Why Doubting Your Creative Work Can Be Selfish
“wHAT if it’s not relatable?”
What I learned about making this song remake of Poison and Wine was that I doubt myself too often for the wrong reasons. When I got this idea to make a Christian version of this song, I thought it would take on such a unique perspective that probably not everyone will understand. Now this was particularly tricky for this song because in its original form, it was already hauntingly beautiful and poetic. So to repurpose the words for worship, I knew I had to be careful.
But after rewriting the words, I knew that it is finally a song I can sing honestly to God, but it still isn't the type of "worship" song one would probably expect. And that's where I started to doubt.
You're allowed to be unique
I started to doubt because I thought, "Well, this is a message that is so personal. And quite frankly, not the kind of worship or prayer I hear on Spotify, so maybe I should just keep it to myself." But then, I had to snap myself out of it.
First of all, I shouldn't be so proud to think that I am all that unique. Just because it isn't a popular perspective, doesn't mean it isn't real and true. Not everyone has the capacity to express complicated thoughts in a restricted song form.
pleasING PEOPLE IS A WEAK EXCUsE
Secondly, importantly for me, I realized the root of my doubt was this fear of man. I wanted to please everyone. And because I knew that this couldn't possibly please everyone, I froze. But aren't we supposed to be big boys and big girls already? We don't have to please everybody.
Create for others
So this is my encouragement to you: if pleasing everybody is what's stopping you from creating, I give you permission not to mind that. You won't please everyone, so stop injecting it in the equation. You don't need that weight.
Secondly, yes, maybe the message you want to convey is not for everybody, but if it's true for you, you can bet that someone out there needs to hear it. Do it for them. Don't throw away the potential of uplifting the spirit of a neighbor in need for fear of missing out on universal favor. Besides, that fear is irrational, so just snap out of it!
