Creating Can Be Frightening (By Jean Sheldon)

Doing the actual creating is not that daunting, though it offers its own kind of nightmares. The scary part comes when you share it with others. When you throw your work into the pool of public opinion and stand back hoping there are no sharks, and knowing there are.

I've spent most of my life working in a creative field. When you mix ego with money people can be downright ruthless. The thing to remember is why we create. Whether with a keyboard, a paintbrush, or a musical instrument, we create because it feels good—because it feels great. That feeling may color our opinion of the quality of the piece so the views of others can bring clarity. They can also bring fear and doubt. The bottom line is that when you're creating for the pure joy of doing it, only you have to love the creation.

How would you help someone else in their creative endeavor? I don't condone lying, but saying 'that really sucks' is probably not very supportive or helpful. When I first started painting in oils, a 'friend' looked at one of my pieces and told me it was 'one step away from a paint by number.' Ouch, that hurt. It also kept me from painting for a while, because I was busy wringing my hands and sobbing. I finally got over him, and myself.

To comment on someone else's life or work, you have to be honest with yourself first. Then you know if something other than truth helped form your opinion. When a person tells me 'I like this, but I don't like that', I thank them first for their kindness and second for their honesty. It sounds so much better than 'that sucks'.

Every culture from every era has taught that any challenge a person takes on is already half won, just by facing it. For me, the scariest part of creating would be if I didn't.

Jean Sheldon, a native Chicagoan, spent much of her life as a graphic artist. She self-published a book of poems called 'Jelly Side Down', a book on basic car repair called 'Glove Box Guide to Keeping it on the Road', and co-authored, with her cat, Xena, 'The Way of the Cat: Teaching Humans to Be'. At fifty-three, she began writing mysteries and in May of 2007 published the first book of her Chicago Police Detective Kerry Grant series. Website: http://www.jeansheldon.com