Title: Why does the creative spirit dare to #BeReal?
Written by: Sarina Steinlein
Blogger at: Sarina Steinlein

 

Why do poets write? Why do artists paint? Why do musicians sing? What is this compulsion of the creatively minded individual?

Some will say the reason for their sleepless nights and endless consummation of caffeine is a crazy black two-legged bat laced with Victoria’s Secret lingerie. It is our muse run amok.

You thought it is all fame and fortune, No?

Some are deceived. There used to be a Meme I’d circulate on social media. On it written, “What do writers want more than coffee?” One of my followers answered back. He claimed it that was easy. Writers want lots of money. This made me frown. It made me realize you have two different types of creative people. Why you create often has a huge effect on the quality of your creations. For some, it’s all about the money and fame. They find this sufficient motivation. Sadly, these people may achieve their goal and become rich and famous.

Do not get me wrong, I have absolutely no objection of creative people becoming rich and famous. I object this being the reason for their creativity. This is where you see an author taking a popular book series and squeezing it for each dime. The story tends to get frail. As a reader, you feel you have wasted your time. You feel let down.

With music, it is that song which you end up wondering how it got so popular. Then you find the artist was showing off her booty in the music video. In the end, no one remembers it.

Keep it real

The rest of us, we have a different motive. We will tell you we create because we must. It is a burning aching need. Why do we put ourselves through so much punishment? Why do some of us as Red Smith put it, “simply sit down at the typewriter, open our veins, and bleed.”?

In writing circles, Smiths’ Quote is an overused cliché – because it is so relevant to the craft. A reader needs to be able to connect to what you have written. Connection only happens when the writer opens his soul to the page. This is something Hasty does well. She connects feelings to words and people connect to these words. It takes courage to dig this deep into your own being. It takes skill to be able to put words to what is happening there. Moreover, it takes some real brass balls to put this out for the wide world to critique. (Oh yea, woman have balls too – didn’t you know?)

It is the message that keeps us going; the emotion, which lacks words to explain. We take something completely abstract and convert it into something the human mind can process. We want to understand. We want to comprehend the unknown. We want our art to convey feeling. We want to connect to that deeper part of the human soul, the part that has no words.

More than mere words – the message:

What is this message, I hear you ask?

One of my favorite authors has a recurring message in his writing. It does not matter under which pen name he writes – the pondering is the same.

“What defines who you are?”

Sometimes it is another variation of the same question. Sometimes it reads like a statement. “Don’t let your past define you”. This even comes through in on his blog. Whom am I referencing? H.K. Abell who also writes under the pen names of Helena Hann-Basquiat and Jessica B. Bell. If you have not checked his books out, you should. He is a talented wordsmith. A real deal. A writer with a message. Sometimes the message is subtle, hidden in-between the lines. Sometimes it is bold and obvious. Here is one of my favorite paragraphs by him:

“I am a dilettante, darlings, no doubt about it. But don’t you dare call me that as an insult. No, I’m taking the word back and rebranding it. I may not be a professional, but I am no wannabe either”. (From Memoirs of a Dilettante: Volume 1 written under the name of Helena Hann – Basquiat)

Don’t we all ponder who and why we are? This is genuine, a non-manufactured construct of the human soul.

Our voice, our contribution to humanity

This message, when it comes to writers, is part of what makes up the writers voice. It is what makes the writing authentic. It is how we connect to the rest of the world. It is our contribution to humanity. We use our creativity to make this world, a little more bearable, a little less lonely, and a little less ugly.

Let us spit out a truth. Why do creatives dare to create? Some may say it is obvious. Clearly, quite a few are misinterpreting the plot.

Creative people create because they have a deep inner need to express something within the human spirit and collective consciousness.

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About the author:

Sarina often sat on the peaks of the dunes of Southern Africa watching the ocean tide drift in. A daydreamer, often dreaming up stories for lands somewhere over the horizon, wishing she could make this world a better place. She is a mother, a wife, a blogger and an overall creative spirit. However above all, she is a human being.

You can find her in all these places:

Blog: sarinasteinlein.wordpress.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SarinaSteinlein

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ShiningSeeds

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sarinasteinlein/