The most prevalent goal for writers and artists is to make an impact on the world around them.

When you fall in love with a film, find yourself entranced by a book, or realize you are transfixed by an art piece,  you feel as if those pieces of works have impacted you in some way, yes? When this happens, artists have met their goal. The overall point of making art, after all, is to “make an impact;” everyone wants to be assured by the fact that their passions contributed to the common good, as well as to the emotions of a common person.

To make an impact, as many people put it, means to leave a legacy that grows for years and stems into life. A legacy means, in a metaphoric way, “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”* It is lasting. It is pure. It is alive.

Impacts on the Community Versus the Individual 

So how does one successfully “make an impact?” Well, there is no wrong or right way. However, some people focus their goals on making impacts on the community, or on the individual.

Some may claim that, by teaching children in a public school, they are indirectly contributing to society and are therefore making lasting impacts on the youth. Furthermore, some may say they want to directly contribute to society by relieving the impoverished, and will therefore make an impact on families and the economy.

Some, however, may simply want to create art or string together words in order to make an impact on the individual. They may want to write books that describe foreign places, that invoke emotions in the reader. They may want to write a poem about their own feelings in hopes that someone else can relate. They may want draw or paint on a massive canvas in order to appeal to the audience’s visual senses.

Whatever your goal is in life, if it makes the world a better place, you’re making a positive impact. A community or individualistic approach serves to benefit society and will, most times, establish legacies that grow into the future.

If you have any comments on this article or would like to share your own impact-oriented goals, feel free to comment below. Have a great Thursday!

*Quote by Lin-Manuel Miranda