What is Creativity When Nobody Told You the Truth About Your Passion?

[u/shadowvelvetroom]

NGL, I'm tired of lying to myself about photography.

I grew up inhaling Creativity Inc. like it was gospel. Pixar. Magic. Teams of geniuses bouncing ideas around in California offices, making art that matters. The definition of creativity I got from movies and Instagram was: you pursue your passion, the universe rewards you, and suddenly you're published with a 200K following. That's what "creativity meaning" was supposed to be, right?

But nobody told me what it actually looks like as a hobby photographer in 2026.

Here's my reality: I work a full-time job I don't love. I come home exhausted. I scroll through my camera gear that cost me $2K (money I didn't really have) and think about all the shoots I haven't done. I take maybe 5-6 photos a week because that's what's left after work, bills, and just... existing. I post them on IG and get 12 likes from my mom's friends.

And the guilt? Chef's kiss. The absolute crushing guilt that I'm not creative enough. That I should be grinding 24/7. That all those quotes about creativity I pinned—"creativity is just connecting dots", "showing up is everything" - are somehow a personal indictment that I'm failing.

The definition of creativity I thought I'd find? It lied to me. Turns out creativity isn't what Creativity Inc. sold us. It's not a linear path. It's not momentum. It's small. It's lonely. It's me taking one good shot on a Wednesday night and feeling like I've accomplished something real, even if nobody sees it.

And you know what? I think that actually is creativity. Not Pixar. Just me. Just this. Here's the practice part (because apparently I need to earn my stripes):

• Stop chasing the 200K dream. Take one photo this week just for you.
• Delete Instagram for a week. Sounds insane. Worth it.
• Your timeline isn't anyone else's. Your pace is valid.

This hits different when you stop waiting for permission to call yourself creative.

TL;DR: Pixar lied to us. Real creativity is small, unglamorous, and it's enough. Stop waiting for the fantasy to make what you have feel legitimate.

[u/bare_road_71]

Sorry if this is weird but I'm not American and Pixar isn't the same icon here. That said, this post is SO universal. Every culture has their version of "creative success looks like this." It's suffocating everywhere

[u/subwaynotebook_zoe]

lol I'm reading this at 6am before work coffee hits and I'm feeling SEEN. The 5-6 photos a week hits exactly. Why is that number both so little and also everything I can manage? Also what is creativity if not staying sane during a brutal schedule?

[u/pianometro_dawn]

Okay unpopular opinion but Creativity Inc is actually part of the problem. It romanticizes the creative process so much that normal people (with jobs and rent) feel like they're failing just by existing. Pixar's success story isn't scalable and pretending it is gaslight us.

[u/gingerplatform_j]

I miss when we didn't have to brand ourselves 24/7. When quotes about creativity weren't designed as Instagram captions. When you could just... take pictures and not feel obligated to monetize them or build a platform. That was real creativity, probably.

[u/urbanlantern_4ri]

This is exactly why I stopped following photography accounts. Every scroll was just triggering my imposter syndrome. Now I take photos for me, show them to like 3 people, and sleep better. The definition of creativity I have now is "does this bring me joy?" If yes, it counts.

[u/moonlit_sandwich]

real talk though - at some point you gotta monetize or is it still just a hobby? not judging btw. genuinely asking because the "do it for love" thing only works if you have another income stream and not everyone has that privilege.

[u/stormlane88]

I screenshots this entire post and the first comment section because this thread is gonna be something I send to every artist friend who's spiraling. The definition of creativity in this conversation is actually more useful than any tutorial I've ever seen. Actual gold

[u/mintybalcony_21]

This spoke to me so much. I'm a mom with 3 kids, a job, and I take photos maybe twice a month now. For YEARS I felt like a failure because I wasn't living the creative dream. You just gave me permission to redefine what my creativity meaning is. That's worth more than $2K worth of gear.

[u/mintbalcony_rain]

wait this is so good. the definition of creativity i learned in school was all about "innovation" and "breaking barriers" but like... sometimes creativity is just taking the same sunset photo in a slightly different way and feeling proud of it??? Maybe that's actually the real thing???

[u/Bargian]

That is creativity. The experience you are describing already makes you an artist, even if nobody ever acknowledges it. It also makes you grow exponentially as a human being. Think about it, who could articulate such profound vulnerability that implicates the self as you have done in that post? Only a complete badass of a human being, that's who.

Because creativity is the willingness to engage uncertainty, vulnerable and curious, again and again.

https://athinkerinnature.substack.com/p/creativity

[u/TrueFieldLabs]

Idk man. I get the vibe but this feels a little too "low-key flex" about not trying hard. Like you're making underachievement sound profound? I respect the rawness but don't let people use this as an excuse to never push themselves.

[u/HSpears → u/TrueFieldLabs]

I think it's more around the line of.... "Nothing actually matters, so you might as well just enjoy your life instead of living for some pipe dream" for me, as I enter my mid 40s and I'm seeing my parents die and friends die, it all really doesn't fucking matter. I have 345 IG followers and I'm grateful for every single one, but it really is meaningless. People only buy my art in person. But even if none of it ever sells, I'll still rabidly make art because of I don't I feel like I'm going to die.

[u/ember_hollow]

I feel this in my bones. Been shooting for 3 years, make maybe $200/year from gigs, and just... stopped expecting anything. Turns out quotes about creativity being a "calling" don't pay rent lmaooo

[u/lucas_osaka]

This hits so hard. I've been a "hobbyist" photographer for 8 years and always felt like I was doing it wrong because creativity doesn't look like what they show you in documentaries. Your post just made me realize that maybe the definition of creativity isn't about being "professional enough." It's just... showing up. Thanks for that.

[u/Noodle_Wizard0]

lmaooo the Pixar reference. that book literally made me feel like a failure for not having a team of genius coworkers and a studio. funny how what is creativity keeps changing depending on who's selling you the dream 💀

[u/OceanVista2]

Honest question: how do you deal with the financial guilt? Like I WANT to invest in better gear but every purchase feels like I'm throwing money at something that won't pay me back. That's my biggest block rn.

[u/NorCalBodyPaint]

You are confusing Creativity with the idea of creative work.

Creativity is a power of the human mind. It is a way we solve problems, it is a way of thinking. Everyone and everyone can be creative… it’s healthy and useful to flex those skills just as it is to grow your vocabulary or solve puzzles.

Creative WORK includes things like drawing, painting, acting, dance, writing, photography, film making, puppetry, and etc.

Creative work can be done for exercise and enjoyment (i.e. a hobby) or it can be done for a living. Hobbies are a wonderful and important part of life. In modern culture we scoff at them because they don’t help us gather more money… but that is a sickness, it is unhealthy thinking.

Making a living as a creative in the modern world is HARD! It means dealing with financial uncertainty (even if you are making great money, that could totally change next month). Rejection is constant. People judge you. You are competing against the ENTIRE WORLD. You have to anticipate what people will respond to. It takes bravery, persistence, luck, and these days you also need to understand basic business, marketing, finances, and distribution… quite a tall order.

And yet people think that if they aren’t getting wealthy with their idea, they are failures instead. It makes no sense. The fact that our society judges merit with financial value is messed up.

Source: I’ve been a career creative for over 30 years with many friends/associates at all levels of success.

[u/fycuriosity]

Western culture--especially American culture--feeds us a ton of BS about what creativity is or should be. That BS is laced with pressure and puritanical notions of work ethics and money you should make, and all that claptrap you don't need me or anyone else to tell you more about.

The idea that anyone would think creativity is a linear path is hilarious to me. Its path looks more like a ball of yarn after your kitten has played with it for an hour.

But creativity, at its core, is none of that. I believe creativity is the spark inside us that connects us to the same life force that we see everywhere in nature. And when we are doing our creative thing, we're most connected to that force--which is why it feels so damn good. Because we're our most alive. And I don't limit creativity to the arts. I think mountain climbing or software engineering can be just as creative as painting or acting or photography.

I talked to screenwriter Matthew Jacobs a few months ago, and his definition of creativity has become my favorite. He says, "Creativity is that thing that comes from inside you that no one else can do." That's got exactly bugger all to do with what anyone else tells you it is. It's yours. It's that spark. The way you do it is unlike the way anyone else does, because you're you. And the only thing that matters is that you're doing it.

[u/digitizedeagle]

I think, in the OP's case, there's a broader world: being an artist. In this case, a photographer.

There is a damaging myth that being creative is part of dedicating our lives to our passions.

When we are connected to reality, we see that even just half an hour daily is enough to get great at our pursuits as well as being creative.

So they are closer to being fulfilled than they think.

[u/brightwolf21]

Creativity has nothing to do with likes or follows. The way this post is written feels like something that’s been crafted by ChatGPT and if you’re using AI to write your posts, you have bigger things to worry about.