on resiliency
The sensitive creative is also wildly resilient.
Being an artist is largely entrepreneurial, and is a solo adventure - it can feel extremely lonely and maddening, and it is often straight up terrifying and anxiety inducing. No matter what kind of creative you are, there will always be challenges that strike at the heart of deep, personal fears and insecurities.
That’s because creativity comes from an authentic place within us, from our true self, and showing that true self to the world makes one feel incredibly vulnerable. It IS vulnerable. You expose yourself, with all the risks that come along with that. This is a lot to take on, not only because you are baring your intimate, interior experience of the world to friends and strangers, but you are also asked to continually expand, go deeper, and do uncomfortable things to grow as an artist and person.
Art asks of us to bare our soul not only to ourselves, which is enough for most people, but to the world. And the world is by no means always a safe or friendly place. It’s full of judgement and violence as much as it is full of care, wonder, respect, love and appreciation. Artists have to find a way to hold all of that and TRY not to buckle under the weight.
I would define a successful artist not as someone who “makes it” in the Art World (is recognised and validated by some ruling and judging elite class), but someone who continues to practice their art in the “open” (for the public to witness) for as long as they are able to. To live your art like that is to me a show of great resiliency. The sensitive creative is also wildly resilient.
But resiliency is not something that everyone has in equal measure, or at least in the same flavours. Resiliency is an ability to withstand. And that in itself can take many forms. Sometimes resiliency is forceful, ignoring the signals from body and mind that something is wrong. Like “sticking through” burnout and pushing yourself to keep producing even though the body and brain are telling you they need rest. Or it can be a hardening to tragedy, where one numbs oneself in order to keep going - “stiff upper lip” as they say.
Resiliency is also courage, and bravery, in the face of fear. It can look like acknowledging the truth of ones reality, and choosing, with intention and love and compassion, to be courageous. I think this kind of resiliency begins to naturally occur through the praxis of a life devoted to making art. To me, this is a soft and healing kind of resiliency. its the strength of a healing person. of a healing heart.
