Hold Hands with Joy

Hello fellow creative! I get you. We make things. Some people understand us and some people never will. We know that there is a simple, powerful and joyful pleasure in making things ourselves. We enjoy the process and take pride in the result. Sometimes we enjoy the process and are humbled by the result. Either way, being fully immersed in the creation of something that didn’t exist before fuels us in a way that scrolling, bingeing TV and completing meaningless tasks on a to do list cannot. And so we carry on making things.

Little kids know this. They make a finger painting or mud pie and are so proud that they unabashedly say - “Look at this. I made it” Hopefully when this happens someone hangs it on the fridge or smiles and says good for you. However, somewhere along the way, we are taught to keep our accomplishments to ourselves. Not to appear boastful or a braggart we hide behind our achievements both great and small.

Here’s the secret we keep quietly to ourselves. We find such pleasure and contentment in creating something that we don’t need anyone else’s approval to keep creating. Unlike a child looking for the approval of a parent, we can simply make things for the joy it brings us in the process. The presence it permits us to experience in such a way that time passes without our notice.

So I implore you to hold hands with that joy. If you find that joy in a set of measuring spoons and cups, a paint brush or a welding torch, hold it in your hands and make things. It is not in watching a screen that you will find joy. It is literally in the palms of your hands when you engage with the world to create something that has never existed before. Use simple materials or fancy ingredients and make something extraordinary or ordinary.

The level of joy you feel is not dependent on what you create. That’s where we get it wrong. Only the fancy dish is worth making. Only the greatest painting of all time is worth painting. Only the award winning song, film or poem is worth our effort. It all counts. The scarf you knit, the backyard garden you build and the sketchbook you fill with ideas and experiments all count for something. They are a collective joy that we gather with each creative effort we make.

Once you feel the peace and contentment of creativity, you will want to hold hands with it forever. It is a tireless companion. It is patient and always ready to hold your hand. It is waiting. Go find joy! Then make something together.

Getting There