The Gap – and my thoughts on not feeling good enough creatively

inspirational quote Rejection stings only for a short time, regret lasts forever. Mypoppet.com.au
Sometimes you read, hear or watch something that you feel is a message directed straight at you, it is timely and can bring up feelings and emotions that you’ve been suppressing for a while.
Today this video turned me into a blubbering wreck – Why? Because it resonated with me profoundly. Every word made me understand why I’m often dissatisfied with the work I create, why there is that niggling (sometimes overt) feeling that I could or should be better, but scared that I’ll never get there.
The tears come not from sadness but from a sense of relief that I’m not ‘not enough’ and this is just a journey that is part of the creative experience.
The tears are cathartic and will help me let go of the expectations I put on myself, I need to embrace the process more and not be so fixated on outcomes.

In this internet world of ‘fake it till you make it’, faking it too long can make you feel fake inside, not disingenuous but just like something is lacking. I have felt like I’ve been running on a treadmill creatively for so long, but this year I’m really going to put myself out there and see where that goes.
Making safe decisions can protect you from the disappointments of rejection, but I’m now at a stage in my life where rejection doesn’t sting as much as it used to, regret hurts a lot more.

Rejection stings for only a short time, regret hurts forever.

Here’s to a year of doing and embracing The Gap…

THE GAP by Ira Glass from frohlocke on Vimeo.

via Buy Nothing New Month

10 Comments

  • Lisa /life Can Be Simple says:

    listen If I got upset every time I heard that then I would be in the bottom of the ocean I have no patience for this,listen I live with MS and deal with auto accident that caused cervical fusion injury.I have no time for that crap,and YOU don’t either.get over it LIVE and who cares! once you have completed a project that YOU have taken pains with,let it go,YOU did it,it’s yours and it is what YOU wanted! not anyone else! Who doesn’t have a bad day or days,if it is only one consider yourself lucky, ; )

    • Yes, although I don’t want you to think I’m having a bad day. It’s actually a great day. I do appreciate how lucky I am, this video just helped me understand that I’m totally in control of my own feelings and inner dialogue. Not to say that my inner dialogue is negative, because it isn’t. Just helps me understand why I choose or don’t choose certain creative paths, projects and opportunities.

      I think subconsciously I do work that I know will work as an end result, robbing myself of a chance to experiment, probably fail but also the opportunity to learn something new. It’s just a self protection mechanism that most of us have, I’ve only just realised it.

      Thanks for your comment, and your motivational words.
      x Cinti

  • Nesta says:

    Thank you so much for this post and for the video. It meant a lot to me. Being creative also means revealing yourself and therefore criticism hits you directly. Sometimes you also feel as though your taste is completely different from those around you. These are two reasons that make creative process difficult and how there can be a strong outside influence on that process. Thank you again for the chance to reflect on this.

  • Jojo says:

    Thank you for this post. My teenage son is creative and I will show this to him. He posted an artistic photo of ice on his Facebook page and it seemed as if all hell was let loose. Luckily he has a bunch of really loyal friends who were able to back him up in the face of two people who were really nasty to him and his girlfriend. He wants to be a jewellery designer and the comments he received could have been enough to have made him give up on trying to develop creatively. It’s a hard lesson to learn at 15! Luckily he also has me to push him to carry on as I was not allowed to be creative at his age (unenlightened school and somewhat indifferent parents)

  • Maddie says:

    I love this whole post. The clip, your words, your wisdom. Thankyou x

    • Thanks Maddie, throw a preschooler into the mix and it all seems futile sometimes. The best thing is this supportive community we have to support us, even though it can feel isolating at times.
      Hope you are well
      xx cinti

  • Elle says:

    Thank you for this post! This video has inspired me and I have shared it far and wide and I know it has inspired others! There’s to an amazing 2014!

  • Thais says:

    Thank you Cintia. For me there is an island in the gap and it’s called “good enough” where, if I’m not careful I can stop and put down roots rather than continue on to excellent. Press on, everyone, beyond whatever and wherever the gaps may be.

  • Melanie Augustin says:

    Thank you for this post, I’ve heard it said before, but sometimes these things just pop up when you need to hear them again, like this week.

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