Why do we create?

Can I ask myself something...? and you of course...

Just one thing, I promise I won’t bore you...

Why do we choose to transform things?

To take them under our own authorship and reshape them into something new...

Why do we create?

I don’t think it’s something easy to explain. It’s not like breathing, or not swimming after eating. It doesn’t even come from the body—though the mind is somehow contained inside our skulls, I get the feeling that it comes from somewhere else.

From something bigger.

One thing we all have in common is that when we do something, create something, or make a decision, most of the time, we’re driven by something more.

A feeling, a situation, a belief…

Well… it’s a little embarrassing to admit, but in my case, my driving force is someone—just like it might be for many others too.

It’s something extraordinary, almost mystical, that impulse.

Whatever the reason, it makes you feel alive and present, like you're meant to do something.

It gives you the power to create things you never thought you would—or could.

But, like anything else, it all starts somewhere…

And that beginning can sometimes be kind of…

-Will they like it?

-Do I really have to do this?

-It has to be perfect.

-How will it look when I’m done?

-Will I even finish it?

-Maybe I just shouldn’t do it—

Terrifying.

I had never painted before in my life.

And yet, I’ve painted twice already. Three times counting this one.

And when the brush touches the canvas, there’s nothing stopping me from painting more.

Even though minutes earlier I was questioning if it was the right thing to do, if I had the right reasons to do this here and now.

But still—I’ve started the painting.

What will I paint? I don’t know.

An emotion, a landscape, a cat, a dream…

Honestly, I have no idea.

I think we tend to get too caught up in doing the “right” things when, really, most of the time we just want to do them—and that should be enough.

The hard part is starting.

But after you start… all that’s left is to flow with the brush.

Not before.

Not at the beginning.

Not after.

Not at the end.

Just now.

You, the tool, and the canvas.

Everything in its place.

And sure, it’s okay to play the prediction game sometimes—I do it. It’s fun… or creepy, depending on the moment.

But when I create something, I like to leave the ending for the end.

Because if I try to give it a specific meaning from the start, I limit the work to only trying to explain that meaning—robbing myself of the chance to play with the present.

Let me tell you something…

To create, to be creative, is not a superpower given to a lucky few.

No way.

You and me, the people you see walking by, every single person in a sea of faces—they all have an inner dream.

Everyone has the ability to create in their mind.

Sadly, many don’t have the time to develop it, but it’s there!

I’m probably the worst person to use for this example but—it’s like my huge muscles.

Okay, they’re not really there, I know.

But I do have those strands of meat all over my body.

I just need to develop them.

And the fact that I don’t doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there.

It’s the same with creativity—and with a lot of things in life!

And it’s not about trying to become a bodybuilder, a film director, or a painter like Van Gogh.

Honestly, I doubt Van Gogh ever imagined that thousands of people would admire him one day.

I know someone who would die to see one of his paintings up close.

But Van Gogh painted because he loved to.

Because he was passionate about it.

Not for the dollars, or the fame, or power, or any of the thousands of “useful” reasons—in quotes.

No.

He just painted.

Just did what he loved.

Like when you cook for someone you care about.

Like when you prepare a gift for your crush.

You do it for the sake of it.

For the feeling.

Of course, when you cook, you want the food to taste amazing.

When you prepare a gift, you want it to spark something.

But... does the result really matter when what you’re creating is the most genuine and real thing you can offer?

It’s okay to have dreams—we all do.

And a lot of times, they’re part of what keeps us going.

But they’re not the only thing.

Love, the feeling in every brushstroke, every word written, every ingredient, every musical note…

That incomparable feeling of the process itself…

That’s what makes me think that:

We create out of love for creation, while dreaming big.

And you...

What do you think? <3