Our virtual social tools have become our new existence, the tendency for us as creatives is to begin to feel overwhelmed. Not by the situation but by the overwhelming amount of creativity that has flooded our daily lives.
With the overwhelming amount of creativity out there, we begin to start reflecting on our own creative practice. Our general conclusion is: “ I am not that creative, I am not unique, I am ordinary, I don’t make good work. I am a fraud.
These are all lies, and if you allow these lies to fester they will become your reality.
The lies we believe about ourselves and the words we allow others to speak over us,
shape who we become.
I want to stress this “What we believe about ourselves directly affects who we become and how we behave.”
I always felt that my value was connected to my work. And since I believed this when I made work that I was not happy with I felt depressed, I felt like I had nothing to offer. I believed that everyone out there was more creative and better skilled than me.
All this changed for me when I changed what I believed about myself.
Let me let you in on my secret; I believe my work does not define my value. My value is forever anchored to my identity and for me personally my identity is anchored in my faith. This verse from the Bible always encourages me Ephesians 2:10, “[W]e are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
All this means:
“I am valuable before I do any work. My value has been defined by who I am, not what I do.”
Nothing about you is an accident. Each one of you is a masterpiece. Believe it.
There will never be another original like you, embrace it.
And if there is no other original like you the work you create will come from a unique perspective, yours. Be true, Be you.
Here I am more than 10 years later I have a career freelancing as an illustrator and author pursuing my passion every day.
The choice is yours what will you choose to believe about yourself today?
Have you ever felt like this? Let me know what your thoughts and approach have been in the comments.
NEWS!
I am excited to share I have a new book coming out in October with Little Island it is a poetry book that has classic and contemporary poems from Ireland titled “I Am The Wind.” The cover has not been revealed yet but I will share it with you all once it’s out.
Here is a little sneak peek at one of the illustrations I did for the book
I am also considering developing an illustration course and I am wondering if this is something of interest for any of you?
Weekly Pep!
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Today’s guest is James Martin aka Made by James a prolific creative, logo wiz, author, co-founder of Baby Giant co, and a lot more. He has helped hundreds of companies around the world build their dreams through his unique approach to brand identity. He is so raw and authentic and shares his story and all the nuggets of wisdom he has learned over the years. Check out his work here: https://themadebyjames.com/
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For anyone feeling uninspired, I made this for you.
If you found some value from the work I do I would love your support. Consider grabbing some art or one of my books, every little helps! 👉🏽https://whackochacko.com/shop/
Have a wonderful week! Keep Smiling!
Ashwin Chacko
Be you x Be True
P.S. If you enjoy what I do and the content I create consider being a patron and supporting me through a paid subscription