Choosing The Creative Path
INTRODUCTION
Whenever I leave my home to go and travel, I assume that when I’ll return, everything is going to get back to normal. I’ll be the same person and my place is going to be the same, and so are my friends. But that’s actually never the case. Even though I return to my place of comfort and familiarity, I have changed and so did my home. All the stuff is still there and the city is still the same city, but I perceive everything with different eyes. And interestingly enough, the people seem to perceive me differently too. My eyes have changed during my travel. I have experienced something different that has changed my perspective. The journey has transformed me by inspiring me to re-evaluate everything I used to know before and the stories I used to tell myself.
I believe that starting a business, or becoming a freelancer, an artist or even starting a new relationship is like travelling inwards. Instead of choosing a destination on a map, I choose a destination in my soul. But the intention is the same: it’s a place I want to go to where I feel at my best, doing what I love and being surrounded by people I care about. That idea of arriving there one day is energizing and no matter what happens in between, no matter what the outcome is, I will always grow into a better person.
This realization is what always keeps me driven to continue exploring, both externally and internally.
I’ve always known I wanted to become an independent creator. I could never see myself not being that person—constantly seeking, driven to learn and create as much as I can. It’s one of those things that keeps me awake at night, knowing that I’m trying to build a life I’ve always dreamed of. What gets me up every morning before the first light is the idea that this day I can experience something different, I can discover something new. It drives me to push my own boundaries, to face the uncertainties and take risks to get the most out of that day.
Mark Manson once said that life’s most important question is to know what it is you are willing to suffer for. In fact, the word ‘passion’ finds its roots in the Latin word pati, meaning to suffer. I haven’t yet found a magic recipe for living a rewarding, creative life, but I believe it all comes down to two things: cultivating a devotion to something that’s larger than myself and building resilience to face the adversities that appear along my path.
THE FRAMEWORK
It took me very long to find the right direction on my creative path. Sometimes I made the mistake of following someone else’s path, thinking I could get the same outcomes. Other times I just simply was putting my time and energy into things that didn’t matter. Looking back, I don’t regret any of those experiences because they still enriched me as a human being. But what I was missing was a compass. Something to guide me through the darkness I was entering every time I tried a new direction. Having found a compass has helped me to clarify and define my thoughts, eliminate my doubts and simplify the process. It made life a lot easier. Every time I’m confronted with the uncertainties of new choices, the compass serves as a tool to re-evaluate my dedication to the right cause and helps me to walk through adversity.
The framework is structured into 3 main themes which serve as the foundations of a house. You can’t see them, it’s all below the surface, but the quality is crucial for anything that’s going to be built above.
PART I: AWARENESS
PART II: COURAGE
PART III: PRACTICE
Finding the willpower to build that foundation is one thing. But human nature is perpetuated by two forces that we either need to resist or overcome: fear & desire. I’m thinking about the things which are slowing me down every day — my struggle with anxiety, stress and overwhelm — and the longing for distracting experiences such as entertainment, fun experiences and consumption in general.
Anytime I set out on another journey to discover what makes me tick, I think about the strategies to deal with these forces that will undoubtedly obstruct my ambitious endeavours. Cultivating these strategies is like preparing the soil for a garden to thrive — you can plant as many seeds as you’d like but they will only grow high and healthy if the soil is not fertile.
Now let’s get down to business.
(Click on the links below)1. PART I: AWARENESS
2. PART II: COURAGE
3. PART III: PRACTICE