216. BRENÉ BROWN: The eternal struggle
This is the second quote from Brené Brown that I’ve adapted and a semi-sequel to The Woman in the Arena. Brené specialises in creativity, vulnerability and shame and in the blog post where this quote is taken from (it also appears in her best-selling book The Gifts of Imperfection) she writes that like many others, she was disconnected from her creativity until she actively made an effort to embrace it again and make it a part of her life.
And I know, it does sound a bit privileged and pretentious for me to tell people to find time to be creative in today’s world. “Jeez Gav, I have a full-time job, two kids and a house that needs cleaning. I don’t exactly have time to set up the easel and paint a still-life.” I get that, but I’m not telling you to complete the next Mona Lisa or write War and Peace. It could be as small as baking a cake for your kid’s birthday, drawing an anniversary card for your spouse instead of buying one, taking up the piano again after years of not practicing, having a karaoke battle with your friends – it seriously doesn’t matter.
And yes, if you haven’t tried it before or have neglected art for years, your initial attempts will be awful. Absolutely horrible. But that’s ok. Just do it for yourself and not to impress anyone. Just have a bit of fun and don’t let that battered and bruised creative spirit inside you die out completely.
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Brené Brown The Woman in the Arena
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– Brené’s new book BRAVING THE WILDNERNESS is out in September. You can pre-order it here.
– I initially made fun of those adult colouring-in books in this post which upset some of you. I felt bad and was inspired to put together a free PDF of my artwork for you to colour-in.
LOVE IT! It’s a TKO, Gav. Well done!!
Love this one!!!
This one is super. Love it!
I’ve been reading your site for years and have many favorites. This post tops all of the favorites I have. Keep doing what you do best Gav! You are an inspiration to many creatives out there.
I was systematically abused all through my childhood and teens and had all my confidence and sense that I am/can do anything of value stripped away. Adult colouring books are the tiny little baby step of creativity I can actually have without falling into paralysing anxiety and panic (most of the time). So thanks a lot for shitting on that so casually. Never expected to feel like this because of this site.
I’m not sure where you’re coming from with the “shitting on that so casually”. The entire comic and post was about it being okay to express yourself with ANY kind of creativity.
Actually, in the brackets, Gav says that everything is okay except adult coloring books. Which in fact is not the most positive or mindful thing to say…
Yeah, I was pretty excited about this comic, but was very disappointed by Gav’s statement on coloring (“Just promise me you won’t start those adult colouring-in books. Ugh.”).
It’s cool if you’re not into coloring, but a lot of people enjoy it, and even find it therapeutic. With that long list of ways to be creative, why limit someone else’s creativity, or criticize the way they choose to express it? If you advocate being creative, why dismiss one more way people are able to do that?
I agree, Gavin, that was unaccounted for. Adult coloring books are awesome. Everyone is entitlted to their opinions so it doesn’t really matter anywho…
But.. Why would you panic when you create something other than drawing in an adult coloring book? Noone has to see it. Just keep it to yourself as your own secret little gems. Fuck what the world thinks or does to you, its not you. I dare not impose I know anything of the things you feel but I’ve always felt, that regardless of your history, expression through any kind of form is for none other than yourself. The world wants you to think otherwise tho, that you should be good at something, so it can become profitable. And I agree, if you want to make money from art, it should to some extent. But that has little to do with creativity. It’s as they say, intelligence having fun, and you should allow yourself all the fucking fun in the world after what you’ve been through.
I really hope with all my heart that you will heal some day. I’ll say a little prayer for you.
Best of luck finding your way <3
You’re right Ray, I was joking but it was in poor taste. Removed it. Whatever works for you is a legitimate form of creativity. All the best to you – email me and I can send some pdfs of my comic lineart for you to colour next!
Gav, thanks for being responsive to feedback! One of the reasons I <3 Zen Pencils!
Just uploaded some of my artwork, free to colour 🙂 https://zenpencils.com/blog/free-colour-in-pdf/colour/
Ahh, this comic reminds me from the time I was in a steel-workshop and made my first (and so far the last) hammer:
Learning the blueprints, selecting the correct steel for each part, Machining the parts into precise sizes and finally fitting the parts together.
I felt mighty proud of my work and even bought it to take it home with me.
There I soon found out some glaring problems with it:
The head was too small and light to be used properly for hammering, the handle started rusting because of the lacking rust-protection (and the pattern added to the handle collected moisture from my hand) etc.
Even though it was the finest thing I’ve ever created, it still was easily beaten by a 2 dollar mass-produced hammer from a hardware-store.
This opened my eyes and I immediately stopped pursuing a career in Machining and became a nurse instead.
I now work in a day-care center for the feeble-minded and I’m a proper productive member of society.
Moral of the story: It is always better to choose a achievable career over a naive dream.
“If money can’t buy happiness, I’ll guess I’ll have to rent it”
But you felt joy creating that hammer. Why does it have to be a career? It can be a weekend hobby
I dunno: milling machines ain’t cheap. Used ones have a start up price of 1000$ or more (shipping for the 500 kg beast not included) and I don’t have proper space for it in my house.
Then I would also need a steel cutter,
a shed for storing the steel,
container for the cutting fluid,
container for the used cutting fluid,
a lathe,
industrial-grade fuse-box and wiring,
permit for said wiring,
soundproof work-environment and numerous other items for safe and regulated work.
Also I greatly enjoy my work as a nurse: it is fun to talk with the feeble-minded. Their lack of higher cognitive functions (some more serious than other) allows them to find wonder in very mundane things with child like curiosity: like when a excavator was digging a sewer line in the daycare center’s back yard.
For 2 hours we watched with awe at a sight that regular people would’ve passed without a second look but for them it was like magic.
Also If I didn’t look after these poor people, who would?
Hedonist;
There’s a place called the TechShop, not sure if it’d be in your area. They are a membership club where you can go and use any available machining or woodwork equipment they have. It’s more of a hobbyists playland. They even have 3d printers if you’re the digital creative type 😉
Maybe you could find something like that if you’re interested in doing some hobby work of any kind. It’d be a cheap alternative to buying equipment yourself, and then deciding it’s not for you. Or it could spring board you into a whole new passion.
Also, I applaud you for your work with the feeble minded, it’s a very difficult line of work…I don’t have the patience for most neuro-typical people, so I’m not sure I could do it myself.
That is a good idea friend, I will check that place out as soon as I got enough disposable income to afford a flight to America.
Also: working with the feeble-minded isn’t as hard as you think(at least in the facility I’m working in). Just chat with them, help them use the toilet and watch them while they eat (so that they don’t choke/make a big mess).
It is also a very fun work, this one time I asked a patient that had a new shower installed in their home: “Why do we take showers”.
They looked at me like a cow watches a on coming semi and answered: “to wash the pee-stank off ya, obviously.”
The whole room started laughing at this brilliant deduction to this somewhat stupid question.
ahh, fun times.
I will add programming!! It is such a beautiful way to create something new from nothing 😀
What are the Chinese characters–what do they say? Should I not get those tattoo on my neck?
? means fear. So yeah, don’t get it tattooed. You should stay away from getting anything you don’t understand tattooed on your body. Not only do people often get wrong advice about what a character means, tattoo shops often use completely made up guides.
Even when they use the right guides, they will reverse the image or separate parts of the character so it is meaningless.
The guys at this website help people translate their tattoos. 90% of the time it aint pretty http://hanzismatter.blogspot.com/
I love this. I will buy a poster when it’s available.
Great comic strip. Nice touch throwing in some examples of ways to be creative that some people don’t immediately think of that way like cooking & decorating and even building an engine. People always amaze me at all the ways they find to be creative & put their stamp on things.
That’s what I needed… Thanks for the lift!
Wonderful inspirational comic, Gav! Though I disagree with you about coloring books. 🙂
Thank you for this inspiring piece of art (I could easily say that about everything you publish!)
I am a history teacher, and I assign creative final projects instead of giving exams. My Western Civ students have the opportunity to create and evolve their own civilizations. Most enjoy it. One student came to me after class to say she didn’t know how to handle the assignment. “I don’t have a creative bone in my body,” I assured her that she did, and advised to pick some aspect of historiography, some theme, that meant a great deal to her. She said she was very interested in gender studies and women’s history. I suggested she might want to look at Egypt and other civilizations in which women had agency. At the end of the semester, she submitted a project that was detailed and persuasive and decidedly original.
We all have creative ‘bones’ somewhere within us.
Great idea Barbara, so much more constructive than rote memorising for an exam
Another awesome cool MASTERPIECE!!! Thanks a lot for your Art =D If you ever come to Monterrey Mx, let me know: I owe you a “few” tacos and “cheves” 😉
Your #1 MxFan,
Alfonso -Poncho- Alarcon
This one is great, Thank you so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o
Her Lecture called the Power of Vulnerability is the best Ted Talk I have ever seen
every time I read a new comic of yours I say “This one is the best ever”…. only to be WOW’ed again with the next one. Thank you for being such an inspiration. I show these to our students every month and they love them as well. (*I am the student support manager at a Private College in a rural area in George, South Africa)
Thank you Gav!
The book The Gifts of Imperfection saved my life from a long depression time few years ago. Your comic made tears out of my eyes!
Thank you Gav!
Thank you Brene Brown!
It’s really funny
Choosing not to express creativity is a choice. It’s my choice. I made it, fully conscious of what it means and doesn’t mean. And you have no fucking right to tell me I chose wrongly.
Absolutely epic! I just stumbled onto your work and think you’re brilliant! I’m so glad you’re here, doing what you do. Carry on! ?
Excellent Gav, highly relevant. Thanks again.
Totally speaks to me. Looking forward this as a poster.
I found what the Chinese character means. Thank you for your response.
Great story ! are you planning to do more like that ?
Unfortunately there is no such thing as “new” just variations upon the old. Making meaning doesn’t exist either, as you cannot make something from nothing.
As for doing something creative, every time a professor of mine has done that it doesn’t turn out well. The students usually groan at the extra work that they need to do and eventually for the next assignment they just default to exams.
Creativity is just shorthand for unnecessary work.
As a part-time ballroom dance instructor I find that most men have a reluctance to look awkward in public. I tell them “you have to look bad before you can look good”. And “looking bad is the price you pay for looking good”. And “time is a factor”.
That’s totally me 🙁 but the only difference is i haven’t got MY FIGHT TEAM YET :'( & i really need to fight all my fears quickly…
I like this story “The Eternal Struggle” very much. Its name itself inspires us, which indicates us to do a particular thing until we get it completely done.
The other comics which I like the most are-
The Woman in the arena and To Love At All
good job
very very nice continue
Haha loved this one. The only thing that stops us from being successful is fear of failure.
continue brother
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wow amazing
LOL, very funny.
Play geometry dash right now~!
Thanks for sharing, it is useful.
LOL, it’s so funny
wkwkwkwk. LOL
so funny n crazy
thank gav
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