I first watched Ethan Hawke’s TED Talk “Give Yourself Permission to Be Creative” quite a while ago. Long enough that I don’t really remember what made me watch it but I did. And what stuck with me is the quiet persistence of its message. It left an impression on me, so much so that I bookmarked it in my browser and even though I don’t watch it regularly, every now and then, even now, months later, I find myself thinking about it.
He opens the talk with the fact that creativity isn’t reserved for the talented, the trained, or the publicly successful. Because it’s not about being good. Instead, creativity is something deeply human — a way of making sense of experience, of reaching toward connection, of expressing something that would otherwise remain unspoken. That idea shifted something in me. It loosened the quiet pressure of having to justify to myself whether what I wanted to make was going to have any value, either to me or others.
Hawke talks about how many of us hesitate to create because we’re worried about judgment — whether what we make will matter, whether it will be taken seriously, whether it proves anything about our worth, something that resonated deeply with me and still does sometimes. So much creative energy got trapped in the question: Will it be good enough? And anytime that question dominates, nothing begins.
One of the most uncomfortable ideas in the talk is also one of the most freeing: the willingness to look foolish. To play the fool, as Hawke puts it. To make something imperfect, uncertain, maybe even embarrassing — and to do it anyway. I realized how rarely I allowed myself that space. I wanted ideas to arrive already formed, already defensible, already safe, to not embarrass myself in front of my peers. And changing that mindset, getting over that fear takes a lot of work. Maybe a lifetime of it.
Another line that stayed with me is the notion that there is no clear path — that the path only appears once you start walking. I used to, and still often, believe that I need a plan before beginning something creative. A concept, a direction, a reason especially. But each time again, I’m shown how much meaning and direction emerges after the first few steps, not before.
Over the past year, one idea from the talk has become especially important to me: giving yourself permission to be good instead of perfect.
It sounds really simple but turns out to be something that needs reminding constantly!
Perfection feels safe. It promises protection from judgment. It delays the moment when something unfinished has to meet the world. Choosing “good” instead of “perfect” means accepting visibility, uncertainty, and the real possibility of failure. It means finishing things. Sharing things. Letting them be incomplete reflections of who you are right now.
And that is uncomfortable, but rewarding.
But looking back after nearly a year of trying, and failing (a lot), I’m reminded of why it’s worth the effort. Because allowing yourself to be good instead of perfect makes work feel lighter. It means you create more and I can now even feel curiosity replacing pressure sometimes. Slowly but surely being creative starts to feel like something I just am and not something I need to do to prove myself.
It’s hard to overstate the impact of Hawke’s TED Talk. I am reminded of it often especially in moments where the fear of embarrassment keeps me from creating. And sometimes I can convince myself to play the fool and do it anyway. Not always but more often than a year ago. And each time I do it has been a gain in one way or another.
