Permission to Evolve: Why Artists Should Keep Changing

Show Notes: 

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
In this episode, I want to talk to you about
identity as an artist.
When we look at ourselves as ahuman being, our identity plays
a very large role in our lives.
We may be identified by manythings.
We may be an artist.
We may be a writer.
We may be a mother, a daughter,a sister, a son, a grandpa, a

(00:24):
grandma.
You can be identified byanything.
your role in your family.
You could be identified by yourjob.
You can be identified by yourpassions.
There are so many ways that wecan identify as a person.
But one thing that's reallychallenging for artists is
finding their own identity as anartist.

(00:47):
And what's even more challengingis if you do find a sense of
identity when that identityshifts or that identity changes.
And that can be reallychallenging.
when you're trying new things oryou've moved past something
you've always done intosomething else and it becomes
weird and uncomfortable.
But the thing I want to tellpeople is you're never going to

(01:10):
get to a place as an artist or aperson that is ever 100% secure
with your identity.
You're never going to say, I amthis and it is unwavering
because our identity is aconstant shifting landscape
based on our relationships,based on our working

(01:30):
environment, based on ourhealth, based on our Anything
and everything you can eventhink of, the variables for how
things impact us and how weidentify from the morning we get
up until we go to bed at nightis always changing.

(01:52):
Because we are ever-changingbeings.
And I think artists get stuckinto this idea that they're
going to find an identity.
They're going to find thispersona, this thing that
identifies them as who they are,and they're going to be able to
say that in one sentence.
I am this.
This is my work.
This is who I am.

(02:12):
And as a creative, it isunrealistic to think we're ever
going to get to the top of themountain where we know who we
are through and through.
As we age, as human beings, frombeing a little tiny child to
being a teenager to moving intoyour 20s and 30s to moving into

(02:37):
your 50s, even age, just agealone is going to impact how you
view yourself as a creativeperson and how you are going to
work and do your work And whyyou're inspired to do your work.
What is your inspiration foryour work?

(02:57):
What is your work trying to say?
And I think once artists andcreatives stop trying to find
that one thing, trying to justfind that gold nugget, that's
it.
And they realize that there's nogold nugget.
There's no top of the mountain.
There's no...

(03:19):
end of the rainbow.
You're not going to go at somepoint and find some coin thing
filled with stuff, pot of goldat the coin thing.
The pot of gold at the end ofthe rainbow.
You're not going to find that.
You may have moments where youdo feel very secure in your
identity.
You may have moments where itfeels like perhaps you've hit

(03:43):
that precipice of this feelsright to me.
But you are always going torevisit a downslide, a shift, a
change.
And the downsides don't have tobe negative.
When I say that it sounds alittle negative, like, oh,
you're at the top and you'regoing to slide down.
It's really just like thisroller coaster, this movement.

(04:04):
As artists, we move, wecontract, and we expand, and
it's dynamic.
We are dynamic beings.
And it's kind of like thedishes.
This is the metaphor.
that I always think about.
And I remember hearing this oneday and really it hit me.
You'll have dishes in the sinkand you'll get them done.

(04:27):
And then there'll be dishes inthe sink tomorrow and you'll get
them done.
Same with the laundry.
The laundry is always going tobe there.
You're never going to have anend to the laundry.
You might have five minutes ofthe laundry putting away and
then all of a sudden yoursignificant other has thrown a
towel on the floor in thebedroom and now there's laundry

(04:49):
again.
And that's the way I look at thecreative process is there's
never gonna be an ending to it.
You're never gonna get a littlecrown and sit in your castle and
go, this is it, this is amazing.
You are going to be goingthrough the ups and the downs
and the identity shifts.
every bit of the way.

(05:10):
The weather can impact it.
You could go for a walk and thatmay impact how you're feeling
about yourself.
There are so many variables andI want artists that are sitting
there stressing out about theiridentity or not being able to
find exactly what it is orfeeling that they're just
uncomfortable and dissatisfiedto remember that dissatisfaction

(05:35):
is normal.
And will continue you moving ina direction that's only going to
get you closer to thosefeel-good moments more often.
But you're also going to havethose dips.
You're also going to have an ebband flow.
You are a dynamic being.

(05:56):
And being a creative person isvery personal.
Making work is personal, even ifno one sees it.
If you put it out in the public,that's also even harder.
You're always going to be ebbingand flowing and changing and you

(06:16):
have to do yourself a favor andgive yourself a break.
Go through the process like yougo through the process of life.
You wake up every day in lifeand you go through the process
of life.
There are ups and there aredowns and you never just win
life.
It's not a video game.
You just don't win and it'sover.
You just move on to the nextchapter.

(06:39):
And that's the same withcreativity.
Some days it's going to bereally tough.
Other days you're going to feellike wins.
Some days you just don't evenknow.
Like I can't even describe it.
I don't know if it's a win.
I don't know if I lost.
I don't know anything.
I'm just confused.
And you just move through thatprocess without judgment.

(07:02):
So I just wanted to do a quickepisode on identity, partially
because I think it's somethingthat comes up in my head a lot,
comes up in my artisticpartner's head a lot, and it is
a good conversation to have withothers and yourself.