Do it For You

We are by nature consumed by our own needs, wants, and desires. Our outlook on the world is invariably shaped by our perceived role in it, however flawed or inaccurate.

But any form of expression is ultimately an attempt to connect. Any slab of paint across a canvas or doodles on a notepad are ways of finding solace in our shared human experience.

That very need for kinship is in our DNA. We are quite literally wired for connection. In fact, there was once a time when failure to conform meant being exiled, which was as good as death.

Not surprisingly, that sentiment is still prevalent today.

But what about the need to first connect with our selves?

I’ve found trying to answer that question very important in figuring out why I still feel the need to share my voice regardless of the number of Likes, Retweets, or Applause.

Over time, I discovered the purpose of my creativity shifted from the need for validation or desire to mold consensus, but for the most paradoxically unselfish reason I could think of:

For ME.

If I have nothing to say or contemplate for myself, I have no chance of adding any value to you.

One covenant I made with myself long ago was to never allow fear to quell the tempest of thoughts, feelings, and need to express I felt brewing within.

But with that declaration came a great responsibility.

I was making a promise to continue putting myself out there despite the likelihood of rebuke, or total indifference.

But I decided to forge ahead anyway because I needed to.

If what YOU have to say resonates with another soul that’s fantastic. Enjoy the resonance, the dopamine drip, the feeling of fellowship with another human.

But remember, that feeling is fleeting at best. We do the work because it matters first and foremost to ourselves.

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