One of the best ways I have found to improve as a creative has nothing to do with getting the newest camera, educational course, or piece of gear, but it's about increasing your self-awareness and constantly improving your character traits.
With all this time that we have been cooped up in our houses, it has given us an opportunity to sit back and reflect. It has given us the time to reflect on ourselves, our businesses, our families, and realize what's most important to us. One of the most crucial things we can do as creatives is to recognize our struggles and begin to tackle them one at a time.
In this intimate discussion with Youtube creator, YCImaging, he discusses the fact that we all struggle with things in our characters and the tendencies we have as creative people. He begins by noting that he struggles with socializing and interacting with people off the internet, then goes onto say that he has a difficult time accepting critique from clients, and peers. These traits ultimately lead to being close minded and hinder your creativity.
Out of the various traits he talked about, the one I related to the most was not being able to take criticism well. As a creative, whenever I do any piece of work, I put my all in to what I do, and my mind becomes so focused that it doesn't allow other people to inform my work. It's my way or the highway. But, when it comes to critique, I realized it's one of the most valuable tools we have at our disposal to attain growth. After watching this video, it made me aware that if we want to excel in the creative space, we must find the negative traits we have and address it. So, moving forward I will make an asserted effort to be willing to accept feedback on my work and collaborate more with others.
What are some things you struggle with as a creative? Leave your response in the comments below.