The universe is the ultimate giver and the ultimate recipient. Of what, you ask? Of lessons, messages, and examples.
Trillions of years ago, the universe is created in one sudden moment, "The Big Bang", and since then, the universe continues creating and destroying itself. That's all the universe has been doing this whole time. In fact, scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson will tell us that the sonic boom (or whatever it was - gravitational waves) that was present during the creation of the universe is still traveling outward creating continuous and continual ripples for the rest of existence. Deep, right?
Now Earth, as we know it, is the by-product of a catastrophic collision between two mass objects, Theia, and a planet called Gaia. From that collision, Earth received its iron/nickel core, its moon, its shape, and in essence, its life. History will tell us that without this singular event, there would be no life on Earth as we know it.
Some might argue that this event never happened (Creationists), but for shits and giggles and to give some scientific ingredients with a sprinkle of theology, I tell you this: you're made in the image of a higher being. Being said, we've taken on the characteristics of that higher being in that we crave the desire to create. Unfortunately, many of us - with our busy work life, relationships, stress, and distractions - miss out, or internally ruin our "let there be light" moment for creation. From writers, to bloggers, many of us want to create and exhibit our work to the world, but unfortunately suffer from what I call "Self-Inflicted Interruption By Over-Criticism". You may recognize it in your life in forms of things like "looking at your LinkedIn page as a visitor"; visiting your blog while being logged out. In more chronic cases, it's identified by frequent purchases of planners, calendars, sketch books, or downloading of notes apps. Ask any blogger how many various blog pages and sites they've used in the last six years, and why they continue to move on to the next one (I am guilty of this). The fact of the matter is, despite what you may think, it's not about having time to complete your projects. The problem so many people have is they forget the feeling of completing one, so much so that starting a new project feels more satisfying despite how much work is left undone. Stop leaving projects left undone and crediting it to being a perfectionist.
I'm going to tell you something honestly and bluntly. You're not a perfectionist. You simply lack the confidence it takes to stand by your work unapologetically, and refuse to embrace the inevitable: someone, somewhere, may not like your work. That's OK.
You might not like me as an entertainer. You may not like Hip-Hop music. You may not (I hear this a lot) like listening to radio. These preferences and your palette should not and will not stop me from doing what I do, and being what I am. Many of our creatives, as well as entrepreneurs are currently suffering from Self-Inflicted Interruption by Over-Criticism. There are only two possibilities in the world of creating and there is a lesson to be learned from the Universe. The first is that you aren't good at what you do, but you'll never know how to embrace that and to better your work without completing a project and reflecting on it later. Remember in one of my previous posts ("Know Thyself: How to Win in 2017") I remarked that "reflection is the key to progression". Complete your work so that you can formulate your zero. Everything needs a base, and without a base or foundation, you'll never hear anyone (including yourself) say, "wow you've gotten so much better". I, Mistah Marvel, remember my first poem. It was terrible. Then I got better. The second possibility is that you truly are the next great mind of our generation, but we will never know, because you clutch your work with the stiff arms of an Egyptian mummy in the Tomb of the Unknown Kings (or Queens). What are you afraid of, other than not being well-received? We're refusing ourselves the satisfaction of growth, but indulging in the fear of criticizing ourselves, or not receiving criticism and acclaim altogether. Someone, Somewhere may not like your work
I'll propose you a solution. The solution to the problem is to create and create, and to work your creating muscle. Cherish your work and enjoy it alone, dedicate things to yourself so that you appreciate this growing muscle. The highly acclaimed 2016 Solange album, A Seat At The Table, was written over the span of more than 4 years. Here's what Solange said about her work:
"I started writing the first song for the album four years ago, which was “Rise.” I wrote and recorded it with just me and the piano, and I actually did that for a couple of the songs on this album. Afterwards, I had a jam session with Questlove and Ray Angry, and we just jammed to the piano track and the melody. I realized at that time that that’s how I wanted to make the album. I just wanted to get musicians in the room and build off of the melodies and chords that I had already been building. I wanted the essence of the music to create naturally and set the tone for the songwriting." -
Solange Knowles, "A Seat With Us: A Conversation Between Solange Knowles, Mrs. Tina Lawson, & Judnick Maynard"
From one single moment of completed dedication creates a chain reaction of creation that continues through ripples. It's worked for Solange, and for my guys, it worked for Kanye West.
Kanye West's The College Dropout was the reprise, revisiting, and recreation of music he produced and wrote from 1999 to 2003. From the dusty old tracks of the Freshman Adjustment mixtape series and thereafter, Kanye created his own craft that we've seen grow, waiver, and appeal to millions over the last 12 years. What are you waiting for? You have to create. You have to finish. You have to present it to yourself, then to the world. Allow small projects to fail if they have to. If you're a blogger, a videographer, photographer - anyone - allow yourself to establish a zero. Your work will resound with someone, but most importantly it must resound with you. Enjoy the creation process. Enjoy revisiting. Enjoy destroying. Most importantly enjoy your finished project and the exhibition it deserves. When we match our perfections and our imperfections, we create a singular moment, just like The Big Bang, that can continue to resonate and create, but we have to start somewhere, sometime. read. comment. share. subscribe.
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