If Doing What I Love Makes Me Crazy, Call Me Crazy
The neighbors probably thought I was crazy…
When the sun lowered and the sky above the water turned gray and blue, I used to sneak outside to the back patio of our family home. Through my earbuds I played an instrumental song I loved, breathed in the strings and electric beats, and danced.
I didn’t have a routine. My movement was pure emotion to the ebb and flow of the song. I’d put so much of my soul into the dance, my chest would fill and tighten from the exertion. Every muscle in my arms, torso, and legs flexed then relaxed, in time and flow with my interpretation.
I took all my troubles, my stress, my anguish, and I danced it away in the dusk, ignoring the fact our neighbors could see me from their back windows and decks if they happened to glance my direction.
It was only me, the music, and the wide world off our bluff — I was free for those few minutes.
The Creative Crazies of the World
I’m sure I looked a bit crazy to anyone who saw me, or at least silly. There were probably a few snickers from the neighbors, but that’s what happens when you throw yourself into something you love — you can look crazy.
In this world there is a strong push to be normal, to act safe, to not stand out from the crowd in a displeasing way. For years of my childhood I wanted to be the normal person. I didn’t want to stand out, I didn’t want to be the outsider in a crowd.
What I hadn’t realized then was I was not normal. I had a gigantic love for imagination and stories, and an industrious urge inside me to do something great with my life.
I was a creative, and I didn’t need to be ashamed.
Many a creative — or artist — has been called crazy, though usually by the more refined word eccentric. Think of artists like Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Where would art be without their eccentricity? It’s a creative’s job to push boundaries and explore what’s beyond normal.
To create their great masterpieces, they had to embrace what they loved.
Whether a painter, writer, drawer, architect, or hair stylist, it’s our job to embrace the crafts we love as the creatives before us did.
My need to express the creative energy inside me when I danced might have made me look crazy, but to me it felt right.
The Dancing Girl
While I don’t dance outside at dusk anymore, I always want to be the girl who threw aside thoughts of public opinion and embraced her creativity. When my passion is fully committed, I’m the most creative, motivated, and free.
Writing is my new outlet, and when I commit myself entirely to a story or an article I create some of my best work. If embracing what I love to achieve my potential makes my crazy, I want to be called crazy.
I want to live that way everyday. Time passes too quickly to hold back for the opinions and acceptance of people who don’t understand creatives.
Let’s not wait another day.
Embrace What You love
When was the last time you embraced something so fully, people gave you a weird look? When did you last invest yourself into your passion and felt the exhilarating, free feeling that made you overflow with life and hope?
I challenge you to think up one good reason not to do the work you love. Not an excuse, but a reason.
I can think of a lot of “reasons” why I can’t or shouldn’t — not enough money, instability while starting, my capability, etc. — but no good reason why I shouldn’t work through those obstacles.
There is a lot of fear, but fear is an excuse. Fear is something to work through, not avoid. And doing what you love is the perfect place to practice courage.
Let’s unleash our creativity and passion and be crazy. Let’s love our work, be ourselves, and embrace the strange looks from our neighbors.
