“Creativity takes courage” is a quote by a famous artist, and most creative people would agree. But why does it take courage to be creative? In this post, I explain why courage is important in art and how you can become a ‘courageous’ artist. I show you an example of creative courage from my artistic life and hope to inspire you to full-heartedly follow your passion!
Creativity can express itself in many different forms, from writing, to sculpting, to dance and music, to traditional and digital art – to just name a few examples.
Do you think creativity takes courage? Well, let’s look at it this way:
Every viewer of a creative activity will have their very own subjective opinion of what they are seeing. What draws great admiration from one person, might receive a lot of disapproval from someone else. It is difficult to make everyone happy.
The art we create is very dear to our hearts, and to see it getting slammed can be very painful. That’s why many of us are afraid of sharing their creations. They are scared to be judged or rejected. Before even having shown any of their creative ideas to the world, they prefer to discard them altogether.
In the day and age of the internet, we can easily access content from all over the world. That means once you share a creative work of yours online, for example on social media, there are potentially millions of people to see it. As a consequence, no matter how good your work, chances are there will always be some people to dislike it and post an offensive comment…
In this blog post, we are going to look into this fear, and I wish for you that you will be able to develop the courage it takes to be creative!
Who said creativity takes courage?
“Creativity takes courage.”
This is a famous – and very truthful – quote by French painter and sculptor Henri Matisse. A very similar thing that Matisse once said is:
“Another word for creativity is courage.”
Matisse was one of the protagonists to revolutionize the visual arts through his sculptures and paintings. As you know, all pioneers are met with resistance. So we can be sure that Matisse needed a lot of courage to create his works and remain untouched by his critics.
Fact is it takes courage to express yourself creatively and put your creations out into the world.
Related: Self-Expression Through Art: Why Art Is A Good Way To Express Yourself
By sharing your art, you open yourself up to people you don’t know. Since all people are different and we all have different preferences and tastes in art, you will be met with love, appreciation, and support on the positive side. But there will also be people who potentially devalue, criticize, and disapprove of your art.
Truth is we are all creative beings. We all need art in our lives, whether we create it ourselves or contemplate the artworks of others. Creativity is important for our identity.
However, our creativity might get suppressed in early years when our creations were received negatively by teachers, parents, or peers. Or, we might feel pressured to conform to societal norms and are scared to march to a different drummer.
That is totally normal – and okay. We all long to be loved and appreciated. It’s human nature. Nevertheless, we can only be free artists when we can let go of the fear of rejection and disapproval.
This is not an easy fate. But there are already many artists who walked that route. Just think of the early surrealists and lowbrow artists.
Why is courage important in art?
As we said earlier, every one of us is different. Different people have different viewpoints, and we all have the right to voice our opinions. Needless to say that this should be done in a respectful manner. But you might always get some comments that are rude and ill-mannered, and we all need to deal with that.
However, should we let the fear of being judged stop us from being creative? No! I think we should build the resilience and courage to stay true to our passion.
Negative and derogatory comments have the potential to pull us down emotionally. This is why it takes courage to be creative.
To help you build the creative courage it needs to stay true to your art, I want you to realize a couple of things.
First and foremost, you shouldn’t let anybody dictate how you express yourself in a creative way. No one should have the power to talk you out of creating the art you want to create.
To not let that happen courage is important in art. One thing you need to understand is that no matter how good your art, there will always be negative feedback to some extent. But even if you just got started creating art, you shouldn’t be afraid to show your creations.
No one is born a master. Skill comes with practice, and even the greatest artists have once started as beginners. Art is a journey, and it is totally normal that you improve and hone your skills along the way.
Another thing that I believe is important to realize is that even the best artists receive criticism. Just hop over to Instagram and have a look at your favorite artist’s profile. Chances are you will find one or the other unfavorable comment under their posts. Some artists also speak openly about their experiences with hateful comments or even cyber-bullying.
This just goes to show that none of us is charmed against flak. In the end, it all depends on how we react to it.
It is important that we build creative courage and learn to let go of the negativity that comes along our way.
What is an example of creative courage?
Being creative means we use our imagination to envision something that currently doesn’t exist. Then, we make it real through our creative activity.
A creative activity is anything that allows you to make use of your talents and gifts. Whether it is creating visual artwork, designing, painting, writing, dancing, singing, jewelry-making, or gardening – all of these activities manifest creative thought and bring something into being that previously wasn’t there.
One factor that will help you build creative courage is your attitude.
People who see a higher purpose in creative thinking and sharing their work usually find it easier to be ‘creatively courageous’. Therefore, it is a good idea to dig a bit deeper into the benefits of making art.
For example, it is useful to know that art is an important part of our identity, helps shape our personality, and has positive effects on our mental health.
People who are able to adopt an attitude of making art for personal growth are more open to experiences and don’t tend to focus so much on how their art is received.
Creativity is one of the greatest gifts and powers that were given to us humans. No other living thing is endowed with this ability. Creativity made manifest all the stuff that we now take for granted. Inventing the first light bulb took creativity and courage. Building the first automobile stemmed from the creativity of the masterminds of that time.
What’s more, creativity can bring us joy and stress release. When we create, we are often in the ‘flow state’ where our brains release dopamine and get into a state of alpha waves. This makes us feel joyful and let go of stress, anger, and other negative emotions. We are fully immersed in the present moment, without worrying about the past or the future.
Let me give an example of creative courage out of my personal life.
At the beginning of my artistic journey, I was pretty scared to share my newly found passion with the world. When you are getting into digital art, there are a lot of things to learn. You do not only have learn to turn your ideas into visible reality, you also need to come to grips with a drawing tablet and digital art software. For me, this meant learning how to use a graphic tablet with Photoshop.
Starting out, my creations wouldn’t turn anything like I imagined. That can be quite disappointing and annoying. But I’ve come to understand that this is a totally normal and necessary step on our creative path. We learn so much from our mistakes, and over the years I was able to get so much better at what I’m doing. Hard work and persistence do pay off.
Now, my creations come out the way I envisioned them – almost all of the time. And that’s a pretty satisfying experience. If something doesn’t work the way I expected, I just let things go and see where the journey takes me. And that’s also a great adventure to be on!
But I didn’t only make progress on the creative-technical plane. I have also learned to express my creativity freely through my digital artwork and, for example, through writing this blog – irrespective of potentially receiving negative feedback.
When I got started, I didn’t even think it possible that I would be able to ‘speak about my art’. I didn’t dare to express my inner feelings and believed I wouldn’t even be able to find the words…
While getting started is surely the toughest part, I now have an entire section on my website where I speak about my creative process and the meaning behind my works – and I absolutely enjoy it!
I have made the experience that it takes courage to be creative, and I was able to build this creative courage.
That’s why I wish for you too to find your strength as an artist and I want to encourage you to pursue your creative calling – even if you feel anxious about it. When you share your creativity with the world, you inspire others to be courageous, too!
In conclusion, why does it take courage to be creative?
We all crave acceptance from others. It’s human nature. We tend to worry about what others think and are afraid of facing rejection.
In order to avoid being criticized, many of us are willing to sacrifice their creative talents. Negative comments may be painful – the more so, if your main purpose is to be admired and accepted by others.
Showing our creations to the world means being vulnerable and exposing ourselves to all kinds of opinions, including those that may hurt us.
Do you believe it is worth trading your creativity for emotional security? Or do you think it is better to take the courage and be creative, no matter what?
I am certain that the latter is the better option. Being creative is something innate to us humans. It is beneficial for our emotional, mental, spiritual and even physical health.
Nowadays, it is easier than ever to surround yourself with like-minded people who value creative self-expression. You can find them on social media and art sharing sites – just have a look around!
In the end, I just want you to remember: creativity takes courage. And being courageous is definitely worth your while, because what awaits you behind your fears is so much more beautiful and enjoyable.
When you are courageous and do what you enjoy, you can give your gifts and talents to the world and inspire others.
Your courage fosters your creativity, and your creativity feeds your courage!
As usual, I wish you lots of joy on your creative journey and hope that this post helps you develop the courage you need to follow your passion.
For more hands-on advice, read my best tips on how to build creative confidence.
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