Cursed Creativity
Most people consider creativity to be a wonderful talent bestowed on a fortunate few. How great it must be to be able to come up with inventions or create amazing objects or awesome art. It is very fulfilling to be driven to make the things that pop into your head. Although it is commonly claimed that talent is 5 percent inspiration and 95 percent perspiration. So the real hard work actually starts not long after the creative person has had an incredible idea.
So why is it a curse?
The image of a starving artist is not some romantic idea that befell a handful of creatives many centuries ago, it is still the reality today. Of course, we all know this, but it has the trappings of a cliché, so it is easier to ignore. If all the energy that is ploughed into arts and crafts to make our lives more comfortable was spent on other endeavors, we would be much the poorer for it, but the artists and artisans would not.
You just can’t help some people, or can you?
They would be repaid handsomely in most other walks of life for such diligence, discipline and dedication. Creative people do not really have a choice, they are compelled, to attempt to make wonderful things.
So, if you enjoy art and beautiful objects, as the artists and artisans do, why not profit from their curse and buy some of their work. First of all, the thing they have created, will give you untold pleasure. A thing of beauty or an excellent solution to a problem is something truly wonderful. Creative people communicate through the things they make in a universal language that spans millennia. What’s not to like?
Secondly, buying a piece of work will allow the artist or artisan to continue to follow their dream. Now perhaps you think that it would be better to waken them from this foolish pursuit? But as they are cursed to be creative, they do not have much choice. Perhaps we can all help lift the curse through supporting the arts?