Ockham Media

No, I don’t mean the King of Pop. Rather, I’m reading “On Writing” by Stephen King. He offers two lessons to keep in mind when writing. I think these tidbits apply to any artistic endeavor.

1. The most important thing is that the writer’s original perception of the character(s) may be as erroneous as the reader’s.
2. Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it.

With writing, I can definitely relate to number 1. The other day I noticed how drastically my characters have changed over the last 3 weeks. I had to go back and rewrite a bunch of the early stuff because it didn’t make sense with who they were anymore. In this case, the characters have become darker, and more flawed. This is what makes them “human”. I think it just took me some time to get to know them. I think this is the case for painting, or any other art form. You start with a basic idea, but once you get going, sometimes it just “speaks” to you and says, “No, I want to be created THIS way.” And of course you have to listen.

#2 applies to anything in life worth doing doesn’t it? But especially with creative challenges. There will always be times where the creativity just isn’t flowing. Some days I only manage to get 2 sentences out during my allotted writing hour. Editing movies is the same way. Sometimes I’m in the zone, and it flows effortlessly, other times any little thing that can distract me away from creating is welcomed!

I guess what I get from all this is the gentle reminder to not set anything in stone. Allow all aspects of your life to breathe and flow and become what THEY need to become, not what you force upon them. Keep on pushing forward when you feel stuck. You never know when the “stuckness” will break free, so you must stay true to the work and keep nudging it forward.

I’m a typical American in that I’m way too busy. Time is not my friend. We battle each other every day. I have two young children at home for the summer. I run a business, maintain a regular workout schedule and write two blogs. So amidst the daily craziness I recently decided it’s time to write a book. Yes, let’s add one more thing to the mix, shall we? I’m thinking to myself, “This is crazy. Can’t this idea wait another 20 years? Surely I’ll have more time then?” (yeah, right!)

I’ve been working on the book for 3 weeks now. Plugging along. My husband, who has a writing background, told me that professional writers write for 8 hours a day and bout 5000 words a day. After three weeks I’ve got 5200 words and 15 hours. This whole time thing is really depressing now isn’t it? I can accomplish in 3 weeks what a pro can do in a single day! At this rate it will take 5 years to write this novel. But I recently decided, “You know what? I don’t care how long it takes. I’m writing! Inspite of life’s daily craziness, I AM WRITING.” Yes, I do have to scheme how and when to sneak away from my “real life” so I can write. At first I was bummed I could only manage to squeeze in 5 hours a week of intricately calculated time. But then I decided to stop beating myself up about that. I changed my perspective to “5 hours a week?! That’s not bad for someone in my shoes. I’m going to celebrate it. It’s a victory!” I know it will be all that much sweeter when I finish the first draft.

Perspective is everything. In this case I deliberately choose to be positive about my progress. It’s not easy. Self-defeating talk tries to creep back in and I have to keep knocking it out. It is futile to fight against the clock anyway. We all know who is going to win that battle eventually…

Often times our biggest personality flaw is also our greatest asset. Have you noticed this? For me the big gaping flaw is BOREDOM. I get bored so easily it’s annoying. I guess that is one reason I didn’t thrive in corporate America (does anyone?!). Of course this trait also moves me to constantly learn new things and push towards different goals. On the other hand, I’m never content for too long before the restlessness starts up again. So it is a blessing and a curse.

I’ve been thinking about the life I want to create and I found some hints in the strangest place! I recently finished reading “The Heroin Diaries” by Nikki Sixx. I’ve never been a big Motely Crue fan, but I always kept track of  Nikki, because I knew there was something special about him. So anyway, I decided to see what Nikki’s been up since the book came out 2 years ago. Well, not only is the book amazing, but he also wrote a soundtrack to go with the book. What a cool idea. Then he also started a clothing line, AND he’s taken up photography, AND he’s producing other bands, AND he organized one of the largest summer festival tours. Upon doing this research I instantly got all hyper inside. THAT’S WHAT I WANT…. to be a “serial artist”!!!

That is always what I’ve wanted. I want to be able to make a movie, then turn around and write a book, then turn around and produce a theatre production. For easily bored people like me, this would be so awesome. I’m all giddy just typing about it. But then the thought hit, I’m not famous so I probably can’t be a successful serial artist. Nikki Sixx already has millions. He could put out any piece of junk and his loyal fans will buy it. In fact a lot of famous people have tried other artistic endeavors. Some of them are really bad, but they can do it just because they can.

But I realized the fact that I’m not famous is just an excuse. I also caught myself constrained by this idea that creative endeavors must make money to be successful. Hmmm. That’s a tough one that I’m still working through, and a great topic for another post. So I’m not famous, SO WHAT??! I declare I’m  going to give this serial artist thing a try! In fact I’m already underway on writing my novel. I’d love your feedback, dear readers. Is it possible for a normal person to make it as a serial artist? Do you know anyone who’s doing it successfully? (and thanks, Nikki, for the idea. We can pull inspiration from the strangest places!)

“I am a video editor.” That’s what I told the world for 10 years. Before that, “I am a stockbroker”. (yeah, that lasted only a few years, thank goodness) But going into 2009 I wanted something more. “I am an artist” is my mantra this year. I mean, that’s what I used to be when I was a kid so, I’ve decided to reclaim that. I think we are all creative when we are kids. Then some sort of culturally induced reality check occurs and we totally loose our artistry. After all, gotta get that degree and make a living to get that house and support that family, right? Oh, they didn’t mention the possibility of ending up miserable or loony.

I discovered that as soon as I changed how I defined myself, my own mind really started to open up. Suddenly a book idea popped into my head, then another. A few nights ago I heard an uncomposed song during my sleep. That hasn’t happened in years. It really is working! I clearly see where I am still blocked. I used to draw amazing portraits. Now I can barely draw a stick figure. How does that happen? I’m not sure yet, but I’m trying to figure that out. But just recently I caught myself saying outloud to my mom, “I’m reclaiming my creativity, BUT I’m still no good at drawing.” So that is how I defined myself.

My mom brought to my attention that it’s like riding a bike. If I once could draw, there is no reason why I can’t do it again. I may have to RELEARN, but that skill is still there, buried deep. It was also brougth to my attention that I may have some emotional “stuff” tied to drawing. So, I got honest with myself and I already knew that yes, that “stuff” is there and it is specifically tied to drawing. But then I felt so excited. I’m finally getting to the root of my drawing problem! And it really does start with how we define ourselves. Everything starts with a thought. Thought is energy. So once we decide to change how we define ourselves, and put out that new energy, things begin to happen, even though the things may seem tiny. How do you define yourself? How is it hindering or helping you? I dare you to start telling everyone, “I AM A——-” fill in the blank and see what happens.