Why Being a Creative Sucks!

I often hear friends of mine who haven’t been bit by the creative bug say things like “Man I wish I were as creative as you,” “I wish I could write as quickly as you do,” or “You’re going to go far with all those ideas.” While I won’t go as far to say that what they are saying isn’t true, the one thing they don’t realize is that to be quite frank BEING A CREATIVE ANYTHING STRAIGHT UP SUCKS!!!

By now I am sure a great number of you are wondering why I would say such a thing. It all comes down to this simple fact, creatives are so of the most procrastinating perfectionists that you’ll ever encounter. The reason that we procrastinate goes hand in hand with why we attempt to perfect every aspect of our craft and based on the fact that we try to perfect it all we tend to procrastinate. Rather than create and go, a lot of us spend almost too much time on a project before deeming it worthy of being put out into the world.

Why you may ask? It’s simple.

Being a creative sucks.

You have all of these magnificent or what appear to be magnificent ideas in your head. Usually all of these ideas come at once or at random times when you can’t write them down or even get them done. You spend time considering how to take a stab at them all while also trying to convince yourself that this idea will work.

I’m a writer, of course this piece will go smooth or maybe it won’t. Perhaps it’ll be straight garbage.

I’m an artist and I do art so this painting will be bought.

I sing and write music so someone is going to listen to me or maybe they won’t. Perhaps the demons in my head will meet the monsters in theirs, team up and equally bash me.

I’ve spent far too much time prejudging myself, my work and my projects because being a creative sucks.

I’ve had some ideas for years…no seriously since I was like 13. I am now 23. Half of these ideas haven come to fruition. Why? Because being a creative sucks.

Being a creative especially sucks when you grow up in a household where creativity isn’t necessarily nourished. Not because your parents don’t believe in your abilities but instead they’re accustomed to working to survive not necessarily to thrive.

Being a creative sucks when you’re being crushed by the heaviness of adulting on your lonesome without parental support, or much familial support. Yes, being an adult is just that. You’ve gotta take of your own shit but when you see others around you being supported largely by family or even friends who can afford to truly help them…being a creative sucks.

There are days like today where I contemplate asking God to take every single creative vein out of my body and release me from this prison of my mind where I’m bombarded with ideas that I almost see no value in. No not because these ideas have been done before, instead it’s because I can mainly afford to work 7 days a week just to keep myself above water.

Being a creative sucks when you don’t make enough money per month to truly take care of all your needs so you’re scraping by but also trying to remain positive about it all so you can ya know inspire the world with your gifts.

Being a creative sucks when your resources are limited but you genuinely love the art of creating. So you do it anyways & everyday get closer to the ledge of “starving artist.”

Being a creative sucks when society doesn’t necessarily value it so you feel that your only true options are to re-enter the cycle of grad school debt because your first degree wasn’t fancy enough to support your livelihood. So now you’ve gotta place the chains of overinflated education expenses simply to survive or thrive.

being a creative sucks when you are tired, simply tired…