Have you ever learned a creative skill, then found yourself saying or thinking, "It's not a big deal, everybody else does it"? Perhaps you're surrounded by people who seem to all cook like professional chefs, or sew any piece of clothing you might desire. Perhaps everyone you know can knit or crochet, or paint. When we're surrounded by talented and skilled people, it can feel like our own creative skills don't really matter, so we end up minimizing our accomplishments.
As you learn hobbies, and pursue creative skills, I just want to remind you to be kind to yourself. Learning any new skill is an amazing accomplishment worth celebrating. Just because other people make it look easy, or seem to learn faster, doesn't invalidate your own accomplishments. The best part is that I could tell everyone in the world to paint a sunset and I'd be surprised if any pictures were exactly the same.
Sure, many other people might be able to do what you can do, but they won't do it in exactly the same way. Learning the skill is not when creativity ends, it's actually where it begins. Once you feel comfortable with a new skill, you'll be able to take your newfound knowledge and brainstorm new ideas. We aren't going to learn as fast as artificial intelligence, but creative skills aren't about the speed at which they are learned. There is so much to learn about ourselves through the learning process of a creative journey. Acquiring skills is just one part of the process.
There is so much value in the process of developing and honing creative skills, whether it's working on writing, music, cooking, painting, screenprinting, stamping, cardmaking, or anything else you can imagine. Not only do you improve the skills you're working on, but you also use your brain in different ways than most people's normal daily tasks require. It's good for you on a few different levels.
Don't worry about the people around you, and how skilled they seem to be. Try to avoid comparing your creative skills and journey to other peoples'. Your journey is your own. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Your journey will need to be whatever works for you, and you should allow yourself to pursue something you find interesting and enjoyable. Creative skills help enrich our lives in different ways, and no two journeys are exactly the same, just like pieces of art.
Take a few moments to be proud of your progress, perseverance, and to acknowledge improvements in your creative skills. You can do something awesome!
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