Gratitude is so often overlooked in this day in age so stop being an ungrateful piece of shit. We often think that the world revolves around us and even if we don’t believe that we are still extremely ungrateful for the things the earth provides and things people do for us on a daily basis. While we may say we are grateful for such and such we seldom ever acknowledge the people, place, or thing that is responsible for the things that we are grateful for. I’ll be the first to admit I take many things in my life for granted and often fall short on letting the people around me know that I am grateful but I do my best to always make an effort to show my gratitude anyway that I can. I can speak from personal experience, much of my life (the early years) I was an ungrateful piece of shit. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t see or realize the things that people were doing for me or how they helped me out, I just seldom ever acknowledge them nor did I take any time out of my important selfish life to really say a heartfelt thank you. I was lucky though, I had great parents and sister that, I sure hope at least, knew I was extremely grateful and fortunate for the sacrifices and assistance they have loaned to me over the years. I eventually needed to start acknowledging those actions and telling people that I was grateful, I had burned far too many bridges, it was time to start rebuilding them, and show my gratitude to the people who stuck around through the most difficult parts of my life and continue to give encouragement in my pursuits. Like I said, I’m pretty lucky in that regard. Most people wouldn’t have stuck around or supported me with all of my bullshit but at least, to many people’s relief, I grew the hell up. I got help for my problems and decided that I wasn’t going to be that ungrateful little shit that I use to be. This has made a world of difference, it definitely has gone hand in hand in the chances and opportunities I have received, which I am extremely grateful to receive.
What does this have to do with creativity? Well everything and nothing. I am the change that I want to see in the world. I want the world to be more grateful, I think as a society that has virtually anything that we want at our fingertips we often take life for granted and how good we really have it. Gratitude isn’t just about being grateful to other people, it’s also about being grateful for the things we have, the safety we live in, the experiences we can achieve, food in or stomachs and shelter over our heads. Many people don’t have access to any of these things so being the change I want to see in the world is me doing a small part to make some improvements. Will me being grateful solve world hunger, unlikely but it will let the people around me know that I love, care and appreciate the things they do. When they know they are appreciated they will feel satisfied for helping someone which will hopefully make them feel happy and then share their gratitude with someone else. It’s all about the ripple effects. If all I’m doing is being an ungrateful shit and making the lives around me miserable that will in turn create a negative ripple effect. Lets reduce the negative ripple effects. So what about creativity? Well, traditionally people are more creative when they are happy or satisfied. Yes I know, what about the brooding artists, poets, and writers who created masterworks out of depression and negativity, blah blah blah. They are the exception, nothing is cut and dry, I’m not naive. Anyways, the important part is that many people have an easier time creating things when they are happy and satisfied, it’s not about creating masterworks it’s about doing something creative no matter how big, small or by however you define creative. When people feel appreciated, they are happier, and they are more likely to do something that results in a creative pursuit. Positive ripple effects are why gratitude is important to creativity. Not only do I want the world to be a more grateful place I would love to see the world be more creative and put higher value on creativity versus “hard work” (in this connotation; busy, mundane, pointless bullshit work that doesn’t matter aka “drone work”). That’s the change I want and that is the change I will live, it starts with gratitude.
How do we go about being less of an entitled twat and more of a grateful human being? Well, I recently started keeping a gratitude journal and I would highly recommend starting one yourself. Basically, I just write down the things I’m grateful for and it can be literally anything, not just your parents or paycheck. There is a million and a half things we can be grateful for on a daily basis, sometimes it’s hard to realize just how much things align in a given day that in mere seconds could definitely make or break any situation. The point of the exercise is to start identifying the positive in our lives and focus on that instead of the negative, what we don’t have or want. As a result, we shift our perceptions and our quality of life begins to significantly improve causing more positive ripple effects and infecting more people with positivity. Positivity is a good thing people, we need more of it. If nothing else it is a great way to get perspective on life and your current situation, no matter how dreary or difficult it may be at the moment. Here is an example of some things on my list, I number them in case I ever need to reference something that may have inspired me:
I am grateful…
to be alive
to have a great, caring, and supportive family
to have great friends
to get a paycheck (no matter how unsatisfying it is, it funds the fun stuff)
to the Universe so beautiful, mysterious, and interesting
to breathe
to our ancestors who discovered tea (I freaking LOVE tea)
to have a solid head of hair (even if I buzz it every month, just knowing makes me grateful)
to have a very skilled artistic Grandfather who inspired me to be an artist at a very young age, which subsequently allowed me to develop my creativity
to the distance Suns that glimmer so amazingly in the night sky
to my fellow creatives who inspire me to create and try new things
to my readers and viewers (this is the most recent entry)
It’s a growing list, I try to add a minimum of 1 or 2 things a day. Gratitude is important for us to stay humble and grounded. Being humble and grounded allows us to see the world how it is not through rose tinted glasses. Seeing the world as it is, is a beautiful thing. I challenge you to stop looking down at your cell phone, tablet or away from whatever screen you are currently looking at and just look around you, but REALLY look, observe and think, you won’t be disappointed. From the trees outside, buildings looming overhead, tea in your cup, people in the street, paint on the walls, music in your ears, breeze across your skin; there is beauty and intrigue in every object around you, in my experience it’s observing and being part of the world that inspires me the most. If you aren’t grounded and humble you will miss out on so much in this world that is worth experiencing. Everything starts with being gratitude. Take some time out of your day to be grateful for the things in your life, it will change your world.