February 24, 2014 - Written by: Yazmin Joy

The Creative’s Struggle

‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on…’

…declared Helen Mirren, calling upon the word’s of Shakespeare’s Prospero, as she addressed the audience at BAFTA 2014.

As I sat in my living room in my pjs shoving popcorn into my mouth, flanked by my housemates, I realized that while the Royal Opera House was only 20 minutes away, we were a world away from BAFTA’s prestige and glamour. In that moment, I couldn’t help thinking we artists are made of more than dreams. In fact I would say we are also made of poverty, gumption and a strong stomach for rejection. Yak.

The city is full of creative people. From buskers on street corners to the waiter pouring your morning coffee, the creative community are a race of people who know struggle.

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Being a creative can sometimes be a bit shit. You get payed peanuts – literally, I’m not joking, sometimes people pay you in food! A lot of people expect you to work for free, as if they are DOING YOU A FAVOUR. Sometimes they are. Every creative job brief takes days to complete. DAYS people! We must be self motivated and live in constant uncertainty.

So why do we do it?

Maybe because it’s cathartic. Because it’s our passion. Maybe because many of us have the hope that one day we’ll be the one’s giving a speech of how it was all worth it in the end. We made it!

Oprah Winfrey, Ray Charles, Eleonora Duse, Sixto Rodriguez, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Beethoven, Jeff Buckley, Eminem… Struggle is often both the creative’s burden and source of inspiration.

It doesn’t have to be financial or physiological, think of Adele’s 2011 phenomenally received album 21, written after she went through a horrendous break-up. Ahh heartbreak: the source of many-a-hit-song!

Struggle is the lifeblood of creativity.

Inspiration

The other week, I was wallowing in my own self pity when got a call from a friend. She had some tickets for the London A Cappella Festival and wondered whether I wanted to come along. ‘You bet your ass I do!’ I said, as if I was a cast member of Bugsy Malone. You see I had recently watched that movie Pitch Perfect so I was game for some vocal harmonising.

Two hours later… It was the final performance of the evening. This was the late night session for youth groups and new artists. And to be honest we were expecting it to be a bit so-so…

The lights dimmed and a teenage girl stepped on stage. Cautious, unassuming, she quivered with the mic in her hand. ‘I’m a little nervous,’ she said. There was a cheer from the audience. ‘Don’t be nervous!’

She cleared her throat. The lights went down and the audience hushed. Then she started beatboxing.

It. Was. Fucking. Incredible. Raw, hungry, gritty, every part of her was immersed in her performance. She wasn’t polished or perfect, she wasn’t choreographed or staged, she was an ordinary girl with an extra-ordinary talent.

There is nothing like seeing raw talent. There is nothing that connects with people more than creativity that comes straight from the gut.

Watching her I felt pretty emotional. Many of us will have this moment: we listen to a song, or watch a film, or see a performance that just touches our core. Her creativity stirred something in me. I felt her hunger. I saw her fear, and sensed her struggle. Why? Because I felt my own. Her talent inspired me.

To the Creatives

So to the the guy barricaded in his bedroom producing his own beats till sunrise while his mates are out on the piss, the girl who’s feet are raw from rehearsing her dance routines way after dark, the kid who sketches the back of his textbook when he should be paying attention in class (pay attention in class kids!). Keep going.

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The world needs creative people. Musicians, painters, poets, writers, designers, sculptors, dancers and beyond. Why? Because they feed our spirit, they kindle our hearts and ignite our imaginations. They inspire others in a way that is so visceral and deep it has the impact of changing lives. It’s not bullshit.

But all creatives struggle in some shape or form. We have to fight for our space. It’s a hustle. And it’s not glamorous. Sometimes the battle is with our own selves. But struggle incites truth, inspiration and creative flow. Most give up. Many settle. But if you are a creative with a dream and a burning desire to succeed, it is the ability to carry on that will set you apart. I’m not saying we should be miserable but we can accept the struggle and use it to motivate us.