Instant Art!

As of the time of this writing in 2018, we live in culture that is immersed in the philosophy of immediate gratification. We want what we want, we want high quality options, and we want it delivered for free as quickly as possible. 

I myself am definitely not immune to this. I absolutely buy things on Amazon because of the convenience and the wealth of purchasing options. It's easy; I can make my selections, buy it with one click, and move on with my life. Who wouldn't want that?

But, as there is with almost any good thing, there is a downside. We have become so inundated with this "immediate" culture that many of us have forgotten the long game. Many of our goals and ideas fall apart because we somehow expect them to be delivered second day shipping, easy, without much effort. 

We seem to think that we simply need a big vision, a social media stream to post about it on, and a few life hacks to make amazing things happen. But it's not true, is it? 

The streets of broken dreams are littered with those who started down the path without the proper expectations of effort. We want the top rated podcast on Itunes, we want the bestseller book, we want to be the highest earning YouTuber on the planet...but we don't really want to do the work to be there. 

Hard work, or sustained effort over time, is unsexy. It's mucky and it gets your hands dirty. But the truth remains that it's the only way to truly achieve our visions in the world. 

Instead of aiming for the top podcast on Itunes as a goal, why not focus on creating a stunningly amazing podcast and then repeating that for one year, committing to both the process and to learning how to get better? That might not immediately yield such a result, but it will give you a much better chance of catching the attention of those who can pass your work around to their friends, audience, or whatever. Instead of phoning in a book, write the damned book. Make it the best you can possibly make it. 

We must get rid of the illusion of instant gratification when it comes to our creative work. When we give in to it, we are being egocentric, thinking about us, not our audience, not our work...us and our egos. Instead, let us move ourselves out of the equation and put the the work, the process of the work in center stage. 

It might not make you the biggest movie star in the world, but it will make your work better...and that has the power to really make a difference in the world. Call me crazy, but I'll take quality over celebrity any day.