Uniquely You: Why Your Idea Is Worth Pursuing

There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.
And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. 
~ Martha Graham

 

T

ell me if this happens to you. 

You sit down to write, paint, compose, craft and you come up with a brilliant idea.  You’re excited, breathless, working non-stop to bring this vision to life.  And then suddenly, in the middle of the project, Doubt punches you in the face.  And you think, why am I writing/painting/composing/crafting this thing?  Surely others could write it more poetically, compose a more beautiful melody, paint it with more brilliance, or craft it with a finer skill.

You are right.

Someone else probably can and will produce a finer work of art then you will.  That doesn’t mean that you should give up on your own vision.  Giverny’s vision of a field of poppies is breathtaking.  So is Van Gogh’s Farmhouse in a Wheatfield.  Both add to the overall beauty of the Impressionist movement.  But what if one had seen the other's work and said, "Oh, I could never paint like that!  I should take up bricklaying instead."

What kind of musical culture would we have if Frank Sinatra heard Bing Crosby crooning and said, “Oh, I’ll never be able to croon like he does.  Why even try?”  We would have Bing's rendition of "Would You Like to Swing on a Star" but not Frankie's "It Had to Be You."  And we would never have heard the delightful "What a Swell Party This Is" duet they did in High Society.

Each of us is beautifully unique.  And we have a story all our own or at least, we have a way of telling a story ~ a vision that no one else has.  Even if you reach just one person with your story or your version of it, it’s worth the telling.  

So punch Doubt right back in the face and keep honing that vision, telling your story, and singing your song.  I want to hear it.

If only to know that I’m not alone

Oremus pro invicem,

~ Mikaela

This particular brand of doubt is a constant bully.  He doesn’t usually punch me, he just whispers ugly things in my heart.  So I write posts like this as much to remind myself to throw him out on his ear, as to encourage other artists to do so.