The question every creative must ask themselves

​You might have asked this certain question before. But I bet you don't have a correct answer.

This question will determine the following:

1) Are you driven towards your goals, or not?

2) Are you going to keep chasing your dreams, or not?

3) Are you going to give up when the sh*t hits the fan.

You must know the answer to this question.

So... what's the question?

WHY do I want to do X?

Why do I want to do photography?

Why do I want to do content on social media?

Why do I want to share what I am doing on social media?

You might have asked that before. But again, I bet you don't have a good answer to it.

Let's take photography as an example. Maybe you've asked, "Why do I want to do photography?":

Your answer might be: "Because I love to capture moments".

But... that's not the REAL why. That's just a "surface why". The start of a discovery process.

Dig deeper.

There's lots to be discovered.

How do we dig deeper?

Ask "why" again.

"Why is it important for me to capture moments?"

Answer: "Because I want to have these moments forever."

Repeat.

"Why is it important for me to have these moments forever?"

A: "Because I don't want to forget I've experienced this stuff."

Dig deeper.

"Why is it important for me that I don't forget I've experienced these moments?"

Now you might start to get better answers.

My answer was: "I'm afraid I might otherwise forget how good of a life I've had."

"Why is it important I don't forget I lived a good life?"

A: "Because I know I have lived a good life, despite its challenges. But it is easy for me to slip back into negativity because of my past. And because of my day-to-day challenges. So I need to remind myself of the good in my life - and the good I've experienced. I need to have proof I lived a good life. "

That's my why. I know it's deep. And it should be.

If your why doesn't give you a light bulb moment - or make you emotional - it probably isn't your true why yet.

Why did I decide to write about this to you today?

Because I've been brainstorming this a lot recently.

Why do I do photography?

Why do I share content on social media?

Why do I like to teach and share advice?

Have I asked these questions before?

I have.

But it's important to remind yourself of the reason.

And in some cases, the why has changed over time. And you want to be aware of that.

Ask yourself... why.

To repeat, do this to figure out your why:

Ask: Why is this important to me for around 7 times. That's how many questions it usually takes to come up with the answer. Don't stop after 2 times of asking that. :D

Once you have your answer, analyze is it good you're doing that thing for that reason.

Sometimes, the reason why is not good enough. Or is just bad overall. Such as you wish you "gained validation from others".

Let's talk more on how to pick a good why. Yes, how to pick one.

How to pick a good why

Many people think they have a purpose straight out of the box.

But that's not true. We don't have that.

We must pick our purpose.

We must pick what we want to commit our life to - and why.

We must pick a purpose that drives us forward and makes our day-to-day life exciting.

When I started photography, I just wanted to capture moments (or so I thought).

But then the reality was to showcase to me that there is good stuff in life. To "crop out" the bad stuff. And gather that proof of the good side to myself - and others.

When other people are involved in your reason, it becomes more powerful.

We humans are made to contribute to the group. To help other human animals.

So you'll feel immense pleasure in actually doing that.

You don't want your why to solely focus on you. (With some things, it's fine. But don't let your main purpose be only about you.)

I, personally, want to share the world so other people see the beauty of life too. That they don't focus on the negatives as much.

I don't want anyone to go through what I did at school. Feel so saddened, depressed and full of despair.

And that's why I want to increase the positive moments others have in their lives.

Also, I want to prove to other bullied people that they can reach their dreams - no matter their past.

I know there are so many people who will end up regretting the life they lived... and this terrifies me.

I know I can't help all. But I can help some.

This drives me forward - and is my contribution to our species. To help people not regret their lives - to help them not go through the world saddened, depressed and full of despair.

What's your why?

Brainstorm this.

This is one of the most important questions you'll ever ask yourself.

If you don't know this, you don't have clarity. And you'll end up at an unwanted destination.

And you must have it to get through the moments of doubt.

I hope you enjoyed this Letter.

This was a little different format than before.

I'm continuously looking at what is the best way to make these Letters. :)

We're closing in on 200 Newsletter subscribers which is so cool.

I'm grateful you're reading these Letters. And that many of you have found them helpful. :)

This is not the last Letter of 2023. Next week I'll share more of my plans for this Letter. And maybe write something else too.

I'm planning on taking it more easy next week to avoid burnout. As I'm close to one, lol.

It's been insane work around the clock the last 3-4 weeks.

But anyway!

If you found this helpful, feel free to forward it to your friend.

It's important every single person gets to discover the true why behind their actions. And then pick a new one to supercharge them forward.

I bet they'd thank you for letting them discover their true why.

If you were forwarded, feel free to ​subscribe here​ so you'll not miss future Letters.

Merry Christmas my friends, and till next Saturday,

Hugo