Art for Your Sake

I was watching Top Chef tonight and one of the contestants was bemoaning the fact that he was being ignored. On a contest, being ignored isn't really a good thing, but the only way to change it is to keep challenging yourself. Sometimes the people who end up winning these contests never win individual challenges.  However, because they keep their head in the game and focus on their work, on their goals, and on the joy of what they're doing, they triumph. Even though they may have been overlooked during the challenges, they don't fall into the toxic trap of needing someone else's approval.

One of the things I accepted when I started doing yarn work was that most of the time, other people weren't going to care. Now mind you, they've cared more often that I thought they would. I've had people really love the things I do. People have given me glowing praises and, in the case of my roommate, I've been able to have some pretty deep conversations about what I'm doing.

However, in order to keep my mind in a healthy place about my work, I decided that as I pursued this hobby, the creation itself would be my reward. And yes, as you have read from time to time, that act of creation is also often my annoyance. In the end, I make things I enjoy and get use out of. Some of them are truly beautiful. Some of them are wonky little things. All of them were something I produced and I'm happy with that.

Why did I make the decision to view my work this way? Because needing praise from other people about what you do can become such a pit of despair. Time and time again, I see people walk away from hobbies they really seem to love because 'no one is noticing.' In a way, I get that. Being appreciated for the things you work on feels nice. But a hobby should never EVER be there so that you can get recognition from others. It should be about you and the contentment you find in the hobby. It should be about discovering new things, improving your technique, and just loving the moments when you're creating something. To place the foundation of how much you gain from a hobby on whether or not people find it pleasing is to set yourself up for disappointment.

And really, it's also removing one of the truly beneficial aspects OF a hobby. Hobbies are soothing and wonderful ways to spend time alone. They allow you to focus on your own thoughts, on the sound of your counting, on the ability of your hands. A hobby is a conversation you have with yourself. It's a challenge you give yourself. With hobbies, we can learn so much more about what we're capable of.

If you're working on something you love, work on it, even if no one else notices it. This is about you and what you can accomplish. Being creative is a beautiful and healing thing. Don't allow the toxic need for recognition to poison it for you.