I’ve talked about humbleness previously, but it’s a trait worth regular consideration. The humble writer is a growing writer. She views her role and her writing in the right manner. She is more interested in producing a good work than in preserving her ego.
I turn to some of my favorite choreographers to illustrate the point: Travis Wall and Sonya Tayeh. Every time they’re complimented for their work, they say “thank you” and immediately gesture toward the dancers. They understand that their creations are nothing without the dancers. The choreography is just a series of steps and movements until they’re translated to the human form. It’s when all the moving parts – the choreography, the music, the dancers, the costumes – come together that beauty arises.
Wall and Tayeh somehow keep that attitude despite the numerous awards they’ve received and have been nominated for. I would like to think it’s because they keep the right attitude and perspective. They know who they are and what they’re called to do. They may acknowledge their talent, but they seem to recognize that it does no good unless it’s used and given away.
The more they give, the more they receive in return. They’re given additional opportunities to create. Tayeh, for instance, has been recruited to a special project with the Martha Graham Dance Company. Wall sometimes has two to three pieces at play during a single episode of So You Think You Can Dance.
How do they find those opportunities? How do they seem to have a never-ending fount of creativity? I think it comes from their willingness to be used and to exercise their talents, a quality that only occurs in the presence of humbleness.