Shine On Brotato.

Hello, this is a little guide to just doing things because you like them. I'm not even that good at it myself and frankly not wise enough to give life advice, but I feel like I've learned a lot and want to write this so I will. To preface this I'm mostly referring to making art, whether thats drawing, writing, composing, fashion, acting, content creation, whatever. I don't mean go commit heinous crimes because that's actually illegal and bad. gulp.

There Are No Limits

It can be extremely difficult to break out of a mold of what you think an artform *should* look like. I would know... Sometimes the line between being inspired by and being constrained by the creations of those you look up to is so blurred it's hard to tell where you're going. Inspiration is powerful, but it's good to recognize when you are confining yourself. See how far you can push the boundaries of what you are making. Try new things, maybe you'll actually like it! Even if you don't end up liking it, worst case scenario is that you end up learning from your mistakes. I think this video by Aznuc on Youtube explores this idea that you don't have to do one thing one way:

Sharing Your Stuff

It's not bad to share things you create, it can motivate you, inspire you even, especially when you surround yourself with supportive people. But, sharing with others should not be the only reason you create. YOU should be the only one you are creating for, especially when you aren't getting paid haha. Creation is ultimately self driven, don't let lack of engagement snuff out your sparkle.
What's more, the fear of being 'cringe' or 'weird' is the biggest killer of exploring your interests. Want to be a furry? Want to unironically enjoy an obscure childrens show or collect funko pops or leaves or my little pony figurines? Well guess what you can't because some randos on the internet say it's weird. It's especially hard to break out of the prying opinions of others when you are a people-pleaser or respect them or are very close to you. But, if someone is constantly going **out of their way** to put you down, they do not deserve your undying admiration and you should not shape what you create or are interested in around what they think is "cool". Do things because they bring you joy. That's what hobbies are for!

Braindumping

A great way to unlock your 'unbridled creativity' is braindumping. Just write down a ton of ideas and at least one of them might be worth exploring. It's ten times better than just sitting there, waiting for the perfect concept to come to you in a vivid vision. Perfectionism is a really big reason we're stuck with a blank canvas, glaring into its vacant depths, waiting for the perfect creation to just jump out. But there's not much use in just waiting, for things to happen, you gotta make things happen. For instance, Alex Hirsh, creator of the show Gravity Falls wrote several concepts of episodes that were, for lack of a better word, not great. But from this sprawling maze of braindumping might come a concept that becomes the strongest episode in the series.

Conclusion

Well, that's my 2 cents, go my shining star, go change the world!

also here's my bird shelf but compressed and

green

,,, peace out.