As someone who’s has pursued countless passion projects, evaluation, quantification and comparison have always haunted me. These numbers and simplifications are the enemy of creative and introspective work. I recognize the need to measure, but when we apply this lens to EVERYTHING a young person does, we kill passion and joy.
For better or for worse, most deeply creative people draw lines between their freest forms of expression and the work that makes money. In my mind, that’s a veteran move. Young people don’t know to make that distinction. It’s not natural. So instead, they make something wildly creative, get judged and then decide not to do that ever again.
We need to create spaces where kids can authentically express themselves free of judgement. I’m not saying that needs to exist 100% of the time, but everyone needs to experience it.
Inspiration from Carol Black’s article