Discouragement and Creativity

Lately I've been doubting my writing ability.  I've been sitting at my keyboard, trying to coax some brilliant words to miraculously form themselves into magnificent prose, something that will make people go, "Wow, you're really talented."  I'm one of those people who is always reaching for that unattainable goal of perfection - and worse, I try to achieve it on my first or second try.  More then once I've found myself looking at the first draft of something I've written and wondering why it's so pathetic compared to the works of my famous authors.
Combined with the fact that there are 7 billion people in the world, probably about a billion of them writing similar things I am, and only about 100 of them are actually successful authors, impacting the world and people's lives with their near-perfect words, I've been pretty discouraged.
I've also been pretty ridiculous.
First, you should never compare your writing (or other creative outlet) to someone else's, and especially not a professional's.  Creativity is not a competition; there are no winners, there are no losers.  Everyone is traveling down this infinite line of good ideas and bad ideas, finished ideas and unfinished ideas.  Some people are farther down this line, some people are more successful on this line, but because this line is infinite it doesn't really matter.
As a writer, I create because I enjoy it, it helps me understand and recreate myself, and I have things I want to say.  I want more than anything to have my words impact someone profoundly, but maybe that should be viewed more as a wonderful side effect than the main point.  As long as my writing impacts me profoundly, its mission is accomplished.
So, for all you writers out there, for all you artists of all forms, every single person on this earth, take pride in what you create.  The world may never see it, but as long as the act of creating helped you, impacted you, then it's worth just as much as a truly great work of art.
God has given us the ability and desire to create, and that is a truly marvelous gift.
Stuff like fame is merely the side effect.
And remember, God has a plan for your creativity.  Don't be discouraged, don't shove your thoughts into the dusty attic of your mind because you think they're not good enough.  Pour them out, to help yourself, and who knows what side effects might follow.

^(OvO)^