5 reasons to not stop creating

Sometimes I wake up with what I call "dry brain". My brain just feels, well, dry. Clunky. Sad. Barely functional. Bored. Uninterested. Today is one of those days.

So here I sit, thinking about why I even create in the first place. My brain is dry and so is my well of inspiration. I'm writing this blog post simply because it's been a month since my last blog post, so it's high time I write a new one. But...ugh. I don't really want to.

I don't want to create anything. I don't even want to consume any media. I'm tired of music. I'm borderline anhedonic. So I'm writing this blog post to remind myself of why the act of creation is important. If it helps you, too, that's a win-win.

These are my top 5 reasons to keep creating.

1. Creation is an act of rebellion.

Whether you're a writer, a musician, a YouTuber, a TikToker, an artist, a photographer, or whatever, the art you create is a vessel for whatever message you want to put out into the world. We live in an age where everything and everyone is censored, suppressed, shadowbanned, et cetera. Therefore, this is the perfect time to create simply because it's rebellious. Say what you really want to say and you will certainly find your audience, even if the algo doesn't want you to.

2. Creation as a life’s purpose.

I think I've mentioned before that I really believe I was born to be a writer. When I envision my ideal life, I picture myself surrounded by books, many of which I wrote. I dream of my target audience finding me, and I hope to one day express something someone else has been trying to find the words to express. Writing is the one constant in my life and has been since my youth.

Besides, I've learned that I need to be creating to really be entertained. Although I enjoy reading, watching, listening, etc., what really excites me - and distracts me from the monotony and suffering of daily life - is creation, typically in the form of writing.

On days like today, I'm not driven to write and it's giving me impostor syndrome. Like, "Have I ever really been a writer? Will I ever write again?"

But the thing is, every creator goes through cycles. That's actually the nature of creation. Absolutely nobody feels creative every day. Even the most prolific and innovative person you know probably has days where they're "phoning it in."  The drive to create is like the cycles of the Moon and, well, I'm in a New Moon period right now. That's fine. I'm still a writer. It's in my genes and my veins. The Moon will be full again someday, and someday, I will once again be inspired.

3. I make what I wish existed.

Being a creator gives you the unique power to create the media you want to see and experience.

I've always wished there were more books with nonbinary protagonists, written by nonbinary people. So...I wrote them. I've always wished there were more love stories centered around metal. So, you guessed it, I made that my niche. 

I know my books aren't for everyone. I'm my own target audience. The fact that I can write, edit, and publish whatever the hell I want to, and in so doing introduce a unique or underrepresented story into the world - that's powerful.

4. Creation as a form of immortality.

To publish anything is to become immortal. I'll live forever through Meet Me in the Tower, More Birds than Usual, Thirst Trap, and Storm Season, and I'll live forever through this blog post. The internet will probably outlive us, and the written word certainly will. Just by writing and posting this very blog entry, I’ll never really die, because my words will always be out there. I just think that's neat.

5. Create out of spite!

If you've read my works, you may have noticed that every book I write is dedicated to spite. I'm finally going to explain what that means.

You see, I have this ex. I'm not going to name him, but we had a short, intense, weird, long-distance relationship back in 2019. During a week when he was visiting me, I excitedly told him about this idea I had, the concept behind what would become Thirst Trap. My enthusiasm was met with a biting response from him. I forget his exact words, but I do remember how it made me feel. I cried right there in one of my favorite bars in Atlanta and he didn't do a very good job of comforting me, which is one of the reasons why we broke up.

He was an English teacher - he taught English abroad, no less, which is something I could go on a whole other rant about - and he seemed to think his superior grasp of the English language made him a better writer than everyone else.

But, like...it didn't. I read some of his work and it didn’t appeal to me. It was obscure, hard to follow, symbolic, and annoying. I can't stand when people talk in riddles. I'm sure his writing style will appeal to a lot of people, but that's not what I like to read - I prefer to read, and write, works that are way more straightforward. We just have different styles - one style of self-expression isn’t inherently better than any other.

Anyway, in 2020, I suddenly became determined to get published before he did. So...I did, and I let him know that I did. Is Meet Me in the Tower my best work? Absolutely not, but it's the work I "broke the seal" with, and I'm proud of it regardless. I got published before my pretentious ex, out of spite. 

I've since unfriended him for unrelated reasons, and the target of my spite has changed, but spite is still my main drive for creation.

I know all of this is petty but, well, being petty isn't a crime.

The point is: never underestimate the value of spite.

Do you hate an author's work? Write something better to spite them.

Did someone give you an annoying critique, maybe about how something you wrote about is "unrealistic"? Make your next work even more unrealistic. Lean into whatever it was the critic give you shit about. Make it your whole identity as a creator.

Write a Mary Sue. Write a vampire novella, even though there are a lot of them out there. Do something someone told you you couldn't do. Make a TikTok that's so obnoxious, even you can't stand to watch it. Make a YouTube video about something nobody gives a shit about. Draw an extremely disproportionate anime character. Write a song that's stupid but makes you laugh.

(I just realized this ties back to the rebellion thing I mentioned above. Again, everything happens in cycles, lol.)

My point is: Life is too short to not create out of spite. Just do it!

If you made it this far, you're a real one. I deeply appreciate you. If you want to see "nonbinary metalhead who's irrationally afraid of thunderstorms" representation, might I suggest reading my latest novella, Storm Season?

What's your reason for creating? Leave me a comment below.