Creativity

and why it's so scary

When it comes to making daily comics, I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately.

I started making daily comics in 2017 and did it every single day for more than 2,5 years. It taught me a lot about creativity.

One thing I’ve learned is that it’s great to force yourself to make something every day. When you do so, there’s no time to be judgmental about what you’re creating. It helps not being so precious about your work, because there will be something else the next day.

The strange thing is, even with that knowledge, I still have a hard time creating sometimes.

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My daughter draws a lot and I often notice that she doesn’t run out of inspiration.

Aside from not knowing what emotes and overlays are, I have another obstacle that she doesn’t seem to have: expectations.

I’m scared to make something that sucks and often that’s holding me back from creating anything at all. I asked my daughter if she’s ever intimidated by the blank canvas. She gave me a puzzled look and said: if I don’t like the drawing, I simply don’t show it to anybody.

WHAT?! Who knew that is even an option?!

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I recently read this little book by John Cleese.

It is indeed a short and cheerful guide. He talks about how creative people are not afraid to postpone their decisions. It’s an uncomfortable feeling to not know where something is going, but that is what creativity IS!

You’re creating something new, something you didn’t know about before you created it. There’s no way to know beforehand if it will be any good. That’s why for a lot of people, creativity is so scary. It’s also why it’s exciting!

Another thing John Cleese talks about is how some part of the brain, seemingly the most creative part, keeps working even when you’re asleep.

I’ve experienced the same thing; I can think really hard about something and not get anywhere or put a project on the back burner and somehow a solution will present itself. I made a comic about this a few years back.

Living a creative life is a balancing act. You have to take yourself seriously enough to keep creating regularly, but not so serious that you’re scared to fail. You have to put in the work and not give up while also allowing yourself to fool around and let your mind wander.

What it comes down to, is PLAY.

If you’re able to play, it will give you a tremendous amount of freedom to create.

I hope you have a wonderful and creative summer. Consider buying a sketchbook and fill a page each day. I’m not promising it will result in anything good, but it will be an adventure!

With love,