If you’re someone who loves doing creative work, you know that it’s not always easy. There are days when you feel like nothing is going right, and you question whether you’re even cut out for it.
But no matter how challenging it may be, you also know that it’s worth it. There’s something about the process of creating something from scratch that is incredibly rewarding.
There’s not only value for you in doing creative work, but there’s value for those who consume your work. Our primary motivation is to help and be of service to others.
The 3 Negative Characteristics of Creative Work
According to Todd Henry’s book Daily Creative, there are three characteristics of creative work that can make it particularly difficult to keep on creating.
1. The Outcome is Uncertain
The first characteristic is that it’s uncertain. No matter how good your work is, there’s no guarantee that it will be well-received or successful. It’s often a hit-or-miss situation.
When we choose to do creative work, we are making a conscious decision to engage in a challenging and uncertain process.
There is no guarantee of success, no matter how hard we work or how talented we are. We must push ourselves to do things we haven’t done before, and these efforts will frequently result in failure.
2. Creative Work is Difficult
The second characteristic is that it’s challenging.
Creating anything new, whether it’s a piece of art, writing, or even a new idea, can be incredibly challenging and difficult. It requires inspiration, a lot of effort, patience, and dedication.
Depending on the type of creative work you’re doing, you may need to learn new skills, acquire new tools, or find new resources. This can be daunting, especially if you’re working alone and don’t have anyone to turn to for advice or support.
Even when you’ve overcome all of these challenges, the final step can be the most difficult: sharing your work with the world. Putting your creative work out there can be scary, as you’re opening yourself up to criticism and rejection. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to put your work out there for others to see.
3. Failure is Likely
It’s important to remember that failure is a natural part of the creative process, and we should not let it discourage us from continuing to create.
Unfortunately, society tends to focus on success stories and ignore failures. This bias can be discouraging for those of us who are struggling to make progress in our creative pursuits.
One way to combat this bias is to intentionally seek stories of failure. By doing so, we can find examples of successful people who have faced setbacks, and we can learn from their experiences. This can help us see failure as a valuable learning opportunity rather than a negative outcome.
Staying Motivated Despite Uncertainty, Difficulty, and Failure
1. Stay Motivated by Focusing on the Value of the Practice Itself
To stay motivated in our creative practice, focus on the process rather than the outcome. As Seth Godin writes in his book, The Practice, “The value of the practice is not the outcome, but the practice itself.”
The value of our practice is not in the outcome, but in the act of creating itself. We should be motivated by the desire to meet a need through our practice, not by the validation of positive feedback or money.
2. Stay Motivated by Embracing the Challenges and Failures
Doing creative work is not always easy or certain, but it is a valuable and rewarding pursuit.
We must embrace the challenges and failures as opportunities to learn and grow in our craft. By seeking stories of failure and focusing on the value of our practice, we can stay motivated and committed to our creative pursuits.