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You Are The Difference

by Torrey Dawley

The following mini-essay was written by Torrey Dawley, and first appeared as a post to X (formerly Twitter), here and we suggest you follow Torrey on X.

We are republishing it here (with permission) as we find this to be an extremely important message for all creatives, including visual artists, especially in this day and age. Torrey upsets conventional business thinkers by writing unconventional and unique pieces about branding & business for creative founders in the New Economy. Owner, Sandpaper Studio since 2006

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Editor’s Note: In a few days, this post will be locked and is available only to paid members because we don’t want this duplicate content on the open web in a way that might draw traffic away from the original post. If you are not a BoldBrush member, you can still read the entire original post as it appeared on X (formerly Twitter) here.

"Everything has been done.
But it hasn't been done by you.
And that's what makes it different."

This advice forever changed the way I looked at creativity.

It will change your perspective as well.

I learned it over 20 years ago from my photography professor, Aimee Joyaux—an incredible artist who has dedicated her life to teaching others how to be true to themselves as creators.

She taught me everything I know about how to process film from scratch.

More importantly, she provided me with profound lessons for how to approach creativity.

Lessons like the above that will reveal why you're more creative than you might think.

More on that in a moment.

Aimee is one of the most creative people I ever met. She has that beautifully introspective artistic mentality that just seemed to *feel* more than the average person. I'm quite fond of the memories of our friendship.

I'll never forget sitting beside her on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Just hours after everyone watched the Twin Towers in NYC fall.

She had sat down on the floor against the wall as all the students took their supplies to the dark room to process film.

"You OK?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"Everything is going to change for a long time" she muttered as she stared off for what felt like a mile.

I just sat with her in that moment, not sure what to make of the situation myself.

After about 30 seconds, she patted my knee and stood up. I sat and watched her walk over to the sketchbook on her desk to scribble a note.

Or maybe a sketch.

Or maybe she was just pretending to write something.

Just like how I pretended to check the remaining film in my beloved Canon AE-1 camera after I finally stood up and walked back to my desk.

I remember the hours I put into helping Aimee and her French husband restore their gorgeous Victorian home. Something straight from a movie, with the kind of appreciation for imperfect details that only people with a strong French heritage seem to feel.

I think fondly about how she would pause for quite some time when she got to my photos during group project critiques.

How she pushed me more than the others to get to the real core of what I wanted to say.

To remove the reigns of mimicry and invite my own soul into the work.

See, Aimee is among the best in a group of people who dedicate their entire lives to creativity.

There are lots of us in this camp.

Artists.
Writers.
Designers.
Photographers.

We're trained to leverage creativity in a way that supports our lifestyle. We practice our craft every day.

We're taught how to truly observe the world, our thoughts, and how people behave. Many of us relate to the concept of Professional Creativity.

But, that's the only thing that separates us from anyone else here on social media.

You are, after all, a human.

And to be human is to be creative.

One of the biggest sins we commit on our children is to divide them into groups of "creative" and "not creative."

It's disgusting.

I find it to be an act of evil, frankly.

One I hope you feel liberated from by the time you're done reading this.

If there's one thing that Aimee impressed on all her students it was that they had a unique voice.

Recall back to her quote that opened this story.

When we pursue creative endeavors, we get these new sparks of insight.

Ideas that are new to us.

We catch on to something that feels profound.

The feeling is so strong that it compels us to share our creation with others so they can feel it too.

We take it out into the real world only to discover that 20 other people are sharing the exact same idea.

It feels like getting punched in the gut.

What was once special and unique and new is now just the same as everyone else. If we don't learn how to deal with this feeling, we'll abandon the act of creativity.

We'll give up on chasing that feeling of joy—of creating something new—for something more "practical."

I've seen it hundreds of times.

Aimee probably saw it thousands of times.

So, when she taught the concept that "you" become the ingredient that makes the idea different, that stuck with me.

Of course it would be this way.

After all, has anyone lived your life?
Has anyone else ever felt your pain?
Has anyone else felt how you loved so much it hurts?

No.
They haven't.

But, they are living their own life.
They have felt their own pain.
They understand their love.

So when you create something that elicits a powerful emotional response, you're creating a moment where your audience can feel how you feel.

Because they've felt those exact emotions themselves.

Intrigue.
Sympathy.
Inspiration.
Excitement.
Camaraderie.

The stronger your feelings that go into your creation, the more feelings you'll prompt in those who interact with your creation.

Can you see why Aimee's lesson is so important?
Why the "you" component is critical here?

I see so many talented people here with diverse, rich, and amazing backgrounds.

Yet, so many are sharing what they think other people want to hear.

They copy.
They mimic.
They follow the advice of that boring, templated guru who hasn't spent a day in his life thinking about what it means to connect with other people.

They strip the very soul out of everything they post.

Which is why they look the same and sound the same.

Look, you've heard me talk before about how important it is to avoid being a commodity in business.

Well, this applies to everything else you'll ever create.

You avoid this by including the very thing that makes you different than everyone else.

YOU! S

o, here's some practical advice to wrap this story up:

1. Recognize your self worth.
No one is better than you. They might be better "at something" than you. But, they are never fundamentally worth more than you. Anyone who says otherwise is your enemy.

2. Stop hiding from your feelings.
Write down when you feel joy, sadness, frustration, etc. Ask yourself why you feel that way. Explain it like someone was asking you. You'll find that other people share those exact feelings about similar events. Then, talk about those events and emphasize how you felt.

3. Reject the "masterpiece."
The worst habit you can form as a creator is to treat everything you create as your "masterpiece." If you've already created one thousand awesome things and you want to pour 10 years into one thing, fine. Otherwise, your masterpiece is the bulk collection of everything you ever create. Just create every day.

4. Be a human.
In an age where AI and ChatGPT can mimic human creativity, it's critical that you show your "human-ness." Inject feeling into everything you do. If your human heart's not in it, people can tell.

5. More "you" = more unique.
Back to Aimee's quote above. The more that you put "you" into what you do, the more unique it will be. Go study the greatest artists of all time. You'll find that they all connected themselves to the work in ways others were afraid to do. Share stories. Add personal context. Be silly. This is how you form your own style.

If you're not used to expressing your emotions in your creations, it will take time. A bit longer if you're not comfortable "being yourself."

That's OK.

Again, it was probably beaten out of you when you were young.

Still, study this post and apply its lessons, and you'll soon develop your own style that stands out from everyone else.

Isn't that what you want?

BoldBrush Editor’s note:

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This article was republished with permission from Torrey Dawley. To receive Torrey’s newsletter, sign up below.

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I sincerely hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter!

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Creatively,

Clintavo
BoldBrush Founder &
Apostle of Creativity

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