The Secret To Creating Art That Outlasts You

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of artists out there.

Countless bloggers, musicians, singer/songwriters, worship leaders, painters, authors, and other creatives are seeking attention.

Most of them won’t get it. Their work won’t stand the test of time. Truth is, most art goes unnoticed.

How do we create our best art? How do we create art that outlasts our lives?

Chris Brogan wrote an article that set my mind on a scavenger hunt of thought. I have yet to find my way back. He talked about the tension between creating for now and creating for later.

For example, I’m in the middle of writing an ebook – an ebook that is more valuable than any blog post I’ve written.

But I’m having a hard time finding motivation to finish.

With my blog, I get comments. I wait for people to share what I’ve written. I like the instant feedback. On Twitter, Facebook, & Google +, I get to hear from you in real time.

When I write my book, its laborious – good, old-fashioned hard work. No comments. No praise. No encouragement. But the value of my ebook will probably last longer than a blog post.

Creating Art That Outlasts Yourself

If you’re a creative person, you know this tension. It’s either your close friend or bitter enemy. We all have a personal creative process that is threatened by the tyranny of the urgent. Every day.

This could be external –  the shimmering distraction of social media; or internal – the resistance of doing the work that is most important.

What’s the secret to creating art that outlasts you? Are you ready?

Focus.

Enduring art can’t be created in a day, in the midst of a million distractions.

You’ve got to disconnect from the noise and immerse yourself in one thing.

How A Musician Creates Art That Endures

How does a musician create art that endures? Well, you could quickly record yourself singing, upload it to youtube, and bask in the stream of positive comments. Ooh, that feels good.

But your magnum opus – your “Joshua Tree” – will require more than that. You need to write great songs and internalize your message. You need to rehearse with your band, hire a great engineer, produce your music – you need to put in the hard work.

That’s not too sexy.

It’s actually quite lonely.

It’s scary.

You begin to question yourself.

“After all this hard work, will anyone even appreciate it? Will anyone even care?”

It’s worth it. Oh, it’s so worth it.

How do you get started?

Here’s what you should do:

1. Clarify the Goal of Your Big Project

What will happen if you finish (insert your work of art)? How will this change people’s lives? If you look at the end from the beginning, you’ll inspire yourself to keep going.

2. Create Because You Love It

Jeff Goins talks about this in his fantastic Writer’s Manifesto. It’s tempting to create primarily for a reaction. While this can be a strength of art forms like blogging, it’s also possible that your art will weaken over time if you don’t return to the heart.

Ignore others for a while and fall in love with your art again.

3. Set Up Deadlines

There are millions of ideas hibernating in human brains all over the world. Nobody is taking action on those.

But you’re not going to be like that. You’re going to look at your schedule and give yourself a stretching, yet doable, deadline for your project. Because you’re not going to just think about doing it. You’re actually going to do it.

4. Disconnect From the Noise

Your best work will never be done with Facebook, Twitter, Google +, or even your blog open in front of you. It probably won’t be done in a coffee shop with your headphones on.

You need to learn the power of focus. Banish multitasking from your agenda. Work undistracted on one project. Just you and your creation.

If you want your work to be forgettable, don’t focus and surrender to the chaos. But if you desire to create art that outlasts your life, leave my blog and get to work. After you leave a comment, of course 🙂

Question: What is a creative project you’ve been avoiding because you’re too distracted? Let us know in the comments!