Unsolicited Advice on the Importance of Creating
Today you are scared of the world, but you should not be.
Today, and every day, you must put it all down and put it all out there.
Share, share, share. Share your hopes and fears and funny stories and all the moments you thought you would die of embarrassment. Share all of the really weird stuff about yourself that you think nobody else in the world could possibly relate to.
Share everything except your contact lenses and your social security card.
Don’t worry if it’s shit. Everything is shit if you look at it long enough. Double check your grammar and then let that baby go because shit and brilliance usually share the page.
Maybe today you don’t want to write, maybe today you want to grow an herb garden or start a company or make a freaking baby. All of which are great creations! So go do it. But also tell everyone you know about what you’re creating, literally everyone. Tell them your biggest dreams and then tell them when you fail or you change your mind. And then tell them the next plan. And keep telling everyone all the things because the fact is, people already know. They know you have dreams and faults and strengths and weaknesses. These are not secrets! But to share them on your own terms will make you feel alive.
It can be scary to share because sometimes it feels like there are a lot of people out there waiting for you to fail. But there are not. There are only people who are too afraid to share their own creations. And maybe the fear some people have will make them say mean things about what you share or make you feel like you were wrong to put it out into the world. But it’s only because fear has made their lives feel small, and so their comfort now lies in knowing that other people feel small too.
What is more likely is that your bravery will make someone else feel brave enough to share their own stuff. Chances are, your dreams will make someone else feel like it’s okay to talk about theirs. And you may not even know it’s happening, but I promise it is. Because if there’s one thing that all of us humans have in common, it’s that we all just want permission to run fucking wild.
