If you’ve ever seen an interview with a creative person that has a Q&A session at the end, there’s usually a person who asks a question like this: “I’m an aspiring author. What advice would you give to someone like me?” If I were the person being asked this question, my response would be: “Are you currently writing?” If they answered yes, then I would reply: “Then you’re not aspiring to be a writer, you ARE a writer.” Seems simple enough.
And it really is.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ASPIRE is “to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal,” which means that if you are writing in any capacity in the genre or medium you desire to write in, you are no longer aspiring to do so. Now, if you aspire to be a published author, or aspire to have one of your screenplays produced, that’s a different thing entirely.
And that’s where setting goals comes into play.
We are living in a golden age of independent media content production. No longer do we have to sit idly by and merely hope to have something published or produced. We can do it ourselves! Podcasts, self-publishing, blogs, YouTube, Vimeo, and dozens of other outlets allow creative types like us to make our dreams a reality without having to wade through rejection letters, unreturned phone calls, and the dreaded silent “no.”
Don’t just ASPIRE to do it. Do it! You want to get your book out there? There are ways to make it happen on your own. Want to be on the radio? Do a podcast and get it out there for others to listen to and enjoy. Like writing and directing films? YouTube can give you a platform and an audience without having to spend hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars.
Every person reading this needs to know that we have the power to not just ASPIRE to do things. No, we can do them and then INSPIRE others to get their creativity out for the world to see.
In a world that can be so mired in cynicism and negativity, it’s time for all creative people to bring their positivity and influence out in the open to help make the world a better place.
Let’s all move beyond aspiring to inspiring and motivate yourself and others to be agents of positive creativity!
Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Great post 😁