#MondayWithAimée
Lovely Monday morning, sweethearts!
Do I consider myself an artist? I couldn’t say so, and it’s not my goal either, but I think there is an artistic fiber that lives on in me and that craves for artistic content, motivation and thoughts. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, I think there is always a bit of creative spirit in each and every one of us. Entrepreneurs have creative minds, too. This is why I bring you along on this thought process I had lately.
I have been struggling with a concept for the past months and I’ve wanted to share this with you for a while, but I didn’t know exactly what I was thinking on the matter, until this morning, when I had an epiphany in my bath. I don’t know what it is about showers and baths but great ideas come from them!
For a while now I have been debating on a subject that applies to a lot of things in life, but especially art or creating content and putting it out there in the world to be seen by a public. My question was: would you rather create something that everyone likes, or something that only a few people adore?
A few months ago, I would’ve told you I’d rather create something everyone likes. I think it was my insecurity talking mostly, because I, like a lot of people, would love to be appreciated by everyone. Creating strong feelings and passion also implies igniting strong negative feelings, and I feared that to an extreme. I wanted everyone to like what I do, even if it’s mild, boiled down content, just because it’s easier to chew and accept. I thought I had thought it through, I thought I was comfortable with this decision, because it meant less confrontation and in my head, that meant more love. Boy, was I wrong.
Then, an Actors on Actors interview came out with Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson where it’s just them discussing and basically interviewing each other. I encourage you to watch the whole interview, it’s very interesting and it also feels like chatting with friends, I’ll leave the link down below, with the specific timestamps. My opinion that I thought strong was shaken by something very specific Chris said. At the moment, I wasn’t sure I agreed with his statement, and yes, it shocked me because I was disagreeing with my favorite actor mostly, but also because it hit a specific weak spot. I had already examined this dilemma and thought I had come to a conclusion. I then decided to explore my opinion a bit further. Just to see if I had really thought it through, or if I was acting out of fear, which is common. The topic I’m talking about starts around 16:55, but his answers starts at 19:20, it revolves around original content in movies and Chris talks about how sometimes ideas are boiled down by studios because they don’t want to shock audiences in order to make good at the box office, so they are “no one’s favorite movie, but everyone’s lukewarm”. (21:20)
I was okay with being lukewarm, having my art appreciated by people but not enough to be their favorite, or so I thought. In the months that followed, this question followed me around, this exact quote haunting me, and yet, I didn’t know exactly where I stood on this topic. It was a typical debate between my head and my fearful heart.
I realized in 2020 something very cliché, something you probably know already but that you need to realize on your own for it to become more than words: you can’t please everyone. Especially with social media, everyone has an opinion and feels free to share it with the whole world. People had opinions back then, but they didn’t share it so freely with the whole world, with people they’ve never seen. Yes, people are more educated, but people are also louder about everything, educated opinion or not. It creates a giant, loud humming in the background of your head, especially when you create. What will people think? You know that someone somewhere won’t like what you do and that they will likely tell you. Why do they feel the urge to tell you bluntly, I have no clue, but they will. So why try to please everyone? Your art isn’t about people pleasing. Your art is about doing what you love, being proud of yourself and what you do. It’s kind of impossible to be everyone’s lukewarm, because so many people won’t like it, but also, because it’s such a boring, tasteless, bland way of seeing your creation. Your focus shouldn’t be on what the reaction will be, it should on the effort and emotion you put in, and the actual product you deliver. This is what matters, that you are proud of what you do and that you are excited to share it with the world.
Have you ever read a book, seen a play, watched a movie that made your sparkle? Your body and mind are alert and it’s like life is different after this. Your view on the world, on you and others, has changed because of this piece of art and you can’t get enough of it. You want to know everything about it, you want to revisit it as much as possible, and you recommend it to everyone. You could talk hours endlessly about this because it changed you and your life and you want it to touch others. This is passion. This is what we should aim to create with our creation. Of course, passion can be positive and also negative, but the positive passion is greater than the negative passion. Anyway, negativity will always be there anyways. And if the only passion you ignite is within yourself, then so be it. You should be your number one fan, passionately. If you are passionate about what you do, it will transcend through the art and it will create passion in others as well. It’s no way to live a life boiled down out of fear of rejection.
I hope you find a way to sparkle passion in everything you do, my sweethearts. If you need help, the b0ld blog has got you covered with amazing articles and Instagram posts. Stay safe and soft.
Passionate embrace,
Aimée.
Here is the link to the full interview of Actors on Actors! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSzrJkHtVg
Timestamps:
topic: 16:55
answer: 19:20
quote: 21: 20
