What is the true purpose of creativity in our life? Is it to get rich, get famous, or get “likes”? For Kurt Vonnegut, one of the greatest American writers, the answer was much simpler and more profound. In one of his last public messages, he shared a powerful secret to a happy life: you must practice art, not for applause, but to “make your soul grow.” This is one of the most inspiring stories about creativity, and it all came from a surprising letter he sent to a high school class.
In 2006, an English teacher named Ms. Lockwood gave her students an assignment: write to a famous author and ask for advice. They mailed their letters, never really expecting a reply. But the legendary Kurt Vonnegut, then 84 years old and frail (he famously joked he looked like an iguana, one of the strangest animals), decided to write back.
His letter thanked the students for “cheering up a really old geezer” and then gave them what might be his most important lesson. He didn’t tell them to get good grades or plan their careers. He told them to create.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage—no matter how well or badly—not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
The Secret Assignment
He was completely serious, urging them to start “right now!” He told them to “Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood… Dance home after school, and sing in the shower… Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.” The point wasn’t to be “good” at art; it was simply to do it.
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To prove his point, he gave them a secret assignment:
“Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed… Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody… OK?”
The next step was crucial. He told them to tear the poem into tiny pieces and scatter them in different trash cans. Why? Because the reward wasn’t in getting a good grade or hearing applause. The reward was already theirs, just from the act of creation.
“You will find,” Vonnegut concluded, “that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.”
A Lesson That Lives On
Kurt Vonnegut died the following year, in 2007. This letter was one of his final lessons to the world. In our modern life, where we are so often tempted to measure our value by likes, shares, and paychecks, his advice is more important than ever.
His message is one of the greatest stories of encouragement: you don’t need an audience to be an artist. You just need to participate. The reward for creating isn’t what the world gives you; it’s the internal feeling of becoming, exploring, and living. It’s the ultimate way to “make your soul grow.”
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