We experience our lives initially through our senses as a series of sights, sounds, smells and so on. Later we recall and modify the memories that were created by our senses. Together, our senses and memories create “life” in our minds. And therein lies the challenge and the opportunity. As creators, we have the unique ability to let others see the world through our eyes; to answer the question, “What do you see?”

A Fresh Perspective

Why would someone want to see things as you do? There are as many answers as there are people, but a few broad categories remain evergreen:

We want to know that someone understands our feelings. The old saw, “misery loves company” still rings true. Conversely, it feels good to share our happiness with someone.

When life becomes difficult, the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes may help us feel better. It can help to know that someone else had it “worse” and still survived. When we experience another’s joy or triumph, we can find the strength to overcome our challenges and carry on.

Even a brief peek into someone else’s perception can provide entertainment and distraction from our own lives when needed.

And speaking of entertainment, art and writing and music can immerse us in worlds we would otherwise never have imagined.

Is This The Real Life?

The experiences we share as creators need not be confined to the mundane moments of our daily lives. We can share experiences we have never had, emotions we have only imagined.

How much poorer our lives would be without Rembrandt and Monet, Klimt and Pollack (if you’re into that). Our worlds are altered by the vision of Andy Warhol, Roger Dean, Peter Max.

It’s nearly impossible to express the emotions we share with the composer when we listen to Bach, Handel, Mussorgsky (one of my favorites), Mozart or Shostakovich. Western culture was shaped by The Beatles in the 1960s and their music remains popular today. A song from our high school days can instantly transport us to a different time, mentally and emotionally.

Books (and the movies made from them) continue to have a profound impact on the global consciousness. Our lives are arguably impoverished without Star Trek or Lord of The Rings, The Marvel Universe or The Matrix. Even tired tropes can be reimagined and shared with us to our delight as Peaky Blinders or The Blacklist or Yellowstone.

A Unique Gift

Not just anybody can pull this off. It is a rare and sacred gift that manifests a Shawshank Redemption, a Sound of Music; Citizen Kane or John Wick.

Sometimes the gift is famously expressed in a chemistry between creators. Boyce and Hart; Elton John and Bernie Taupin; Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Pentatonix , Mannheim Steamroller or Led Zeppelin - the whole of each is greater than the sum of its parts.

When I teach songwriting or host our Songwriters’ Showcase, I try to remind other creators that technique and theory are only means to an end. Engineering and mixing and instrument selection and all the other fussing about is important, but secondary to the point of it all: Emotion.

Unless your creation, your art, makes your audience feel something, all was for naught and will be quickly forgotten.

As an artist, a creator, you have the rare and profound ability to let others feel what you feel, see what you see.

Think about it: You can take a feeling, an image, a story that is otherwise internal and inaccessible - it exists, after all, only in your head - and share it with others. What is such a singular and extraordinary ability worth?

Only The Best Will Do

In terms of monetary return, your creations are worth exactly what the market will pay. Whether the end result is millions of dollars or the cost of a fast food meal (not that that is cheap anymore), financial revenue is a vagary based on many unpredictable factors.

Thankfully, the value of what we do is determined more by the impact on our audiences than the magnitude of our net worth. Our ability to impact others - sometimes thousands or millions of others - renders our gift priceless.

And our responsibility inestimable.

Professional creators create because we can’t not create. Art is who we are more than what we do. And since our art defines us, it is then incumbent upon us to spare no effort to create at the highest level of which we are capable. We owe it to ourselves.

What’s more, we are bound to honor the time and energy - and yes, monetary - commitment made by the audience we hope to influence, to impact, to move.

By the grace of god (or whatever process you believe might have created you) and thousands of hours of work on your craft, you can inject portions of your mind, heart and soul into another human being. To quote Matthew McConaughey, “Don’t half-ass it.” Give it all you’ve got.

Worth Every Penny

Beyond all of this, and at the heart of it, you fulfill your purpose when you create and then disseminate those creations. It is quite literally why you are here.

When you choose a path as a professional creator, you choose your meaning.

The time and energy, the blood, sweat and tears you pour into your art is always well spent, even if fame and fortune are not part of the return on your investment. How can you put a price on the endeavor that fulfills the reason you exist?

Relax into the role you have chosen, exercise your gifts to the best of your ability, and release your art into the world.

What Do You See?

Enjoy the sublime opportunity to let your audiences see what you see, hear what you hear, imagine things that only you can imagine. If you are a creator, it is your highest calling and deepest joy.



I am a creator (musician, writer, live-streamer and podcaster), entrepreneur, educator and counselor.



To learn more about how to use these concepts or to inquire about working with me, you can contact me through my website, the comments section on my Substack or Medium accounts or The Authentic Life Blog page. If you have found value in this article, follow my Instagram account for daily insights, or my X account for occasional tweets. To support this community, you can Buy Me A Coffee or donate through my Patreon account.

Watch for my River of Creation podcast - The Podcast for Creators, coming later this year, wherever you download your podcasts, and on my associated YouTube channel. The first episodes are being livestreamed on my Twitch channel and recorded for the podcast now! Come on over!



- JWW