Hello, We are The Creative Introverts

Hello, we are The Creative Introverts. We wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves because very often people think they know who we are, but they don’t. They think they have us all figured out, but they haven’t because we are very often misunderstood.

We are the artists who share our innermost feelings with the world. And yes, you’re right. It is damn strange that we share our innermost feelings with the world as introverts. But, we are also creatives.

Art becomes more impactful when others absorb it, interpret it, and feel it. We creative introverts have done the impossible, summoned the courage to share these innermost feelings—our art—with complete strangers.

We write, we dance, we sing, we act, we paint, we sculpt, we photograph, we film, we play, we cook, we build, we design. Although we make it look effortless, we vomit before we go on stage and cry in the dressing room after the performance.

So, why do we share our art with strangers? Wouldn’t our lives be simpler and more serene if we kept our creativity to ourselves? It would. But we feel compelled to share our art because we have something to say…and this is the best way for us to say it.

We found a way to express ourselves when no other avenue worked for us. When we try to fully express ourselves in everyday situations, we can’t quite pull it off. And so we rely on our creative outlets. In fact, they are a lifeline for all of us.

Another reason why we share our art with the world? We are givers. We give voices to those who are silent. We give beauty to combat the ugly. We give meaning to the minuscule. We give love to conquer hate.

As creatives, we give and give and give.

When you’re an introvert and a creative, giving so much of yourself away is exhausting. Putting yourself out there constantly is terrifying and courageous. Wearing your heart on your sleeve in front of everyone is beyond vulnerable.

Unfortunately, many others see us shining so brightly and building so much…for whatever reason, they try to tear us down.

They are the film buffs who leave snarky narrative reviews, talking about how they would have done this or that better if they had produced the movie themselves. Not once will they stop and think about the hundreds of people who came together and worked their asses off to make that movie for them to watch on their couch.

They are the bookworms who don’t like the premise of a novel. They say they “didn’t love it” and leave one sad star for the author who spent years of their life creating that story.

They are the commentators who twist your words to benefit themselves. They turn your work into a political agenda when it wasn’t. They call you names when you don’t deserve it.

They use social media to bully you when you were simply asking a question. They have no idea how hard it was for you to speak up and ask that question in the first place. You were the kid that never raised your hand in school and the teacher had to pick on you.

Rubbing salt in the wound, these digital arenas encourage mob mentality. One mean critic kicks off the hate party and others rush to join in the festivities. These others find the meanest review “helpful” and they like/love the most negative social media comments.

Shielded by their mighty screen, they say things they would never say to someone’s face—simply because they have the dangerous power to do so.

But, we are The Creative Introverts.

We chose to be somebody that we don’t always feel comfortable being. We are putting ourselves out there in a way that others never will. And sometimes we will want to run away, hide under the blankets, and cry in the fetal position.

No matter how much love and energy we pour into our creative work, others won’t believe in it the same way that we do. Many will just ignore it. But, many others will seize the opportunity to rip it to shreds. They will set us back, further than they will ever begin to fathom.

We will doubt ourselves and everything we stand for. We will want to retreat… yet somehow, we will keep going. We will take the high road even when they try to cancel us.

For every person who doesn’t like us or what we do, there is somebody else who does. For every critic, there is a fan.

The fans enjoy our creative work and they get a lot from it. They adopt our voices as their own—as we help them express what they couldn’t but wanted to say. They are thankful for what we do, because we remind them there is something deeper than the material worlds and the digital worlds.

So we keep going, even though leaving it all behind and retreating into ourselves is such an irresistible idea. We keep going because it is who we are. Because we know deep down that what we’re putting out into the world means something to others and it is certainly meaningful to ourselves.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy Liu, the life coach (not the famous actress), in a recent Love Your Enthusiasm episode. I usually don’t go with an obvious icebreaker at the beginning of a podcast conversation, but in this case, Lucy and I mutually decided to discuss her name.

Lucy was also an actress trying to make her way in L.A. You can imagine what she went through—showing up on countless auditions, prepared and confident, only to be shut down because she wasn’t the famous actress they thought was walking through the door.

Instead of letting this name coincidence beat her down, Lucy chose to embrace what she calls “unshakable optimism.” She left acting, tried some other paths, and eventually, became a life coach. She has since helped many others overcome some tough shit by making optimism a lifelong choice. It’s a great episode if you need an emotional boost.

Surviving is the basic of living. We all survive, but that’s not enough. I’m here to inspire hope, confidence, happiness, and all things optimistic because I believe these are the pillars that build a foundation for a thriving life. Even when I’m in a dark tunnel—and I cannot see behind the next bend—I absolutely believe there is light at the end of the tunnel because I have these foundations in place.”

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