The Writing Life
My friend Esther frames Vonnegut’s saying differently: do the things that make your soul happy. She and I are quiet for a moment – an oddity for the two of us – and reflect on what her statement means in the context of our conversation. She and I aren’t speaking of a short-term happiness but of a long-term one, one that is rooted in pursuing God and resting in Him.
My heart is astir with a good theme;
I address my verses to the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Psalm 45:1 (NASB)
I’d like to do a little more wrong. – Eva Hesse
An artist’s work can be attributed to a few things, three of them being training, personal inclination and experiences, and conversations with one’s contemporaries. Eva Hesse, a fine artist in the sixties, exemplifies all three traits. She studied art; she had a personal inclination to make art; her personal experiences and personality informed her art; and she conversed with her contemporaries.
“Good” is a subjective qualifier, but most people know when the work they produce is good or mediocre. Good work is doing one’s best. Mediocre is doing just enough to get by. Good work may receive criticism and need corrections. Mediocre work has to be completely redone.
Creativity isn’t a process. Advertising is a process. Creativity is a manic construction of absurd, unlikely irreverent thoughts and feelings that somehow, when put together, change the way we see things. That’s why it’s magic. If you want to be ordinary, then, yes, use a process. – John Hegarty
I know the importance of being still, but I’m no good at it. I try to be, but it’s a struggle. I’m followed by various tracks of questions put on repeat: “What do I do next? What should I be doing? Am I doing the right thing? How do I know if I’m doing the right thing? If I’m not doing the right thing, what should I be doing? What should I be pursuing? What about that person? Did I offend that person? Why is he or she being quiet? What should I do?” The questions aren’t easy ones to answer – they often are impossible to answer – yet the perfectionistic, impatient person I am wants answers right now. The more I think about how I don’t have the answers, the more frustrated and worried I become. I turn into the polar opposite of stillness. I’m on edge, jittery, cranky.