Creative passion brings vibrant colour to life, but it also comes with its own shades of grey and blue. In your opinion, being creative probably spells out one of two things: beautiful, romantic passion or a lifetime of precarious finances and uncertainty. Or perhaps it spells out both. It’s being desperate to make something but not finding the time or being too scared. It’s building the platform you stand yourself on without an audience—or realising that having an audience is also a nightmare scenario. I could go on…and I will. This article is all about the ups and downs of being a creative. Living a life in full colour, despite the shades of grey. 

Being creative often feels like chasing quiet in a world full of noise. Facing criticism, burnout, and the pressure to succeed in the pursuit of making something beautiful. It is a paradoxical thing and deeply human. Personally, I want to create something so badly that it physically hurts. The desire to be a published author and a filmmaker often feels like a stab in the heart, an ache in the soul. But I would not dare to extinguish that flame, no matter what. It may sound dramatic, but I know many of you understand, because you have felt it too. When you feel that, you have no choice but to pursue it, because not doing so would hurt you even more.  

Despite a commitment to this path, there are many obstacles (many of which are of my own creation). Right now, I’m writing this article on a laptop with way too many tabs open. Remnants of my research on how to write an article. On another window: YouTube, filled with film essays. Pinterest is open too, brimming with painting ideas. Somewhere in the mess lies readings for my degree. But this isn’t just about my laptop. Next to me are notebooks: one for screenplays, one for books, one for studies. On my windowsill? Books about writing. 

I have spent countless hours of my life reading about writing. I tell myself I am being productive, researching, preparing. But I’m not doing. It’s a little something I like to call procrastination productivity. And I know I am not the only one, scared to make the jump, but desperate to. Wanting to be seen whilst also having a fear of being perceived. There is so much fear within the passion to create. 

Yet, we all have a creative side. We all have a little voice in our head that sees a piece of art or meets an artist and whispers, “I wish I could do that.” Or maybe it’s that little spark that ignites in your heart, that feeling of burning and aching desire in your chest when you see someone living your dream. Whether you are a painter, a writer, a filmmaker, a musician, or something else. If you are a creative person, this article is designed to make you feel seen and acknowledge that there is a reason our passion remains despite the chaos. We are driven by a deep-rooted desire, a compulsion to keep the creative flame alive. It’s a piece of music that stops you in your tracks, compelling you to unravel why it moves you so deeply. A painting that consumes you to the point you don’t know how long you have been standing in front of it. Or a quote you keep going back to. A film that keeps you up at night. It is an abstract yet universal feeling. It’s crazy, stupid, love.  

This is the beauty and the beasts of life as a creative. Creativity is a beautiful thing. It unites, it divides, it platforms, it opens new worlds and possibilities, and it universalises and individualises. It’s dynamic and dimensional, it’s colourful. So, close the tabs. Shut the notebooks. Let go of the fear and embrace the mess. Take the leap to create. Live your life in full colour.