Authenticity is the foundation of a meaningful creative work.

Every Essay is being written with an album in mind, which is playing at the same time we are writing what you are reading right now, so for full experience we highly recommend going to your music provider and play “El Mal Querer” By Rosalía as you are reading this, promise it’s worth it. Ok back to the topic now!

Authenticity is sticking to your work and remembering why you started something or why you believe it should exist and not compromising it due to external validation. It meets us everywhere in life, both in the relationship we have with ourselves, and in how we show up toward society. Authenticity is constantly being tested and it cannot truly be measured because its value shifts for every person who encounters it.

It feels especially important today when putting work into the world has never been easier. Looking at predecessors like Basquiat - excusing himself early from lunch with Warhol to paint and returning two hours later with a still wet canvas, or Keith Haring drawing on subway stations shows authenticity in action. It is doing the most with what you have and “keeping it real”. Sometimes it appears in a quiet moment when you look at your work and think “yeah, this is a great one”. That sense of pride can be a signal of authenticity as long as the original intentions were honest.

Of course, the constant stress coming from audiences, reactions, comments, and everything surrounding visibility can affect authenticity in creative work. Sometimes it shows up as a safeguard, an attempt to avoid “bad results”, or a way to protect the work from negative outcomes. In those moments decisions can start coming from fear rather than intention, slowly shifting the center of the work away from its original purpose.

Comparison also plays a strong role. Wanting to keep up with others can place the creator in a position of constant adjustment, shaping work to fit occasions or trends in order to participate in the same game. That game often revolves around metrics, acknowledgements, or clout, and authenticity gets compromised in the process. Another signal appears when the excitement around the work itself begins to fade. When the work no longer fully touches you, the connection weakens, and once that connection is lost, it becomes easier to compromise the work itself.

Once you notice it happening, the best thing to do is to stop what you are doing. Change variables and ask yourself what is actually going on. A lot of external elements can affect your work, and sometimes it is not the work itself but you. You might not be tuned to your best self. The music you listen to, your environment, what you are watching, and what you are reading can slowly shift you away from where you need to be in order to create work that feels truly authentic. Paying attention to these influences helps you understand what pulled you off center.

It can be useful to change things one by one and notice what had an effect, then isolate it. That way, when you return to creating, authenticity has space to return as well. Sometimes what you need is inspiration, but not the usual kind. Maybe you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reconnect with who you were before the pressure entered. That reconnection can come from unexpected places, a walk, making tea, working out, or stepping into a different activity altogether. Introducing a new variable can be enough to reset your relationship with the work and allow authenticity to surface again.

Maybe you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reconnect with who you were before the pressure entered.

Authenticity is bound to change and it needs to change, because you are growing as well. It still needs to stay intact, but it is important to recognize that growth comes from exposure to new experiences, both positive and challenging. Over time this shows up in your body of work through evolution and experimentation. New tools, materials, connections, and feelings all influence how the work is made, and if their impact is not approached consciously, they can skew your sense of authenticity.

The point is not about losing authenticity, it is about evolving its core. Your understanding of authenticity at twenty five is not the same as it was at twenty, and certainly not what it was at five. The core remains, but it develops alongside you. This becomes especially clear when switching roles or moving across industries, where learning expands perspective and reshapes expression while staying rooted in the same underlying truth.

Maintaining authenticity comes from staying grounded in the work, remembering the larger purpose, and knowing why you do what you do and who you do it for. As the work moves outward and becomes visible, that grounding becomes even more important, because the noise around it will always grow louder than the original intention.

A useful anchor is to measure the work against your younger self. If you were to place what you are creating today in front of them, would you feel proud, or would you feel the need to explain or soften it? Protecting authenticity means never creating something that betrays that earlier sense of honesty, even as your skills, context, and reach evolve.