Wild abandon should be encouraged

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being yourself, change, control, creative process, dreams coming true, express feelings, fear, goals, higher power, inspire, Jane Butler, Jane Paffenbarger Butler, joy, passion, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, teacher, Tom Hanks, wild abandon

There was a time when I lusted after the kind of life Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have, you know, all that creative freedom to do whatever they want artistically. It seems to me that nothing holds them back. To me it looks like they make the kinds of movies they want whether they are silly or serious, and nothing keeps them from being able to dream up cool ideas to present to us. Steve Jobs was like this too. I used to think, wouldn’t that be great to be able to do that every day? Anything you wanted.

I have read biographies of Spielberg and Jobs so I am aware it is not really that easy. They both have had hurdles to jump over and challenges to face just like any of us. But the thing that struck me out of the blue one day, about this dream of mine, is that creative freedom is literally free. Steven Spielberg needs no one other than himself to grant permission to plow ahead with the crazy and exciting ideas he has. He gets to do it because he allows himself. Sure he has lots of support from folks who help him execute his ideas, but before he had all that he plowed ahead anyway.

Is there someone out there preventing me from being as creative as I want? To say what I want to say?

Well, just myself.

Turns out I have as much creative freedom as my idols. But it is up to me to be brave enough to share my creations with the world, and that’s what makes the difference.