Do the Work You Want to See
In the book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon, this quote really resonated with me:
“Draw the art you want to see, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use. Do the work you want to see done.”
I used to write all the time. I used to love playing the piano. But over the years, I've let other's wishes and desires trump my creative outlet - instead of creating what I want to create, I was always creating what others wanted. I didn't do it for fun anymore. If I played piano, it was because I had to play a part for someone. If I wrote, it's because someone needed wording on their website or advertisement or biography. If I created art, it was because someone asked me to.
Not that I didn't like doing what I was doing - I loved it (and still love doing it). But it was their creation, their idea, their final say, not mine. Over the past few weeks, with a piano now in my house, I've been playing again. Just for fun. Playing music that I like to listen to. It is painstakingly slow as my fingers remember how to play, but every day I sit and play. It's so freeing to just play. No deadline. No one asked me to do it. I'm doing it because it's freeing and emotional and I can.
The old answer to the question "what should I write?" has been "write what you know." But that's boring. It's boring to the author and boring to the reader. So instead, write (create) what you like and that's where the magic happens. It's not boring to you and not boring to your audience.
“Do the work you want to see done.”
