As a creative, we inherently want an audience; someone to appreciate our work. We put a lot of time, effort, and metaphorical blood, sweat and tears into creating. Whether you are a writer of novels, screenplays, plays or songs, you write for an audience. If you are a visual artist, be it physical or digital, you want people to view your product. In this age of social media and the internet, it is technically easy to get your art out there. However, at the same time, there is so much out there that it is hard to be noticed in the flood of content. How do you get your art recognized and viewed in the midst of so much? I certainly have not broken that code, although I expend a fair amount of energy trying to figure it out.

So here is the million dollar question: if you are creating into the void, into the abyss, does your art have value? If your product is not viewed by anyone (or by hundreds, rather than thousands or millions, as is expected), is it worth creating? Is the value of my creative content inherent? Or is it tied to the number of clicks or likes it receives?

To answer that question, each creative much take a step back and ask ourselves: Why do I create? Do I create to gain approbation and accolades from others? Or do I create for me? Do I create because I have a need to do so and because I am a more complete person because I have created? For me, I think it’s the latter. I just need to create. I just need to write. If other people read it, that’s awesome; I love to hear what people think of my writing. But even if hardly anyone reads what I write, I still want to write. Human beings are the only creatures who can create (other than the odd finger painting orangutan or water colorist elephant). Creativity is part of who we are. If even one person reads my work and likes it, I have achieved something.

Even if I get discouraged sometimes at my lack of following, even if I become unmotivated from time to time at creating into the abyss, I have concluded I still need to create. Who knows: maybe I will be one of those sorry folks who don’t get “discovered” until after my death. Maybe my big break is just around the corner. In any event, I type on. I hope you, too, will keep creating…whatever it is you create. The world is so much more colorful with creativity in it.