“To live a creative life, we must first lose our fear of being wrong.”
There is something about putting yourself out there that requires a certain level of audacity. The kind that makes you do what you have to do even when you’re unsure of how people will receive it. The kind that allows you to create something different, share it with the world, and live with the possibility that someone might just… laugh it off?
And perhaps that is one of the biggest things holding many artists and creatives back: the fear of being seen TRYING.
I recently came across a post that said, “Shame is only as real as you let it,” and it got me thinking about the many ideas we have abandoned simply because we were too concerned about what PEOPLE would SAY.
Let me ask you…how many projects are still sitting in your notes app? How many times have you convinced yourself that your work isn’t good enough to be seen, that your ideas are too unusual, or that you have to wait until you have the perfect platform before you begin?
Meanwhile, someone else is out there making something that would eventually turn out great out of an idea that might not even be as good as yours.
Take Rachel Ojuromi, the Nigerian creative who caught international attention for turning the streets of Lagos into her runway as a case study. Through her fashion content and collaborations, everyday locations like the market and dirty streets with bumpy roads became the backdrop for bold, striking runway looks. At first, Nigerians found her content a tad bit strange and maybe funny? But her creativity eventually took her beyond the streets of Lagos and onto the international fashion scene, including a runway appearance for Chanel at Paris Fashion Week. And now, they are her biggest fans. You see, that’s the hack… keep creating until you find your audience, because as discouraging as it may be at the beginning, the hard truth is that NO ONE WILL RATE YOU, UNTIL YOU’VE BLOWN.
What makes her story even more interesting is not just where she ended up, but the creativity it took to begin where she was. Lagos streets are not conventional runways, but she found a way to make them work. She took an ordinary environment and presented it differently. And in doing so, she created something different, something people actually wanted to see.
Imagine if she had waited for a fashion house to discover her before she started creating. Imagine if she had decided that her environment wasn’t glamorous enough, or that people might find her ideas embarrassing. We might never have seen the work that eventually caught the attention of a much bigger audience. It may not have made sense to a lot of people at first, but that’s the point ART IS AN ACQUIRED TASTE and it’ll slowly make sense when the right people experience it.
Honestly, success is never as simple as just posting a video and waking up famous. There is preparation, consistency, collaboration, timing and often a great deal of work that people never get to see. But Rachel’s story offers a useful reminder that you do not always need someone to give you a platform before you start using your creativity.
Sometimes, you have to make something out of what is already available to you.
-Stop Waiting for Permission
One of the easiest things to do as a creative is to keep PREPARING to create.
You want to start writing, but you need a better laptop. You want to make videos, but your phone camera isn’t good enough. You want to share your art, but you don’t have enough followers. You want to start that project, but you’re worried nobody will take you seriously. And before you know it, months have passed, and the idea is still an idea.
There is nothing wrong with wanting better tools, more knowledge or a bigger audience. These things can certainly help. But there is a difference between preparing yourself and postponing your potential because you are afraid of being judged. Your first attempt cannot not be your best and that is why your only competition should be with the person you were before. Your first video might not get the engagement you hoped for. Your writing may need editing, and your ideas may take a few tries before they begin to make sense. That is part of the process.
You cannot improve work that you never allow yourself to make.
-Own Your Niche, Use Your Platform
This one is my personal favourite and I say it every time because it is the truth. As a creative or an artist, you do not have to do the same thing others do, or follow the same trends or fit into whatever is currently popular. There is room to build something around your own interests, perspective and style.
If you write, write. If you photograph, take the pictures. If you make clothes, experiment with designs. If your thing is storytelling, find new ways to tell stories. Pay attention to what interests you, explore it, and let your work evolve.
And when you find your niche, give it room to grow. Use the platforms available to you. Share your work. Collaborate with people whose interests align with yours. Participate in creative communities like GETLIT AFRICA, enter competitions, attend events and look for opportunities to put your work in front of new audiences. You can even create your own platform when the opportunity to use an existing one doesn’t come. I mean, you can do anything you want to do, for real!
Your platform does not have to be enormous before it becomes useful. Sometimes, it begins with a small audience, a simple post, and a few people who genuinely appreciate what you do.
-Let Them See You Trying
Perhaps, we need to stop treating every creative attempt as though it is the final determination of our art.
Not everything you create will be brilliant. Some things will flop. Some ideas will need to be reworked, and some projects may need to go back to the drawing table. You might even look back at something you proudly posted two years ago and wonder what exactly you were thinking. It happens!
But the possibility of embarrassment should not be enough to keep you from creating. SHAME IS ONLY AS REAL AS YOU LET IT!
If anything, let your work be a record of your growth. Let people see you experiment, improve, change direction and discover what works for you. You are allowed to be a beginner. You are allowed to learn and you are allowed to do anything you want to do, even if it is just for the plot.
You cannot control who will appreciate your work, how quickly it will grow or which opportunity might come from it. But you can decide whether fear will keep you from giving your ideas a chance.
Rachel’s story is a reminder that creativity can find its way into unexpected spaces. You do not have to wait for the perfect moment, the perfect audience or someone else’s permission to begin.
On a final note, and like I always say, keep creating. Own your space. Use your platform. And whatever you do, do not let the fear of being seen trying stop you from finding out what your creativity can become.
Love,
Fefe.