ANY WRITER WHO IS A WRITER HAS A BLOG by (me!) sandra, ttgp
writing
writing is like 50,000 times more important than publishing. and blogs are a magnet for writers. an empty canvas, with enormous and irresistible creative possibility.
on the occasions i have met and asked fellow writers "do you have a blog?" i think, oh.. now that's a silly question isn't it. what writer would not have a blog? the question answers itself.
rather, i've learned to ask, "what is the name of your blog." because i know any writer that is a writer has a blog.
and i can spot a writer's creative process position in under three posts. i have had the understanding, a clear understanding for some time now, but i've lacked a good vocabulary for it, until..
until i watched mike myers interviewed by james lipton on inside the actor's studio. and during his interview, he is quoting who? we don't know, but he repeats this, about the evolution of the artist; the process of change:
that you go from, unconsciously incompetent, to consciously incompetent, to consciously competent to unconsciously competent
and travel through this cycle in all of your creative endeavors. a brilliant summation, if i've ever heard one!
he also pointed out, that the unconsciously incompetent, will be quick to judge and criticize the consciously incompetent. it is part of the reason he likes to work things out creatively, in private, and then perform (always reworking/revising/improving)
and on the occasions i hear incompetents judging, criticizing, belittling in any way, me or my fellow bloggers.. i am quick to realize, anyone doing so, is incompetent to begin with and cannot be taken seriously or to heart. artists understand artists, and are generally compassionate and supportive. this is the key! you can only express compassion and understanding for a process you yourself have experienced and understand -any harsh criticism and/or marginalizing of bloggers that surfaces tends to come from people entirely lacking, but secretly longing for the creative experiences and evolution artist's enjoy.
and that evolution was communicated by mike myers in still another, even briefer way. again the source is not known, but the quote is this:
" what's impossible becomes hard, what's hard becomes easy, what's easy becomes beautiful.
i know this to be true.
and i found it fascinating, that mike myers said, "all of my characters have had a life on stage before in the movies"
that is it! -blogs are for writers, as the stage is for mike's movie characters. a place to experiment, test the waters, test the audience, test ideas. live.
it is where a writer is free to pour everything out on the page; everything. and then, for those with publishing ambitions, like myself, to filter out what is unimportant and let only that which is easy and beautiful earn it's way on to the pages of a published work.
i say to anyone and everyone who inquires about my blog, "the writing, on my part, is mandatory; the reading on your part is voluntary" -and feel grateful to anyone who voluntarily stops by, but am at all times aware
the creative process -itself- is not dependent on an audience. in fact, for some, an audience is interruptive. truth falls under the influence of popular opinion, or judgement. moves away from silence and toward applause; away from purpose and towards marketability, and the result of that..
the result of that can be seen everywhere. everywhere things are the same. formulas are born under the influence of an audience, and originality is homeless again.
so at all times i am posting or reading blogs, i am aware something much more important is going on for all of us
we are in various stages of the creative process. the thing always to keep in mind is this,
it is a process, not an event (borrowed from christiane northrup). you do not go from unconsciously incompetent to consciously competent skipping any steps.
the impossible does not become easy, before being hard.
i know this to be true, but not without arguement and exceptions.
i see the world is populated with some who are born geniuses. out of the womb, and onto the piano, composing
but even in these rare, remarkable, mysterious cases, their competence lacks life experience; feeling/emotion.
i see two groups forming: born genius; evolving and evolving genius; born.
the artist born genius, cannot yield masterpiece works, until some life has been experienced. and the artist with life experience, cannot yield masterpiece works, until their genius evolves through the creative process and is born. easy and beautiful.
what blogs have done, is made the creative process for writers transparent and available to readers. take a look and read.
read a born genius evolving. read an evolving genius, born
it is as exciting as watching the birth, maturity, evolution and enlightenment of any human being.
it is not always easy, but very often, beautiful. thank you mike myers. love, ~s.
and i will return to write in the future, a post on writing just because (and not for publication).
posted by SHE @ 7:17 AM
5 Comments:
thank you for the thoughtful post, sandra. you know what gets me is the endless chatter of some blog critics saying writers waste valuable 'writing' time by posting their thoughts on their blog. i love your analagy of meyer's stage as a testing ground for his movies and our blogs as a safe space to nurture our words.
as always, a fan of yours!
kelly: -thank you! i am of the philosophy, that any and all writing you do, serves you
any writing you do grows you as a person and an artist, from thank you notes, to emails, to poems, to blog posts
what ignorant person would come up with such nonsense? -a waste of time to write your thoughts?!
only someone feeling threatened in some way would make that statement
only someone quite obviously thought-less.
we all know better.
"to writers! bloggers! artists!"
love, ~s.
She,
Great post! I LOVE the Mike Myers comments about consciousness and competence! I might even have to commission a Mag-time board with that quote!
And, I so agree with you about the blogs! Any and all writing we do stretches our brains, imaginations and writing muscles! It's all good!
I read an interesting article recently about how to become great at something. It said that typically a person needs about ten years of dedicated, deliberate, repetitive practice at something to become great. I think a blog is a wonderful way to get that practice at writing, especially when you are writing about stuff you are passionate about.
One of my all-time favorite writer quotes is Joan Didion's "I write in order to find out how I feel about something." That's enough of a reason for me!
xo,
K&D
dd: -thank you! and this is a second/new interview w/mike myers on inside the actors studio..
there is another one -two hours long- if i'm remembering correctly, and it is my all time favorite. he is a true genius, so fascinating to listen to
and did i hear "mag time frame"
you got it! working on some write now for the pleasanton museum...
AND.. i've one i started for you and didn't finish from some time ago..
thanks for reminding me. -coming soon.
AND.. great thoughts/quotes on writing and greatness
10 years sounds about write to me
"to passionate practice!"
love, ~s.
She,
I think I want a Mag-Time Board instead of a frame and I don't know if you can fit both of Myers' words of wisdom about consciousness and competence and also "what's impossible becomes hard, what's hard becomes easy, what's easy becomes beautiful." I think I even like the second quote better--more inspiring for a writer like me who is in the "hard" stage, working towards easy and beautiful!
I'll leave it up to you and your fabulous artistic sense. Let me know how much I owe you. I can't wait to hang it in my office! (right next to the vision board.)
Love,
K&D
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