_no one r͟e͟a͟l͟l͟y͟ cares anyway_
No one really cares anyway.
Sounds harsh. Doesn’t it? We all want people to care about the work we do, but at the end of the day, no one has to like it. And most people really don’t care.
And even those who like it, will never fully care or appreciate it the way it matters to you.
What if we just accepted that?
If you’re a creative, no one has to like (or care) about anything you do.
Is this such a bad thing? What if it didn’t have to be? What if it’s the thing that set us free?
What would you do if no one had to like what you did?
What would you write?
What would you sing?
What would you make because you wanted it to exist?
Most of the time when we’re making stuff, we are going to be the only ones that see it. If you’re going to work on something long enough to be proud of it, you’re going to be putting in a ton of hours that no one will see but you.
If the whole time you are doing that, you’re waiting for something that may or might not come at the end… eventually you’re going to burn out.
Because, there are zero guarantees that anyone will like what you do.
Or that you’ll make any money from it. Or that you’ll get famous from it. Or any other thing you dream about from it. Those are the possible perks of a creative life, they are not what you are entitled to.
You’re entitled to your work. That’s it.
My suggestion is that you find a way to make peace with that. Or at least be able to say “Fuck it”, I’m doing this anyway.
Fuck it, I'm doing this
even if no one shows up
even if my cheerleaders are sick
even if no one understands
I'm making this, or these things, or right now this and then that and then that.
I’m making it because I want to.
Thank God, for Cheerleaders.
Of course, some people do care. Some people care but don’t express it (does that count? haha), but yes, there are going to be some people who show up at your shows, like your posts, check in with you, and are always in your corner. They care about you.
God bless those people. All the gods from all the religions, because they can give you that validation when you really need it. They are saints!
Bless them, but you can't count on them. Because those people still don't care about it like you do. And they won’t always be there.
It's yours.
Let everyone else off the hook.
Find the Thing and find a way to do it
Not all of your creative interests are going to be the Thing. Some of them are going to burn you out, some of them are impossible without buckets of cash, and some are behind Gatekeepers.
Find the Thing that makes you feel alive, and try to do it every day.
Stop complaining about gatekeepers, or money, or time. Find something that you can do with that you have. We only have so long on this planet - make the things that you want to while you're here.
Find a way to make “a version of” something that is going to make you feel alive by giving you that feeling of pride.
Like, if you want to write songs, write them because when you're done, a song exists that didn't exist before you. You made it and it can't be un-made. Then tomorrow do it again, and then again.
It's the only guarantee way to live a fulfilled creative life… make the things that you feel proud of, even if no one sees them, likes them or cares about them.
If it's a novel, it's a chapter that didn't exist.
If it's cooking it's your stamp on a dish.
If it's crocheting, it’s taking a ball of yarn and turning it into a stuffy.
Do the Thing you do.
Otherwise you'll always be waiting to start.
That, or you’ll be working hard and it won’t fulfill you.
Sharing without need
When you do the work, that you want to do because you want to do it and you do it all the time, you’ll start to finish things and start to collect a body of work. Share it.
But now, any thing that comes after is all perk. You’ve already done it for you, so if people love it, connect with it, buy it, clap for it… you can enjoy it without needing it. You can enjoy it without expectations or projected hopes for fulfillment.
And when people don’t show up for you, and it will happen, you’ll be ok because you did it for you. Because you’re a creative and you made something that didn’t exist before. And that’s all we actually get from this.
So, make peace with it.
Ryan Leacock