Not One Thing

Creative Energy and An Artist's Purpose

How many of you are asking yourselves:

Which genre of music should I make?
Which project should I share with the world?
Which artistic medium should I focus on?
Which creative business should I start?
Which parts of myself should be my brand?
Which lane should I stick to?

Feeling overwhelmed because there are so many projects and pathways to choose from (and we’re always creating more), but how are we supposed to choose?!

There is an underlying belief in these questions: you’re not allowed to be more than one thing.

And there are many people out there that passionately promote that belief, who will claim that the reason you haven’t found success yet is because “you’re not niching down.”

I argue that statement with the fullness of my (multifaceted) being.

I don’t believe you’ll find true success– that deep fulfillment in every cell of your body, soul-expanding success until you embrace your not-one-thing-ness.

However, there is nuance to this.

I don’t mean that you should follow every single impulse and idea, starting a million projects and businesses and songs and never finishing any of them. That’s not in integrity. That’s pure creative energy.

This energy can feel so overwhelming sometimes that we continuously don’t choose at all. We just repeat the cycle: create a bunch of art in an intoxicating fever dream of inspiration, look back and start to wonder what to share with the world and how, avoid it and go back into the studio to create some more.

All the while feeling deeply unfulfilled, doubting if you’re any good at all and questioning if you’ll ever “make it”, when you haven’t even given your art a chance to see the light of day.

Creation as an act of procrastination is creativity without integrity.

But you, as an artist, are not pure creative energy itself. You, as an artist, are meant to harness it, sculpt it, mold it into something authentically you.

You may not be one thing. But you are uniquely you.

Think of creative energy as any sort of superpower you’ve seen in movies or comic books: if you do not learn to wield it, it will control you.

So, we have to give our creative energy structure and direct it where it needs to go.

That doesn’t mean picking one genre, one project, or putting any limitation on your creativity…

It’s adding intention to your creativity.

Okay, Hannah, so how do I know my intention?

When we have a clear understanding of our goals, values, and purpose, we can easily identify our intentions. Because we know what our mission is, we have a north star, an internal compass. Your intention is something that moves the needle in the right direction of your goals, while aligning with your values, and embodying your purpose.

For example, I’m writing this Substack article. I also create music, make videos, have a podcast and an assortment of other creative projects. I’m harnessing my creative energy into releasing this Substack article because my intention is to share this perspective with people who will value it. My goals are to build an engaged community, my values are creativity, freedom and authenticity, and my purpose is inspiring artists through authenticity to create a better world. My intention of sharing this article on Substack is moving the needle in the right direction of my goals, while aligning with my values, and embodying my purpose.

Flipping it back to you, dear reader: if you’re clear on your goals, values and purpose, reflect on them and ask yourself “what is my intention here?” whenever faced with powerful creative energy. Harness it, direct it where to go, and I guarantee it will bring you fulfillment and purpose.

If you don’t have a clear understanding of your goals, values and purpose, that’s okay! Those things take a lot of time, patience and deep inner work to find (like…a lot).

But if you’re drowning in the weight of pure creative energy, feeling like it’s owning you rather than you wielding it, this is the work you have to do:

Listen to yourself. Learn what being uniquely you actually means and feels like. Figure out what matters most to you (not what society tells you to care about). Go so deep within yourself that you can tell when your inner narrator is coming from a place of truth, or it’s an amalgamation of voices and beliefs given to you from the media, your family, or peers.

Good practices for this are: meditation, long walks (without your phone or music), and journaling. Activities where there is no external stimulus– you are simply connected to your inner voice and the sounds of nature.

Do these activities REGULARLY.

And then, review these thoughts, feelings and words. What are the common patterns? Where do they come from? Can you dig so deep that you find your true self? Can you listen so close that you feel your own intuition?

Afterwards, share your findings with someone who will listen with compassion, and can reflect back what they’re hearing from you. If you can afford a therapist or coach, they’re the best resource for this. If not, hit up a close friend or peer to act as your reflector.

And next time you’re faced with the overwhelm of not knowing where to direct your creative energy, go within. Listen. Take your time getting so incredibly clear on how you are meant to use that energy to express your multi-faceted self in the most authentic way to fulfill your unique purpose.

That is the moment we recognize how much power is in our hands.

What kind of world do you want to create with that?

P.S. I released an album called Not One Thing in 2021 as an ode to my multifaceted musical nature exploring 4 distinct genres: alt rock, singer-songwriter, rap and pop.

You can listen to it here.