I recently had the extreme pleasure of dishing with Kate Hanley on her "How To Be a Better Person" podcast. I highly recommend subscribing to Kate's daily nuggets of wisdom because she is an excellent storyteller with a knack for taking big, inedible concepts and breaking them down into digestible bits and manageable action steps.
I Wrote a Book!
On the auspicious occasion of National Author's Day I'm thrilled to announce my new book! The 1-Minute Writer (Adams Media/Simon & Schuster) is a book of creative writing prompts designed to easily bring writing into one's day to day life.
Inside, there are 396 short prompts that can be done in small, spare moments throughout the day. The prompts are divided into three sections (Observation, Imagination, and Memory) and each prompt theme has four variations: a one-minute prompt, a five-minute prompt, a ten-minute prompt, and a twenty-minute prompt.
If you pre-order the book through Amazon, Indie Bound, and Barnes & Noble before December 31st and send me proof of purchase you’ll receive a free gift of Writer Goodies. To enter please see the details on the bottom of the page here.
AND…. there’s another giveaway too! I’ve put together a super cool Writer’s Toolkit valued at $89. Check out the video for details and instructions for how to enter (No purchase necessary. Open only to U.S. residents). Find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
How to Paint an Egg
Pick up a copy of this month's Food Network Magazine and you'll see 50 Easter eggs designed and decorated by artists from each of the 50 states.
Through some stroke of luck, yours truly was asked to create little old Rhode Island's egg!
I chose the iconic Castle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, which has been a beacon for seafaring types since 1890. It's got the distinction of being on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a peaceful spot to catch the sun setting over the water.
For those who want to try their hand at painting their own lighthouse egg, here's a step by step painting tutorial.
STEP 1: Prep the Egg
Grab yourself a 6 pack of white eggs and boil a few of them up just in case one or two crack while cooking. If you're a vegan or want something more permanent, you can buy wooden eggs at the craft store, in which case you'll want to put a layer of gesso or primer on before you start painting.
In order to keep the egg from rolling around while you work on it, place it on a folded hand towel for stability.
STEP 2: Make a Preliminary Sketch
Ideally, you have your own image of a lighthouse for reference, but if not you can do a Google image search for it. (Generally, you should never recreate a photographer's work directly, but since you're painting your egg for "personal use" and not for sales, you don't need to worry much about that.)
Using pencil, ink, and colored pencils I drew the lighthouse on paper first to become familiar with it. It helped me to choose what not to include. Since the egg is such a small surface you don't want to get too detail-oriented. Try to stick to larger, descriptive shapes.
STEP 3: Paint the Sunset
With one of your medium-sized brushes wet the outside of the egg. When it dries to just damp use your watercolors to lay down the colors for your sunset background. Using the blue paint create the horizon line of where the water meets the sky. Let the colors overlap and run together a little bit.
STEP 4: Sketch the Lighthouse onto the Egg
Now you'll want to lightly sketch the image right onto the egg. You do this after the watercolor background is on so you can edit and erase as you go. You'll find it a little challenging to draw on a curved surface, so be sure to keep checking your lines by looking straight down onto the egg as you work.
STEP 5: Paint the Underlayer
I used black acrylic paint to outline my drawing first, then filled in the basics with solid color in order to create a foundational layer.
STEP 6: Add Your Details
Once the underlayer is dry, focus on creating shape and form by adding in highlights and shadows on the rocks and stones of the lighthouse. Use a light, medium, and dark grey-black to create dimension on the lighthouse roof. Using a thin brush add in the rungs of the balcony railing. Mix up a variety of greens in order to add in some grasses to the foreground. Lastly, add in a little texture to the ocean and - voilà! - your "Instagram ready" lighthouse egg is born!
If you use this tutorial, post a pic and tag me on Facebook or Instagram!
Creative Devotion Online Art Show (Winter 2018)
Behold the most recent Creative Devotion Online Art Show is available for your viewing pleasure!
<insert starry-eyed emoji here>
The latest rounds of the 48 Days of Creative Devotion and Beyond 48 programs have just ended and I'm happy to post just a small sampling of the more than 1,000(!) visual art and creative writing works that were born during the program.
In the 48 Days program everyone makes one complete work per day. In the Beyond 48 program (open only to 48 Days grads) we work for a minimum of 25 minutes per day. It's a process that can be both magical and scary, and I have great respect for all those who have undertaken it!
If you'd like to join us for the next round of 48 Days of Creative Devotion go here to sign up or join my mailing list for notification here.
(Artwork above from top to bottom and right to left by Kimberly Heil, Melissa Rose Linhares, Sue O'Kieffe, Marisa Calvo, Kristen Falso-Capaldi, and Lauren Enjeti.)
Who Do You Need to Forgive?
When you look back on the journey of being an artist who do you need to forgive? I mean, if you've been doing this for any amount of time, there will be people to forgive.
The person who ripped off your idea. The person who told you to keep your day job after they saw what you made. The person who balked at your prices. The person who insulted you in front of your peers. The person who promised you that show (or book, or deal, or golden opportunity) and then flaked and disappeared. The person who never paid you for your work.
I could go on, but you get the gist.
When I look back at my creative journey and start to tally up what I call "a million little humiliations" I get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people I could forgive. And I feel bitter all over again. Why SHOULD I forgive them? What they did sucked.
But then I remember they're not the ones being held back by the past. They're not the ones hanging on to an unresolvable situation. They're not the ones waiting for an omniscient voice to boom from the sky, "You were right! They were wrong!"
It's just plain ineffective to live in the wounded place.
(How do you know when you're living in the wounded place? When someone presents you an opportunity and you approach it defensively. When you think about your past and feel bitter. When you overcompensate by trying to be perfect. When you turn down viable offers for fear of being hurt. When you believe all the negative crap people have said about you or your work.)
Talking about this today a dear friend and fellow entrepreneur reminded me that I am not the person I used to be. I am stronger, wiser, more powerful. And because of that I would never be caught alive in most any of those situations I used to put myself in when I was younger, situations that were breeding grounds for stress, anxiety and humiliation.
The great irony is that all of those hard moments with all of those jerks are what lead me to a place of greater strength. They're actually the reason my boundaries are stronger. The reason I can say no to opportunities that seem too good to be true. The reason I can spot a jerk, or a drama queen, or an abuser, or a hustler a mile away. The reason I value peace in my life above all else.
When I look at it through that lens and see the bigger picture, I know that my creative spirit was forged in the fire, and that I can forgive those people because they were part of one big, messy, painful soul plan that helped me step into my power.
And that's pretty cool.
But you know what else? There's one person who needs forgiveness more than any of these people. Me. (Extrapolating: the person you most need to forgive is you.)
I mean, how could we have let ourselves settle for less, or ignore our intuition, or stay in an abusive situation, or allow other people's opinions to shape us so thoroughly, or believe what that rejection letter said about work we knew was true to our heart?
I try to remember that we all show up with a stunted child inside, or with a family wound, or with an unconscious pattern, and when I remember that it becomes a lot easier to give myself a break.
Every one of us has been hurt by other people. The question is, will we keep letting that pain hold us back from our creative destiny, or will we release it and move forward?
Photo credit: Patrick Humphries/CC
Artists, It's Time to Get Over Feeling Icky about Self Promotion
As artists we strive to be authentic. We search for truth as we take something unseen and bring it to light. Our creativity is born of our unique vision, heart, and soul. It's hard then to see the concept of making a sale as fitting in with this pure self-expression. Time and again, through mass media and even our own artistic creations (particularly film and TV), we've been shown that salespeople are inauthentic. At best they're shallow and pleasantly disconnected (the QVC archetype), and at worst they're slimy, underhanded manipulators greedy for our hard-earned cash (the Snake Oil archetype).
With this kind of spectrum we're naturally repelled by the idea of trying to sell something.
We take the day job and keep art as a side gig or hobby, so it remains untarnished by the murky underworld of money. Yet, we simultaneously lament our lack of time and opportunity when it comes to our art.
Time and again artists who become successful at selling their own wares are seen as "sell-outs," the art world's dirtiest word and most scathing insult.
We've come to believe that artists who achieve status as not only full-time artists, but financially sound ones at that, lose something in the process - their soul, their vision, their edge.
This is unfair and a double standard. We can't yearn for a culture that supports artists then criticize those who receive support - monetary or otherwise. At this point in our cultural history, sales is no longer something to shy away from due to an outdated belief that doing so requires pimping a product we don't care about to an unsuspecting audience.
Selling is simply about finding a compatible home for the work we make so we can continue to make it. Today, artists who want to be doing it full-time must embrace making a living from their art, and understand that our creative expression doesn't just remain intact in the face of money, but thrives with the acquisition of it.
Truthfully, when we're turned off by someone promoting themselves it's not that they're promoting themselves, it's how they're doing it.
Being authentic is easier than ever. Thanks to the internet and social media we can now directly connect our daily lives with a growing audience. We can share images or thoughts about our creative process. We can ask questions to engage with fans, or for informative feedback. We can show works-in-progress, bringing people into the fold as we navigate our way through creation. We can even post about our kids, our animals, our food and more.
We can do these things, and we should if we want to be financially successful. These authentic day-to-day offerings are how we share our essence and our work with people we feel aligned with, people who want to own what we make. It's time for creative folks to show up, be visible, and let go of the idea that it's wrong to promote our work. The world needs successful, authentic, creative people who embrace their life's purpose by allowing themselves to be supported.
And, hey, even if you put yourself out there and don't make many sales for whatever reason (a reason you'll likely uncover if you keep at it), you can be sure that sharing your creative work will inspire other potential creators to express themselves, or encourage fellow artists to show up and be seen too.
If you want to learn to become a better receiver - of joy, pleasure, money, creativity, and more - please join me for theTao of Receivingonline program starting May 24, 2015!
Photo by MartinaK15/cc
Are You Leaving Enough White Space?
In the film industry when a producer, manager, agent (or, more likely, their assistants) receives a screenplay, the first thing they are said to do is flip through the pages looking at the ratio of white space to black text.
If there isn't enough white space the script automatically goes into the rejection pile. It sounds harsh, but it's for good reason since, generally speaking, one page of a screenplay is equivalent to one minute on the screen.
The white space shows the executive that the writer understands this tight, relatively unforgiving structure. It lets them know the writer did not succumb to flowery, descriptive language, that they likely didn't include a boatload of unimportant details, and that they didn't - God willing - meander.
In screenwriting and in life white space is necessary.
The presence of white space in screenwriting holds the promise of a focused, nuanced, yet engaging and entertaining script. It says, "I'm readable! I might even be a page turner!" That white space is breathing room. It's the pause between ideas, or the time jump between locations and scenes. White space is an exhale.
In life the white space reminds us that we cannot exist within the constant chatter of metaphoric black text. We cannot focus only on output and accomplishments. We must build in the pauses and breaks, because they allow us to rest and help us gather momentum to give birth to the Next Thing.
The birth metaphor is apt, because as with childbirth, we artists conceive, gestate, and labor. The white space is pregnancy, and it can't be rushed, hurried, or skimmed over. Yet, in our culture, we aren't taught to value the white space.
We are taught to be Productivity Machines, and, therefore, are prone to imbalance.
If you don't regularly step back and look at your creative practice as a whole, I recommend it. It's a living thing and it needs tending to. Ask yourself, "Am I leaving enough time in between? Am I exhaling? Am I balanced and focused?"
When we honor the white space we bring ourselves back to center and allow for a more fruitful creative life.
Don't Do What I Did
When I was a budding screenwriter I would do more than 20 revisions on a script before sending it to contests, managers, or production companies. Typically, professional screenwriters do 3 to 5 revisions before sending their work out. So even though I had to tack on some extra work for being a newbie, 20 revisions was total OVERKILL. It's no exaggeration to say that I spent years doing something that should've taken months. Instead of having 10 screenplays in my arsenal, I had 3. Some lessons I've learned in hindsight:
* Trying to make each work perfect is short-sighted. Instead of looking at your creative practice or creative career as a marathon, you're treating like a sprint. In doing so, you sacrifice the big picture for the small.
* The quest for perfection comes from a place of insecurity. We claim that we're only trying to "do our best," when really we're obsessively looking for flaws and missteps and systematically eradicating them in order to avoid the judgement of others.
* The most successful people abide by the rule of, "Done is better than perfect." Instead of giving in to the fear and mistrust of our own abilities, we have to retrain ourselves to do our best within the time, energy and expertise currently available then move on to the next so the work can continue to flow - and grow.
If you find yourself tending toward perfection more than completion take a look at your motivation. Is it driven by love or fear? If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't belabor my work. I'd have released it sooner rather than later and let it live on its own. Too many creative opportunities passed me by while I was searching for "perfection."
How Devotion Elevated My Creative Work
If you're anything like me you might bristle when you hear the words discipline, routine, or habit. I mean, doesn't spontaneous have a much more satisfying ring to it? But, recently I started to see the downside of jumping from one experience (or medium) to the next in my creative life. My work felt a bit unglued and without a cohesive center. I realized I didn't only want more consistent output, but a deeper level of exploration. I found myself wanted to build something more lasting, if only for my own grounded satisfaction.
The idea of devotion seemed like the perfect pathway to this new chapter. It took the dreaded, parochial methodology of "discipline" and replaced it with loving dedication.
With an eye toward shifting habits I embarked on a project called "48 Days of Creative Devotion," wherein I made one creative work a day for, you guessed it, 48 days. My aim was not so much to build a body of work, but to develop a consistent practice.
The rules were simple - make one complete work a day in the medium of my choosing and post it to Facebook without apology, explanation, or justification. Being dedicated to prosperity, I also made sure to price every work.
A lot happened during those 48 days. I learned how to be visible on a grander scale and in doing so inspired other people to do the same. I learned that sometimes when you really, really don't feel like making anything, you make your best work. I learned that the combo of consistency and visibility lead to greater prosperity. I learned that creative devotion allows for new ideas to bubble up and new threads to be explored. And, I learned that just showing up and starting was a huge part of an artist's job.
I recently finished my second round of this project - "48 MORE Days of Creative Devotion" - but this time I asked other folks to join in. To my surprise almost 50 people jumped in at a moment's notice. We shared our work in a private forum and marveled at what came through every day. It was magical.
Are you up for joining me for "48 Days of Creative Devotion?"
We continue our devotion with another round of the project starting on Wednesday March 11th. Anyone interested in creating one complete work a day in any medium is welcome to join us. (If you are a writer of longer form works, you may break this down into something like one page a day, or 250 words a day, etc.) ALL levels of talent welcome - from beginner to professional.
If this intrigues you please email me at allcreativelike@gmail.com and I'll forward you the link to our private, jerk-free, super supportive Facebook forum. And, don't forget, you need not join us to create devotion all on your own. Find out what it looks like for you and then dive in.
Your creative spirit is calling to you.
All Creativelike: 6 Questions with Children's Book Author Anika Denise
I recently had the great pleasure of producing and directing the above book trailer for Anika Denise, a wonderfully talented and wise children's book author. We had a blast filming her delightful family (and - extra bonus - there was copious amounts of chocolate cake!) Anika wrote about the production experience on her blog here, and I'm thrilled to feature her here today as she answers six questions about creativity and business.
1) Anika, can you tell us a little about the creative work you do? I'm a writer—mainly of children's books, although I also write poetry. Picture books were a first love, and I continue to enjoy reading them, writing them and collecting them. I love the interplay between words and illustrations, the perfectly placed page turn, the wide open wordless spread, the economy of language, the rhythm and pacing. As an art form, picture books are unique to me and endlessly fascinating. I'm not a visual artist, but I think visually—and write that way—so perhaps that's why I'm drawn to the them. I also write early chapter books and middle grade novels.
2) How would you define creativity? Creativity is channeling the gifts within you, outward. It's energy. It's how you enter the world. It can be derived from joy, pain, grief, bliss—whatever, but creativity to me is the essence of an individual, put forth. Something of the person is then recognizable in whatever he or she has created.
Conversely, I think our creations shape us. We understand ourselves a little more. We grow and change through them.
3) What are your daily and weekly habits and practices? I'd love to be able to answer this question with a more assured "this is what I do regularly," but my life doesn't work that way right now. I have three kids, one not yet in pre-school, I'm married to a freelance illustrator whose schedule can be erratic and demanding, so I work when I can, for as much time as I can manage. I have an informal bargain with myself to write at least five days a week (which I routinely break). My writer's life is unbalanced at best, consisting of long stretches of productivity followed by just as long periods of distraction. I think the key is, I understand that this is a temporary situation, that my schedule will normalize as my children grow older, and the time for a more stable writing routine will come. In short, I don't sweat it. I congratulate myself on being able to create among the chaos! If I do anything with regularity it is this: when inspiration strikes, I give over to it entirely and enjoy the process. I get outdoors for a little while every day. I try to get enough sleep. I read. Books are vital. They're the air I breathe.
4) How do you handle the balance between the creative and business ends of things? That's a very timely question. I'm in the midst of launching a new picture book and doing everything I can think of to publicize it. Publishers' marketing budgets are shrinking, which means more of the promotion falls to the author. So, at this particular moment, it feels like the business end is eclipsing the creative side, but again, it's about acceptance. Giving my book a better chance in the marketplace is a worthy endeavor, and although it pulls me away from writing, it's what I have to do. Also, I feel like marketing is creative work and try to view it that way. The book trailer we did, for instance, felt very much like making art to sell art. I love that.
5) Any advice for aspiring children's book authors? Read as much as you can. Keep writing and finish, even if you feel it's not perfect, or needs work. Finish the draft. Join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and go to the conferences and local chapter events. Put yourself out there. Be fearless.
Practice, patience and perseverance rule the day in this business.
6) What's next for you? Next up is a picture book with HarperCollins Children's called, "Monster Trucks!" releasing in 2016. Until now, I've exclusively worked on books with my husband Chris. This will be the first one I do with a different illustrator, so it's a new experience for me. Nate Wragg, a visual development artist for Pixar, has signed on to illustrate. I'm excited to see how he brings it to life. Chris and I have another picture book in the works, and I continue to slowly develop longer works of fiction that I hope to have under contract soon. I just need to follow my own advice: be brave, and finish.
Anika Denise is the author of “Baking Day at Grandma’s,” (Philomel, 2014) “Bella and Stella Come Home,” (Philomel, 2010) and “Pigs Love Potatoes” (Philomel, 2007.) In 2016, HarperCollins Children’s Books will release her forthcoming title, “Monster Trucks!” Her books have been praised by Parents’ Choice Foundation, The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews and the Rhode Island Center for the Book. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Barrington, Rhode Island. For more information about Anika’s books, visit her website.
All Creativelike: An Interview with Poet Jennifer Lighty
There is not much I can say about my poet friend Jennifer Lighty that wouldn't be revealed by reading her words below - she is deeply soulful, articulate, dedicated, and a brilliant wordsmith. I thank my lucky stars for being in her bright, celestial orbit.
How do you define creativity? My hands in motion on this keyboard typing letters that signify sounds remembered in my body—that is creativity. And these letters that merge into words that my brain identifies with subjects seen, tasted, touched, smelled and heard, sounds I first heard when I floated in the dark inside my mother’s body.
We invent stories to make sense out of chaos, or to praise it, depending on which archetypal deity calls to our souls. We create. (Eros, the Greek god of desire and creativity was the son of the goddess Chaos.) When we create we reach into the dark, the womb, into this mystery, and manifest what we receive in the physical world.
Creativity is an everyday miracle like being born.
Tell me about the first poem you remember writing, or first experience where you felt you were "on" to something with words. The first poem I remember writing was in 4th grade. I was 10 years old. It was a haiku:
The old dead tree rocked dangerously, and with one last groan fell to the ground.
I remember being very pleased with it. I have no idea where it came from or what I felt like writing it, but I do remember afterwards that I knew I was a poet. I wanted to be a writer even before then, from the time before I could read. I wanted to read so badly I memorized books that my mother read aloud to me and pretended to read them as I turned the pages.
How does a poem get birthed? Are there stages as with a human pregnancy and birth? For me, there is a masculine and feminine element involved in the creation of a poem. It’s a matter of becoming actively receptive, of being open to both what is in my immediate environment and what wants to come through me from other realms.
Words feel so good when they rub together in certain ways! If I have an idea I want to convey without an image, I search for an image until I find one that feels right. It needs to be intelligible and pleasurable, by pleasurable I mean sound good. I do have to be careful of this though, I have such an attraction to beauty that I have sometimes done a disservice to my subjects by making them sound beautiful when they were not at all. In those cases it’s a matter of finding sounds that match the experience, ugly or harsh sounds, or playing with the punctuation or line break to break the rhythm up.
I also pay attention to where silence wants to enter the poem. Sometimes these silences say even more than the words.
I pay attention to all of these things—every word, line break, comma, period, italics, question mark—every mark on the page, in fact. I am getting better at hearing the line—where to break it so that it has the greatest emotional impact, because I have become better at hearing my own voice, and not the voices of all the other poets I’ve read or heard.
You work is deeply connected to both the earth and spirit. Can you talk about walking between these worlds and what inspires you? It’s not a matter of walking between earth and spirit for me, they are the same world. I am definitely inspired by Earth’s beauty. I want to praise that beauty. I also want to lament what we have lost and are losing as you read these words.
I also want to create a space for people to grieve their personal losses.
I wrote a poem about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown in which the natural world acts as a mirror for the loss of those children and teachers. It takes place on the oyster farm where I was working the day of the shooting and everything I saw that day—egrets, crabs, mud, sun, shells—was so deeply infused with the symbolic the earth became a mirror of what had happened, and a prayer to the spirit world to help us get through such a terrible tragedy.
I am inspired to create something as elegant and simple and gracious as an egret at the edge of a marsh. I want my evocation of that egret to open someone’s heart to a long-suppressed well of grief inside themselves. I want to write poems that help people grieve and become more fully present to the world, more compassionate for having suffered, and I know this is saying a lot—I want my poems, through the process I’ve just described, to inspire people to make choices that don’t harm themselves or Earth. I have a dread of being grandiose (probably because I am), but I agree with William Carlos Williams that, “It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”
You not only write poems, but also books, blog posts, and articles. How do you determine which form the words want to be? It’s a matter of listening and intention. Sometimes the two merge—those are the best times. With a blog post, I intend. If I’m lucky I may come up with some poetic words, too! The three novels I wrote probably could have been written as short stories or poems, saving me many years worth of labor—I was just really fixated on the idea of being a famous novelist so I kept trying. My articles and essays are lyrical, but are also attempts to convey information or a story. This is also possible in a poem by the way, sometimes I just prefer the art of the sentence over the art of the line.
Poetry, the art of the line, is my greatest love because poetry has taught me to listen, not just to what I want to hear, but to what the Irish poet-hero Finn McCool learned to hear, “the music of what is.” When I listen to what is, I know what form the words want to be.
What's the most exhilarating part of writing? The most exhilarating part of writing is when I enter into a state of being unaware of time.
What's the most challenging part of writing? The most challenging is letting go of my preconceptions, fears, and desires and letting the words tell me what they want. I call it finding the poem within the poem. I think this is easier for a lot of other writers, but for me it takes a lot of digging. Part of this is because I have a fear of being exposed, so it’s difficult for me to be vulnerable, which has led to some dishonest moments in past poems. I still have those dishonest moments, but I am better at catching them and work through them now.
I met the poet Ellen Bass this past winter. She writes with what I would call no filter about her personal life. I asked her what her relationship was like with her inner editor. Did she have to get past this editor to expose so much of herself? Her reply was enlightening and helpful—and humble. She replied that we’re all human and we’re all going through the same things. Those words helped me let go of a lot of ego and write more freely about myself, which ironically has helped me let go of the driving need to write about past personal traumas.
I don’t need to be witnessed in the same way any more, I witnessed myself. My vision has turned outwards.
Any daily or weekly habits and practices? I’m not good with routines, but I do write every day! I live in a stream of words and images that I try to write down as they occur. If I can’t give them my full attention at the moment, I tell them I will soon and ask them to please wait for me. I read all the time—poetry, fiction and non-fiction. And physical movement is an important part of my creative process—walking, dance, riding my bike, and yoga.
Advice for aspiring writers? That’s hard. There’s something about figuring it out for yourself as a writer that is just so important. I have an incredible teacher, a man named Fran Quinn. When I first started working with him it took me two years to finish one poem! This was after writing poems for 15 years or so. I was going crazy thinking I was the worst poet in the world, completely doubting myself. Finally, I started to have breakthroughs where I would understand some simple thing that would help my poems come closer to completion, and I would say to him, “Why didn’t you just tell me that a year ago?” He always laughed, somewhat demonically and certainly with delight.
He wanted me to understand it on my own because he knew then I would really understand it in my bones, the knowledge of where to break a line or when to use a four or three line stanza would come naturally to me because I had also learned how to set boundaries within myself. He was willing to be my guide in getting there, but I had to do the work.
So that, if you could call it advice, is my advice. Do the work on all levels. Let your poems and novels and essays teach you about yourself. What do you need to change within in order to bring them into the world?
If you listen deeply enough, if you are devoted and willing to work, they will not fail you. They want to be heard.
Jennifer Lighty is a poet and teacher living on Block Island, RI. Her poems and essays have been published in many journals such as The Beloit Poetry Journal, The Island Review, The North American Review, and Poet Lore. She was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize by the Beloit and for the Best New Poets 2014 anthology, and is the 2014 Merit Fellow in Poetry for the State of Rhode Island. Read more of her work and about her upcoming e-course developed to connect those on a creative path with earth-based spirituality on her website here.
How To Be an Inspiration Machine
Ah, inspiration. That abstract yet ultra-important thing that activates your heart space and jump starts your creativity. If you're anything like me, you make it a regular practice to seek out stories of inspiring people - people who endure challenging things with immense bravery, or who come up with clever solutions to impossible problems, or who entertain us in the most unique, uplifting ways.
When it comes to artmaking, inspiration is most often found in the works and words of others.
It's the turn of a phrase, the pinpointed observation, the juxtaposition of two colors coming up against one another, or in the brilliantly executed pirouette. Any of these things, and many more, help us get our creative juices flowing, so it's not a stretch to say that if it weren't for inspirational people, our lives and creative practices would be very much diminished.
So what does it take to become an inspiration? How do we act in ways that might fuel other artists?
What can we do to churn out such high levels of creative mojo that we become Inspiration Machines?
Here are a few behaviors and practices I've observed in those who lift me up. With a little patience and a lot of practice we just might get there ourselves.
Pay attention to your thoughts, then choose to speak and share only the ones that are purposeful and considered. The power of words cannot be underestimated when it comes to inspiration. Being a conscious editor - of our written and spoken words - is key.
Always tell people when they move, inspire, challenge and/or impress you. This one's easy. Simply put, it makes people feel good.
Regularly do things that tap into your joy and excitement. Let your bliss ripple out into the world. Others will feel it too.
Tell your stories of moving from struggle to triumph. They draw people in and make them feel less alone.
Share your good news from the heart. Sharing isn't bragging. Sharing is modeling; it's teaching; it's allowing others to be happy for you in the same way you're happy for them.
Look at yourself through the lens of a leader. Sometimes we need to "act as if," even when it feels far from the truth, because when we act as a leader it positively impacts our behaviors and actions, as well as provokes an inspired response from others.
Learn how to excel at something. Inspiring people are often dedicated doers. Commit to That Passionate Thing and keep going for it. Become a master, even if it takes a lifetime. No, ESPECIALLY if it takes a lifetime, 'cause what's more inspiring than that?
Fight the urge to complain by counting your blessings. In other words, "Promote what you love, instead of bashing what you hate."
Do things that scare you. Risk is an inherent part of inspiring others. It's the act of saying to others, "If I can do this, so can you."
Think of your whole life as one giant art project, one grand epic poem. Life IS art and when you look at yours through that lens, you're constantly thinking outside the box. Outside the box is EXACTLY where inspiration lies!
Remember that you, and everyone else you know, is going to die. Sure, it's morbid, but when we remember our fleeting journey 'round the proverbial sun it's easier to make meaningful choices about everything we do. Meaningful choices = inspiration.
What about you? How are you being an inspiration these days, or what more can you do to step into the role of Inspiration Machine? Don't be shy - tell me in the comments!
Photo by Martin Fisch//cc
All Creativelike: An Interview with Illustrator Christopher Denise
Christopher Denise is one of those enragingly talented people who makes, well, everything look easy - from making the artwork, to handling the business, to teaching about creativity, to being a dad. Since he was kind enough to share his truly wise insights about the creative process of illustrating books here today, I'll try not to stay too mad at him!
How do you define creativity? I try not to. It's too ephemeral, like trying to describe the gossamer wings of a firefly to someone that has lost their sight. The closest I could get is something like water formed by a breeze. I try to recognize it (creativity) in my own work and in the work of others. I know it when I see it. It looks and feels truthful, full of life, and made with care. Pretty broad, I know. Sorry!
When did you know that you wanted to be an illustrator? I really didn't know what an illustrator was until I transferred to RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) in the 90's. I always knew that I loved to draw, all kids do.
I just never let anyone talk me out of it and somehow made it into a life and career.
What does the average day in the life of an illustrator look like? It looks pretty amazing from here and I am grateful for it! What an average day looks like depends, in part, on the season. I have been known to play hooky at a moments notice on one of those perfect Rhode Island beach-days. But we are talking averages here. 1.Most days start with the crazy bustle of getting three girls out the door to school/play-groups. Fueled by copious amounts of very good coffee. 2. A daily recap and, perhaps, some creative consultation with my often collaborator and amazing author wife, Anika Denise. 3. Out to the studio to review the production schedule and start sketching or painting on the morning's assignment. I break all of my projects into work units that can be moved around in the calendar. If a particular piece is calling to me I follow the energy and adjust the schedule later. 4. Break at about eleven o'clock to check email and take care of the social media component that has become an important part of my professional life. 5. A bit more drawing/painting here. 6. Inside for lunch with a game of Scrabble on the iPad, or a conversation with our youngest (3 years-old). The conversation tends to be pretty freeform and it is best to stay flexible. 7. More coffee, and back to the paintings. 8. Around 3-4 p.m. I will wander inside for a few minutes just to say "hi" to the kids and make sure everyone had a good day. 9. Painting until about 5:30. Anika is also an amazing cook, so I try to stay out of the way until I am needed. 10. Dinner, wine, laughs. One of my favorite parts of any day. 11. Dishes and homework help, if it is not all done. 12. Reading picture books to the little, putting her to bed, then reading a chapter from something longer for the older ones. Love this part as well. 13. I usually get back to the studio for another two to three hours. If I am on deadline, a bit more coffee here.
What's your working process like? Do you read the book then start with an overall concept, then move on to specifics, or...? I would say that it is more overall to specific. I spend the majority of my time right now working on picture books so I will outline, in brief, that process. 1. I read the manuscript in hand a few times. I need to know that I will be able to connect with something in the story. 2. I begin to break it down into a book. The manuscript needs to work as a book. There are numerous ways that it can "work", but I need to be able to get a sense of at least one of those paths that it might take. 3. Sketching/thinking/looking at other books. 4. More of the above. 5. More of the above. 6. I create very rough scribbles for the entire book. Essentially, creating a book map. Notes included about color/light/references/music notes 7. More of #3. 8. Sometimes tighter sketches, and many, many changes along the way. 9. Painting, changing, repainting. I need to get going on something to see if it is working. Acting and re-acting. 10. Around this time I start painting like crazy with many pieces going at the same time. Always staying open to change with the incredible digital tools at my disposal. 11. While I am finishing up I am usually starting the process all over again with a new book and a new journey. A normal length picture book can take anywhere from 6-9 months.
How long did it take for your "style" to develop, and what did it take to get to that point? I am still developing my style, really. Each manuscript requires different things from me as an artist.
Writing is hard work, and I think it is a great disservice to both the author and their story for me to impose a particular style on a book.
What are the most important considerations when translating the written word into visual imagery? A few things come to mind right away: Stay sensitive to the material. My job as an illustrator is to create a parallel emotional narrative. Be certain that my communication is clear: I am a visual communicator. I love pretty pictures, I love painting them as well! But my job is to communicate something about the story. If I am not doing that part of my job then it matters little how nice the picture looks. Trust your instincts and stand your ground when you need to. At the same time, listen to constructive feedback and see what works for the book.
Favorite artists or influences? A few off the top of my head for different reasons: N.C. Wyeth, Edmund Dulac, Pablo Casals solo cello recordings of the Brandenburg concertos (no offense to YoYo Ma who did a fantastic job with the material), Wes Anderson, Pierre Bonnard, Brad Bird, E.B. White, Monet, David Lynch, Isaac Levitan, J. F. Millet, The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Beatrix Potter, Andrew Stanton, Neil Gaiman, Ernest Shepard, Harold Budd & Brian Eno, George Inness.
Any daily or weekly habits and practices? I try to start each session, each day as a novice. It helps me to stay sensitive and, in a way, helps take off the pressure. I also try to start each day as a beginner and allow myself to make mistakes. It keeps it interesting for me, and I grow as an artist.
Advice for aspiring illustrators? Besides marrying an investment banker with a penchant for the arts? Make sure that you love this job. It is really, really hard work and many wonderful artists can get run down and fall by the wayside. And that is fine - it's not for everyone. Having said that, it is one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable things you could do with your time. So if you are in love with it, then love your life, and trust your instincts. Don't let anyone talk you out of it!
Christopher Denise is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and visual development artist. His first book, a retelling of the Russian folktale The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, was pronounced “a stunning debut” by Publishers Weekly. Since then, Chris has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including Alison McGhee’s upcoming Firefly Hollow, Rosemary Wells’ Following Grandfather, Phyllis Root’s Oliver Finds His Way, his wife Anika Denise’s Bella and Stella Come Home and some in Brian Jacques’ acclaimed receive series. His books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and have been recognized by Bank Street College of Education, Parents’ Choice Foundation, and the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition. He can be reached through his website or Facebook page.
Photo credits (in order): Anika Denise, Corey Grayhorse Photography, From Sleepytime Me by Edith Fine (Random House Kids, 2014), From Following Grandfather by Rosemary Wells (Candlewick Press, 2013), From Sleepytime Me by Edith Fine (Random House Kids, 2014), From Baking Day At Grandma's by Anika Denise (Philomel Books, 2014)
10 Steps to Take When You're Having a Money Drama
It happens. You forget to pay a 0% credit card bill on time and now your interest rate has gone through the roof. You didn't anticipate your car breaking down, nor the subsequent whopper of a repair bill. You spent the fat paycheck from that last art sale on rent, but now the client wants to return the work. When that stuff happens and we get sent into a tailspin, it's a MONEY DRAMA. None of us are immune to these sorts of things, since life is chock full of unanticipated happenings. But unlike other out-the-blue occurrences, money dramas seem to really knock us off our feet and bring up all sorts of fears.
Fortunately, there are steps we can take to help us go from full throttle Money Drama Panic to calm and centered action.
1) Get Grounded. As mentioned, money dramas cause reactions (panic, anger, sadness, etc.), so the first the first thing to do is ground your energy. Take a few minutes to be alone, quietly, so you can ground and center yourself. This might include deep breathing, journaling, walking in nature, or anything else that brings you back to center.
2) Remind Yourself That You Can Handle This. Shift your thinking from panic to possibility by reminding yourself that you are capable of handling this problem with ease and grace. Saying things like, “Even though I feel panicked about this situation, I know I will find a way to resolve it,” or “I have been in tough spots before and I’ve always gotten through them. This is an opportunity for me to use my creative power to create a new, improved situation for myself.”
3) Set your Intention. Before getting into action, set your intention to help create the outcome you want. I usually say something like, “I intend for this situation to be resolved peacefully and easily.” “I intend for X to receive their money by the agreed upon deadline in a way that is easy and simple for both of us.” This may sound pretty woo-woo (and it is!), but it's also a powerful tool that clarifies for both yourself and the Invisible Powers That Be just exactly what you want to attain and in what manner.
4) Visualize. What does the resolution of this money drama situation look like? Figure that out, and then take some time to visualize it. Does it look like mailing next month’s rent? Does it look like finding your lost wallet? Take time to get clear on what resolution looks like. Just like setting intentions, visualizing is a powerful tool that sends a signal out to the universe relaying exactly what you want. It can then assist you in bringing you that.
5) Brainstorm Actions. Make a list of all the ways you can take action to resolve the situation. Don’t edit the list, just put all the possibilities out there. Think on people who may support you, or tools you could use, etc.
6) Prioritize and Take it Step by Step. Move forward toward resolution by being in action. Take one step at a time with the most important action item being handled first. Hard as it can be, don't shrink, procrastinate, or avoid getting into action when it comes to money dramas. They won't resolve on their own (trust me!)
7) Call in Support if Need Be. Whether you need emotional support, or actual tangible helping hands, consider asking for help if you need it. It's far too easy for folks to feel shame, embarrassment, or pride when dealing with money dramas, but truly EVERYONE has experienced them before. Knowing you're supported can make a huge difference to your state of mind, which, in turn, makes a big difference on the outcome.
8) Stay Focused on Big Picture. Know that this is a blip on the screen of your life. This situation will pass just like all the other challenges have passed. When you are dedicated and focused on healing your money drama and stepping into abundance, these situations will become fewer and farther in between. And, they will tend to move through more quickly as you engage your inner technology and outer action steps.
9) Fearless Self-Searching. Once your money drama resolves itself take some time to reflect on how and why the situation came to you. Ask yourself, “In what ways was I responsible for creating this situation?” “How can I alter my thoughts, behaviors or actions so that this situation does not happen again?” “Is there anyone that I need to communicate in a more clear and direct way?” “Is there a system I can put in place to avoid this money drama in the future?” Using your money drama as a teacher, will serve you well in the future.
10) Get Empowered. Use this opportunity to step up your game. Take a money class, or enlist the help of an accountant, open a savings account, etc. Setting yourself up for success before a problem arises will help move you through them with ease and grace next time around.
Sure, it takes practice to slow ourselves down and reassess when freaking out, but with some dogged diligence you can find peaceful resolutions and redirect your energy toward something much more important and productive - being an artist.
Photo by Nate Steiner//cc
All Creativelike: An Interview with Musician Allysen Callery
Allysen Callery is an earth angel. Her lyrics, melodies, and haunting voice are truly unique and special. What's more, Allysen is a kind and thoughtful human. Man, some folks have all the luck! Read on to find out more about Allysen's songwriting process, creative influences, and what it was like playing at the esteemed South-by-Southwest music festival this year. How do you define creativity? I don’t. I think that’s anti-creativity.
Where does your songwriting inspiration come from? I get inspired every time I learn a new chord, or open tuning. I’m still learning, even after 15+ years of playing guitar. The melody comes, and the words follow. But sometimes it’s the other way around.
Can you remember the first time you had an experience with music? I was a toddler in Taiwan. My parents were there because of the Vietnam war. My father was a medic. Music was a part of our living space, and I first noticed where it came from by seeing that Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles was coming from a reel-to-reel.
Tell me about writing your lyrics vs. developing melodies? I was a poet before I became a songwriter. I don’t worry about hooks and choruses so much. I want to tell a story, and I want to make you feel and be transported. Melodies just come when I'm playing around on guitar. But the words and music come from someplace other than just me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5zEXZezoXM
What have you been working on lately? I've been lucky to have been recorded lately by the great Bob Kendall, who also laid some production over my songs "for fun." The result was a session for Folk Radio UK that's gotten over 4,000 plays in the last month. I am going to be recording a British Isles covers EP for a UK label, and working with Bob for that, as well. I cannot wait. (Here the session here.)
Favorite artist or influence? Oh boy, so many. I was heavily influenced by all the wonderful artists my parents listened to: Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, The Incredible String Band. I learned how to sing by listening to Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span. Lately I have been really loving Jessica Pratt out of San Francisco. And, Anne Briggs really inspires me.
You recently played South-by-Southwest. What was that experience like? I was very well taken care of at my first "South By." I was lucky to have caught the ear of someone in a senior booking position, and he made sure I was given extra performance slots and all my showcases were in nice hotels. I made a few wonderful connections, and was written up and ranked highly in the Washington Post. I also made NPR Bob Boilen’s list of Intriguing Unknown Artists.
Any daily or weekly habits and practices? I’ve been posting homemade recordings on my Soundcloud page about every week, some covers and demos that may or may not make it onto an album at some point. I am not a very regimented person, but I try to play guitar every day, and am playing one or two shows every week. I still have a day job, and will probably always have one - I like to pay my bills on time!
Any advice for aspiring musicians? Practice. Be better than you thought you could be. Take risks, you should be frightened what people might think of your art. Don’t try to fit in. Don't try to play it cool. Answer emails. Be kind to everyone. Don’t let anyone other than you define who you are. Get nice head shots. Get a real website. Keep a part-time job that you don't have to get up too early for, that is not too physically demanding, so you can still play shows within a one to two-hour driving radius throughout the week. Officially release music every year. Upload new content weekly. Don’t get hung up on perfection. Pursue the press. Be true to your self, and your vision - you are unique and the world is wide, you will find your peeps, your tribe. They might be sprinkled around the globe, but that’s why the Internet is so awesome.
Allysen Callery is an alternative folk artist from Rhode Island, USA, with an intricate & unique finger style, and a voice that has been called mesmerizing and angelic. Growing up in New England, she was heavily influenced by her parent's British Isles Folk Revival records of the late 60's early 70's. She can be reached via her website here. (Photos by Gerd-Michael Tuschy)
Hey Artists, How's Your Website Looking?
For artists, writers, and creative folks, a website is the portal to showcase their creative work, so it's one of the most important tools needed for a healthy and robust career in the arts.
Many times websites get stagnant or cease to reflect the quality of the artist's work. Sometimes they were never quite right to begin with - too much text, poor quality images, lack of information, and cluttered graphic design, among other things, can poorly reflect on a creative person.
With that in mind, here's a checklist to help you give your website a tune-up if need be!
ARTIST WEBSITE CHECKLIST ___ Does the graphic design on your site reflect the tone and style of your creative work? ___ Do you have a current bio on the site? ___ Is there a headshot of you to go with the bio? ___ Is your news section updated regularly? ___ Is it easy for people to find out how to contact you? ___ Are the images/excerpts/samples of your work current? ___ Is the layout clean and readable? ___ Is it easy to navigate the site? ___ Are all the images on the site high quality? ___ Is all the text and copy short, snappy, and compelling? ___ Do you have your social media buttons with links on the site? ___ Have you tested your site on multiple browsers as well as on a mobile phone? ___ Do you feel proud/happy/joyful when you look at your website?
If you're feeling overwhelmed, enlist support. Hire a graphic designer or web coder to tweak and update it for you. If that's not possible, consider using a free site like Wordpress, Wix, or Squarespace to create a site that can be self-maintaining. Just make sure the final product is creative and professional - like you!
Photo by Kitty Kaht//cc
Creative Process: Building a Painting
One of my favorite things is to watch a piece of art go through the stages of birth, from conception to completion. Just like with people, artworks have their unique way of coming into the world and expressing themselves. No two are exactly alike.
Artist Karen Rand Anderson recently posted a series of images tracking the journey of a painting, from photographic reference (above), to sketch, to finished canvas. With Karen's permission I'm reposting those photos here. (You can read the full post, with Karen's comments about each stage, on her blog here.)
What I love most about seeing the whole process is being witness to THE SEARCH, the journey every artist takes down the creative path without a clear road map. It's a triumph when we find our way to the other side!
"More Snow" by Karen Rand Anderson, (c) 2014
What does your creative process look like? Document it and tag me in your Facebook or Twitter post!
Oh Desert, You Are My Muse!
After I kicked my starving artist to the curb over a year ago, it freed me up to envision an abundant new life. The main focus of this new life was to create a mobile lifestyle, so I could work anywhere. Once that happened I decided that "anywhere" was New Mexico, a place I'd dreamed of living for more than a decade.
This week marks the end of a four-month stint working and traveling in the aptly named "Land of Enchantment."
My experience with the land, animals, people and flora have been nothing short of soul-satisfying and life-changing. Daily, I found inspiration in the light, the textures, the shapes, the colors, and perhaps even, the soul of things.
New Mexico has truly called forth a deepening of Possibility (yes, capital P), and a serious boost to my creative state.
Swoon-worthy, am I right?
All Creativelike: An Interview with Artist William Schaff
I've said this before, but my creative life is an embarrassment of riches, full of truly dazzling artists who inspire me, challenge me, and cause me to think and feel on a deeper level. Will Schaff is one of those artists. He is dedicated, generous, and always thought-provoking.
Will's home/studio is a place of constant creative motion. Unfortunately, it's in peril. Will and friends are in the middle of an active fundraising campaign to keep this treasure intact, and there are LOTS of beautiful perks for artists and art-lovers who give to the cause. Be sure to check it out HERE.
Will, how do you define creativity? Creativity to me has always just seemed like a way of looking at things. Anything, really. It is certainly not limited to the traditional arts. In fact, I guess a truly creative person wouldn’t let a word like “tradition” confine their actions. So, be it a computer programmer, a visual artist, or a bagger at the grocery shop, creativity is how you look at your task ahead of you.
You work in lots of mediums from drawing and embroidery, to stencil and paper cut. Do you let the subject matter define the medium, or vice versa? Both, really. It can change from piece to piece.
Your work often deals with suffering, whether it be suffering from illness or at the hands of authority figures. Do you look at artmaking as a cathartic practice? Does it help you process and somehow transform the suffering you see and/or experience? It has been a cathartic experience for me, and I feel it certainly can be for others as well. It is cathartic in the way asking questions is a cathartic experience. Being brought to a new level of understanding, or to a better question, can be difficult, but also there is a relief in getting to move on to the next point.
I've noticed dogs and birds show up a lot in your imagery. Can you talk about the connection you have to animals? For years my work only dealt with weighty topics. Folks would often ask, “Why don’t you draw something nice?” I felt there were enough folks doing that, and not enough asking important questions. And, with all my other jobs then, I had limited time to create art, so I focused on what I felt was important. As I have made art a full-time practice I now have the time to comment on that which I find beautiful as well. Animals are what I wish humans could seem to me, a true and high example of the beauty that is God’s creation.
You've collaborated with some awesome musicians (Okkervil River, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goodspeed You! Black Emperor, etc.) on album covers. How does that process work, do you listen to the music first and then come up with imagery, or something else? I do it simultaneously. A lot of the imagery I provide is as much a look into where my head is on those days, as well as my response to the music. Listening to the music while I work, over and over again, is a big and useful part of the process. And again, none of the imagery I have made for musicians has been devoid of where my mind is at while making it. Hopefully that shows in the work, and helps to make a stronger connection for folks.
You're in the middle of a big fundraising campaign to raise money for your amazing, welcoming, art-filled home studio. Tell me about the campaign and some of the perks folks can get when they donate. The campaign is intended to help get me out of the repetitive cycle of having utilities shut off, and falling into foreclosure. (This is my third time.) I try to keep my art as affordable as possible, while still providing myself with a living. Combine that with the fact that art is not a steady paycheck, and it makes for a tenuous business plan. I have tried to offer perks that allow folks, no matter what their own situation is, to be able to participate. I am offering original work, prints, playing cards I have designed, and an artist residency here at the Fort. The best way to find out all the wonderful options is to go to the campaign webpage.
Everyone's had moments on their creative journey where they really doubt their path. Can you recall a time when you wanted to give it up, and the thing (or person) that kept you going? Most days I shake my head at what it is I am trying to do. What keeps me going is many things. Mostly, though, people like you, and all those who continue to encourage me.
Favorite artists or influences? Too many to mention.
How about one artist you admire, and what it is you like about their work? Hard working ones. I don't mean to be cagey with my answer, but there are so many I admire. And yet, I have met so many artists who pick and pluck at it like they should be exempt from hard work because they are an "artist." One example of an artist I admire is David Lamb of Brown Bird. He's my house mate and inspiration. Both he and his wife don't take for granted the blessing they have to be working artists. When he is not on the road, I will hear him practicing for hours throughout the day, and then, every night, he and his wife and fellow bandmate, MorganEve, practice together for hours. I really respect that, and it is a reminder to me to never stop honing your craft for the people who are, ultimately, helping you to be able to do that craft for a living. There are others, but I chose him because I literally see him right around me most days.
Daily habits or practices? Probably not many that should be followed by others. Don’t ever be “bored.” If you find yourself bored, scold yourself for not figuring out some way to make use of your time towards a goal you want.
Advice for aspiring artists? I always find this to be one of the toughest questions to answer. Between my cynical side, and the side of me that does really believe in the wonders of this world, I try to refrain from giving any advice. It would depend too much on what mood you catch me in. I wouldn’t claim how I have done things is the best way, or the most successful. Instead, I just try to remind the new, nervous artist that if it is meant to be, you will find a way to make it happen. Might not be the most comfortable way, and you might not have a very long run, but like breathing, you find a way to do it. So just keep at it. Keep your loved ones and friends close, because you will need them, and they you as they struggle with their own efforts.
William Schaff has been known for a lot of things. Some of them admirable, some not so much so. In all things, he gives glory to God. You can track Will down on Flickr, Facebook and Twitter. (Photo of Will and his dog Dinner above by Michael Cevoli.)
The Curious Outcome of Giving Up on My Dream
Last year I gave up a dream I'd been pursuing for 14 years, the dream of working in the film industry as a writer and filmmaker. My love started many suns and moons ago with a lightning bolt realization. I had daydreamed a vivid conversation between a grandmother and her grandson, and it was such an odd, cinematic vision that I wrote it down. Then it hit me, "THIS must be what it's like to write movies!" I went on to devour any book about the craft that I could find, and write my first feature-length script in a week.
As years passed I wrote more scripts, produced and directed my own short films, moved to Hollywood and worked for a big screenwriter. Later, I worked in casting and production. I won some small awards for my scripts and films, and worked for little or no money in pursuit of a self-made, hands-on education. As the years dragged by I saw more peers - and students - pass me by. And, I got more tired, more broke, more hurt from rejection, more sluggish in my output.
I had given up this pursuit twice before following long stints of feeling like I was in the desert without a drop to drink, but last year, on the eve of my 40th birthday, I did it again. I called it quits for good. I gave myself 100% permission to stop struggling. It was hard. Especially because I love screenwriting and filmmaking. But bitterness, come to find out, does not become me.
After I got over the initial depression and despair about spending my whole adult life pursuing an impossible dream, I felt liberated. My creative flow that had been so pinpointed, so stopped up, opened wide again. Other outlets and mediums presented themselves. Ideas started to bloom again along my mental riverbanks. Unexpected possibilities arrived at the proverbial doorstep. (This website being one of them).
The most curious part of it all? I've gotten hired for more film and screenwriting jobs in the last year since I "gave it up" than any previous year. Not only that, but the projects I was hired on were "real" jobs with reputable organizations and rising star filmmakers, and they were projects I felt qualified and excited to do. In short, I set free what I loved and it came back again with a vengeance.
This got me to thinking about WHY it happened this way, and that's lead to a few revelations about the power of giving up. I laid them out for you in nice bold letters below, 'cause I'm cool like that. Dig 'em...
We block energy with our neediness. When you squeeze your fist into a ball, your knuckles turn white and blood stops flowing, but when you relax your hand a bit it starts to flow again. The same is true for our creative pursuits. When I was clinging so tightly, working so hard, yearning so deeply for the Almighty End Result, I blocked the flow of energy - energy that freed up again once I pointed my attention in another direction.
Transmissions take time to reach the outer atmosphere. When you work for years at something you reach a lot of people - people on the Internet, or students in your classes, or people who come through that gallery show, or who read your fiction as judges in a contest, or people you've submitted to for a project. There are so many ways your work ripples out into the world, but often we only focus on the shut doors and dead ends. The truth is you can't ever know what's happening behind the scenes. Your creative work, when you put it out into the world, takes on a life of its own. Sometimes it takes a lot longer than anticipated to find the right home, and just because you can't see things happening doesn't mean they aren't.
Releasing attachment to outcome allows for a happier outcome. I'm not going to say, "It's all about the journey," 'cause I'm a big fan of end results. But, when I stopped not just expecting a particular outcome, but an outcome AT ALL, they happened in a way I never would've imagined. Having specific results in mind kept me narrow in my focus, which in turn narrowed my possibilities. The more I did my creative work (yes, while enjoying the process) and released any particular idea of outcome, the more unimaginably wonderful outcomes flowed to me.
Begging the universe for assistance pays off. At a certain point in the last year, I threw my hands up and railed at the universe, "HELP ME, WOULD YOU?" What happened shortly thereafter is, well, help arrived. (I wrote about that here, if you're curious.) I used to be an atheist, so it's taken me decades of searching, and more importantly, experiencing and experimenting, to understand that we are co-creators. When we partner with Source Energy (or Spirit, or "the universe", or God, or Higher Consciousness, or however you choose to identify it) we achieve results beyond our wild imaginings (which, it turns out, come from a much smaller vantage point.)
Enjoying life needs to be priority #1. It's not just New Age Hocus Pocus to say we vibrate at a certain frequency, it's a scientific fact. When we vibrate with joy our spirits are raised and so is our frequency. Since like attracts like, that frequency attracts more joy. The more I dedicated myself to joy and feeling good this year, the more joyful opportunities came to me. Those opportunities not only supported my own vision, but served a much greater number of people than I ever could have envisioned. That's what they don't tell you about being joyful - it truly is contagious.
It turns out that our deepest dreams and desires can be our greatest teachers. It's just that when we're stubborn, narrow-minded students like I used to be, it takes a bit longer to get the lessons.