What is Your Creative Motive?
Creativity is naturally built-in to all humans - we’re all born with an imagination that allows us to create some pretty wild things. Traditionally, most of us tend to lose this imagination as we get older, most likely because of a combination of the education system (which is focused on cerebral academics instead of creative academics) and the wishes of our parents (you know they all want us to be doctors or lawyers - never artists).
There have always been people who ended up being “creatives”. These are the musicians, artists, photographers, graphic designers, writers, and film makers of the world. The people that make things that bring delight to other people through their consumption. Things that aren’t deemed necessary to sustain life but drastically improve the quality of life.
However, I’d say the internet gives anyone a chance to be a creative. Gone are the huge barriers to entry in terms of monetization and distribution. This also means that the level of stuff that is “not-so-good” also increases exponentially. As is the nature of the world, this stuff will sink to the bottom while that which is good rises to the top.
This is not a piece dedicated to expositing the virtues of the internet nor the tragedy of creativity. It does have to do with me, however egotistical it sounds. Being one member of this “internet generation”, I’ve also increased creative outputs. I have a Flickr account in which I post photos I take, I have a Vimeo account in which I post videos I shoot, and I have a Tumblr account in which I post things like this. These are my creative outputs.
The trouble is that I’m not a master at any of them, making them things that sink to the bottom - things that are enjoyed by close friends and family but not by the world on a whole. And, being an “e-creative”, this stings sometimes. Every ounce of energy I have put into being a creative up to this point is to try and get better, to be popular in the form of page views and subscribers. To do so, I’ve tried a number of different properties to help launch me into virtual stardom, none have which succeeded in the way that I wanted them to.
And I think that is the wrong attitude to take. To see this new point of view, one has to understand a very basic thing: all that I do is not by my own power, but rather through Christ in me. God made me, shaped me, and has given me all of the talents that I use to create things on the internet. And instead of giving Him the glory for these many good gifts, I have instead used any talent I have to try and further my own agenda. To try and give glory to my name - to have Jonathan Pike up in lights and have people say how amazing I am at everything.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Where my “creative motive” has been to bring glory to myself, it should have been to bring glory to God. To show the world that He is a great and awesome God who is worthy to be praised. And, with His help, this will be my creative motive going forward.
What is your creative motive?
