A teacher once said to me, “Sometimes the best that people can give you is what they’re giving you in this moment. Don’t judge too harshly.”
That’s good advice, especially when wrestling with the creative muses. If you’re trying to make something beautiful happen, and you’re stumped, don’t be too hard on yourself. Realize that perhaps this is the best the creative gods can give you today.
And, realize you’re doing YOUR best.
Nobody sits down to write for example, with the thought, “Boy, today sure would be a good day to sit and stare at a cursor blinking on a blank page!” Sometimes, it’s just not your day.
But creating is a lot like golfing. See, in golf, you go out there on a crisp morning full of hope. You stretch, enjoy the smell of freshly mown grass, and drive up to that first tee filled with anticipation. You set the tee in the ground, place that new white ball ever so gently, waggle (yes, waggle), get firm in your stance, and…duff. Then swear. Then listen to the melodic sounds of friends laughing at your expense. Ah, the joys of sport!
This continues on for hours until you reach the 18th hole (it’s always on 18 where this happens). You find the groove. You hit the perfect shot right on the sweet spot. The ball sails into bar room legend, and you feel a rush of euphoria such that you’ve never felt before. Even your worst golfing critic in the group puts down his beer and says, “Nice shot!”
It’s that one moment that brings you back for more. That one sweet swing gives you the push you need, in order to remember why you love the game, even though the 90 previous shots drove you mad.
I think creativity is so much the same way. We can struggle for days to find something meaningful in the creative life, but when we get that one great photograph, write that one great paragraph, or sketch the perfect shape, it leaves us wanting more–no judgments and no doubts.
Because sometimes the best we can do is really our best.
In those other times? Well, all I can say is just keep swinging–and don’t judge too harshly.