Creating for Myself

CONFESSION #15: I often forget that I am free to create things just for the joy of creating.

This might sound like a lame confession, but it's true. I often forget that I can just create things for myself, for the joy of creating something. I forget this mainly when it comes to making films or writing. I'm often so busy creating for others, to show things to others, or for others to use, that I forget to make things just for the joy of creating them. 

This is an interesting idea, considering that I'm halfway through this 31 day challenge, give or take a few hours. 

In the past, I would have never done something like this unless I might receive gratification in some way for it. But I wanted to do this challenge for me and ultimately for the Lord. Sure, I want others to read it, but what's really fueling this challenge is exploring this topic for myself more so than for others. 

Being creative and creating beautiful things bring joy and delight. They don't bring lasting joy and delight, but they do bring a certain joy.

That's why I like to create and I'm guessing it's a motivation for others as well. 

Ultimately though, creating just for myself doesn't bring lasting joy. I can only enjoy a piece of art that I create for so long before I start seeing the flaws in it, or I get the itch to make something even better. 

It's good sometimes to create things just for me to enjoy, but ultimately that enjoyment can be fleeting, which is why I'm so tempted to create things for others to enjoy. 

This leads us into tomorrow's post, creating for others.

This post is part of a 31 day series called Confessions of a Creative Christian.