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“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." - Cyril Connolly

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” - Mark 8:36, KJV

Being a creative these days is challenging.

Technology has made it easier and more democratic than ever to create and share our work. But the flip side means the internet is drowning in content. A potential audience’s attention is fragmented and probably by this point, overwhelmed.

First of all, it’s ok to be disappointed if things don't turn out as expected. We all have dreams and it hurts to struggle and to watch those dreams crash on the rocks. We grew up in one world and came of age in one that feels entirely different.

Then there's the problem with letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Perfectionism is an unhealthy goal to chase and a tool wielded by the unkind and the fearful to keep the good people.

Perfectionism dehumanizes us makes people less forgiving of the mistakes of other people and just as importantly, makes them less forgiving of their own imperfections and mistakes, instead projecting them onto “the other.”

And perfectionism hides a simple truth: it’s better to try something and struggle at it than not try at all. 

It seems we lives in an inverted world that rewards illogical and unethical behavior with the result that the market gets flooded with clout chasers doing it for fame and money, and a lot of fakes, cheats, and outright frauds.

Put egotism and the fear-based hypercompetitve mentality of late stage capitalism on top of that and it’s a recipe for drama and hurt.

The good, talented people who know their stuff, work hard, and can act with grace and professionalism do exist, but finding them can be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. It takes patience, a willingness to try new things, and a willingness to support each other, and yes, seems like those qualities are in short supply in today’s chaotic and exhausting world.

Chasing fame is a thrill at first but then becomes an experience of diminishing returns. All you have to do is look at the history of entertainment and see the negative impact fame has on people. External validation is nice sometimes but it doesn’t solve underlying traumas and issues. 

And even if a creative person escapes the worst of the drama, there’s the demand for more and more, an underlying sense of scarcity, imposter syndrome, and a fear the well might run dry. Then come the anger, and the lashing out. Then an audience grows up or loses interest and moves on to the next sensation.

How do creatives cope with that? The wise ones retire, shift into something new, or simply continue working on their craft even if it’s for a smaller audience. Others however… well, they fall into the category of “artists behaving badly” and either attempt to destroy others or destroy themselves. They use their social and financial capital to hurt the world instead of helping to heal it. Ego and fear can have a terrible hold on creatives and blind them to other ways and other opportunities.

This is why I don’t support putting creators on pedestals and worshipping them because they just happened to create a cool thing. Enjoy someone’s work but people are not perfect and will never be.

I think some of this “behaving badly” stems from unhappy childhoods and a compelling but unexamined need to prove oneself to an internalized parent. And even if you managed to succeed, the parent still won’t be impressed and you go through the rejection and wounding process all over again. You’ll be trapped in this pattern until you become awareness of it and work on releasing it.

Then the question arrives: should we continue to create in this challenging situation? My answer is a resounding YES we should go on…but with some adjustments to approaches and attitudes.

As heartbreaking as it is when the world seems silent, creating for yourself and importantly, creating from your heart is the way to go in the long run.

I keep returning to the Cyril Connolly quote and how it relates to Mark 8:36. Staying authentic and humble is a quieter way, but more fulfilling. At some point in their lives, people will seek authentic expression and authentic people. This is the way to the survival of humanity and what we’re capable of achieving for the betterment of the human condition.

The combination of technology, late stage capitalism, and culture-wide immaturity is difficult to go up against and not something our upbringing and education adequately prepared us for. Older Gen Zs (Zillennials) will be the last to remember what life was like before the internet and tech took over. Gen Alpha is the first truly 21st century group and their lives and their answers to problems will be different from ours.

Yet I believe the human soul will prevail as long as we consciously choose it.