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You know, I was honestly going to write about something else this week but this has been on my mind lately.

Today, I was talking to someone who was expressing her goals for her career. She’s working on a life-changing book – really, it’s going to be epic – and she has visions of being a multi-bestselling author and connecting with the likes of this luminary and that luminary and her forward will be written by so-and-so etc. I was so inspired by her aspiration and commitment and, at the same time, I felt a sense of sadness.

These days, I don’t really have any dreams with respect to my creative career.

Sure, I’ve got a bucket list of things I’d like to see and experience – like going to Eurovision, getting under dark, clear skies where I can actually see the Milky Way galaxy glowing above head – but I no longer have those end goals, those thing I want to accomplish, or those dreams that can drive and guide one into their future. I chalk it up to the fact that I feel I have failed so often that there’s no point in really trying for anything because, in my mind, it’s not going to work out anyway. So, I just do what I feel like doing, put it out there, and see what happens, like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.

The most important things that have happened in my life have happened without reaching for them, without real effort.

But I’m not sure that laissez-faire attitude is ultimately helpful.

Do you have goals and dreams with respect to your creativity, a timeline with a list of things you want to accomplish, both as projects and achievements? Absolutely, one needs to follow inspiration even if it’s not necessarily part of “the plan”, but goals and dreams can excite us and keep us focused. At least that’s what they’re supposed to do.

Imagine this. You’re a musician, you record a song and release it on social media, hoping maybe somebody somewhere will listen to it. Yaaay.

Or, you have a dream of reaching x-number of people with your music, releasing an album by the end of the year, signing with a major label within 5 years – maybe you even have a specific label in mind – and having a Grammy or two ten years from now.

Which vision do you think is more likely to get you out of bed in the morning?

It’s not about chasing the glory or even “making it” necessarily. It’s about having a focus, establishing intention behind what you are doing, working on a trajectory towards something meaningful and not seeing each action as starting from scratch to random, unpredictable ends. Wait. That sound like me. 😉

Anyway, it all allows you to streamline your activities and eliminate distraction. If you’ve determined that you’re going to create a pop album by the end of the year, you might write down the ideas that came to you for that children’s song for future reference, but you’re not going to put real energy into it – yet. No wishy-washing about it. Decision made.

And here’s the thing.

The ultimate results are not as important as who you have to become to be dedicated and focused – what kind of commitment is required that you can ultimately transfer to other aspects of your life. And honestly, things can change. In the process of working on the album or chasing the Grammy, you can discover a love of education and decide to become a music teacher. I’m not exactly sure how that would happen but it’s possible. It’s not the Grammy. It’s who you become in pursuit of the Grammy – or Booker or whatever.

And I might add, don’t be afraid to commit. It can feel like you’re missing out on other possibilities. But what if this happens? But what if I get an idea for that? OMG, have I been there! But think of it as a foundation, something to ground you, and trust that you will be led to where you are meant to be and if you are supposed to shift focus, it will be clear.

If you aren’t familiar with them, try establishing some SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (look it up if you don’t know what that all means) – and enjoy the support that comes with knowing where you want to go!

In Swimming Tigress News, I’m working on some new music that should be out on Pond 5 soon. And, in case you didn’t know, Tabitha’s Magical Voice and Idea Factory are now audiobooks that you can find on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany 🙂

Now, hold on. You’re probably thinking this is one of those, “If you can think of yourself doing anything else, go and do it” lectures, one of those diatribes about how hard it is to have a creative career and if you’re not willing to give up literally everything else in your life to do it, you should just quit now.

This is not that. What I’m about to say is more geared toward career creatives and I’m not trying to be judgmental, so hear me out.

When the pandemic was in full swing, there was a lot of “I haven’t sung in months” kind of talk. And then, when things started to open up and folks started getting back to business it was, “I haven’t danced in 18 months. I have to get back in shape for this Broadway show.”

And I would say sometimes people need a break and it’s good to step back once in a while but these were pained comments. These people didn’t want the break. They wanted to keep singing and dancing.

Or at least it seemed like they did. So why didn’t they?

Maybe there was context I was missing. Maybe it was the shock of it all and there was a fear that things were never going to be the same again. But it almost seemed like, for a lot of people, the only reason they would dance or sing is if they had a show or a gig to prepare for. And these were some prominent, professional artists I’m talking about. In spite of the shock, they had to know things were going to start up again eventually. But suddenly it was, “Oh, rehearsals resume tomorrow and I haven’t sung in a year.”

I don’t know about y’all but I’m singing and dancing and writing whether there’ s a pandemic or not or whether I’m getting paid to or not. After my ballroom dance classes shut down in March of 2020 I started watching dance tutorials online and I have no one to dance with!

Which brings me to the point of this post. Absolutely we can need to step back for a while and reevaluate things. I suppose the situation over the last few years provided an opportunity to do that. But, in general, if you aren’t interested in maintaining and expanding your skills, if you aren’t curious and learning more about your craft and getting better, whether or not there’s a paycheck immediately attached, maybe you need to look at whether you actually want a creative career. Maybe it’s meant to be something you do on your own time when it moves you, and that’s perfectly okay.

There was a controversy about a theatre festival where some of the companies involved required actors to re-audition for the roles they had before things shut down. There was outrage at the audacity! And I’m not saying there was no reason to be upset.

But a show or event wants to present with a certain set of standards, a certainly level of quality. Yes, you may have been fabulous when you were hired in 2019 but if you didn’t keep up your skills etc. and are fumbling around when someone else has been preparing all along and is ready to just step into the role, do they not deserve the chance?

And again, I’m not judging. It was tough. Life can be tough. And sometimes you just want to hang out watching TV and eating bonbons. But if, for the most part, you don’t enjoy what you’re doing enough to be consistently participating and growing, even on your own, maybe it’s time to look at why you’re doing it.

Was there pressure from the family? Maybe you come from a family of artists or you got the “we spent thousands of dollars for you to learn the bloody piano so you better make money at it” speech. Maybe you feel a sense of status. You like people’s reaction when you tell them you’re a professional author or a painter. “How cool! I could never do that!” I know I get it all the time so I imagine it’s not that uncommon for people to think of creativity as a magical gift only reserved for a blessed few and you are basically a unicorn. Maybe you became a musician because of something that wasn’t directly related to the music itself. It wasn’t really about playing the guitar. The guitar served as a vehicle for comradery and connection with the other members of the band.

It’s okay if your creativity isn’t your bread and butter. You can still create. You can still paint, write, sing, dance. Nothing will take that away from you. But work is, well, work. Joyous work but it takes commitment, nonetheless.

So, if you don’t know for sure, maybe take some time to reflect on your experiences in the creative realm and see if you can figure out what makes you happy and what situations truly suit your soul. It’s possible you will feel a renewed sense of passion and commitment for your craft but be open to the possibility that there might be other more fulfilling avenues out there for you.

Hey, I question things sometimes, for various reasons. I wonder why I haven’t read that book on film scoring yet. I wonder why I I don’t know the music from that musical that everyone seems to be talking about on my Facebook groups. I wonder why I sometimes allow other, often inconsequential things, to take precedence over my craft. But I keep trying to get better and always come back to the fact that I love what I do and I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

In Swimming Tigress News,

Did you know Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity is now an audiobook? With ideas to help get you creatively unstuck and keep those juices flowing, it’s a fun, quick read to enhance the experience of your craft. You can find it now on Audible, iTunes, and Amazon!

To Dream or Not To Dream – Why You Might Want To Establish Creative Goals

Do you really want to be doing this? – Questioning Your Creative Career

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