. That’s because, like perfection, it’s an impossible prize to truly capture.
So rather than killing ourselves outright trying to grab it to “perfectly” flesh it out — which we can never do anyway — seek to get only halfway there. Indeed, getting just 25% of it out of our head and into our clay or pigment is a huge win that typically produces great work. Indeed, that vision is so potent, just a mere whiff can be enough to create a masterwork! So why only strive for a percentage of our perfect vision? Well, we become less prone to overworking our piece, less apt to overthinking it, and far less vulnerable to disillusionment and frustration. And this is an imperative because overworking ruins a piece beyond rescue, overthinking only leads to dead ends, and discouragement prevents us from continuing our artistic journey, all three major — and entirely avoidable — creative catastrophes. Honestly, these three hiccups are so common among inexperienced artists that together they’re the #2 reason why art never gets created, right behind the #1 reason, fear. Don’t stumble into this trap! Always remember that our visions are impossible grails so rather than blowing apart our experience trying to snatch them from the mysterious ether en total, we should use that inspiration to inform rather than dictate our work. Your art with thank you as will your nerves.
10. Thou shalt be patient and gracious with yourself.
Perhaps the most important commandment of all, we should relentlessly practice patience with ourselves and in the creation of our art. You see, it’s unavoidable: Creating great work takes time — time to learn how and time to actually make it and time to keep progressing. There’s no rushing or shortcuts when it comes to this sort of thing. And making great art isn’t all romanticized glamour and mystique either! Many steps can be interpreted as tedious, messy, and exhausting, even maddening, yet we have to slog through them all the same.
And most assuredly, we will stumble, even faceplant at some point with our art. Every artist does! Every artist has "bad art days" as sure as the rain will fall, so matter how accomplished and experienced they are. We're human, after all. And not everything will go right everyday in the studio either. Truly, some days may feel like a giant waste of time, even uninspiring. All this is normal and we aren't alone. The point is though to give ourselves permission to experience these things without judgment or negative self-talk. They're part of our journey, too.
As a countermeasure then, we should always show ourselves grace, especially when we’re at our most haired out or down about things. Because if we don’t, we’ll set ourselves up for failure through negative self-talk and discouragement, the two archenemies of creativity. Don’t let the bad vibes win! Dousing ourselves with encouragement and graciousness is a heady inoculation to stave them off, so never forget this most important tenet. It’s actually the one that can reliably save us when we most need it! In fact, as Banksy smartly advised, "If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit." So while great art always demands patience, we should be ever quicker to show patience with ourselves.
Conclusion
Perhaps now we can see how practicing these Ten Commandments of Creativity can set us up for sustained success over the years. They’re simply seated at the foundation of all our efforts supporting us through thick and thin. Most of all though, they recognize that we’re vulnerable human beings who are just trying their best, but it’s in the striving for our own brand of excellence where the magic happens. Truly, making art is a mysterious endeavor full of unexpected turns and surprising outcomes, rarely a straightforward process. Every piece brings with it a new set of challenges and plot twists we have to adapt to and tackle. On top of that, we have to field all manner of public reaction to our art, never an easy task for sure. In short then, making art asks a lot from us. A lot a lot from us, and that can really wear us down sometimes. Yet it’s through these Ten Commandments that we can find reconciliation and enlightenment with our own motivations, inspirations, and joys to keep us buoyant in our creativity. Indeed, through them, we come to understand not only making our art better, but also ourselves better on a deeply personal level, and that usually spells one thing: More compelling art coming out of our studio with greater engagement from us. And what better way to practice worship of our inspirations and reverence for our Path is there than that?
"You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.”
— Sophia Bush
