don't stop your growing.
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tell the truth: how do u make me feel visible  Grace Chin for Design Sponge some days i feel dry and empty, all hollow and frustrated, because i do not lack the desire to make, but the words aren't there. never fear. sometimes these are the days to learn, instead of explore. i like to read and learn and be pushed in directions. it becomes an exploration, and i write, whether i am simply taking notes or stumbling into a guided tour of new territory. following are some of these quotes i have found and loved. perhaps just a sentence will speak to you. xo m  Vincent van Gogh, from a letter to Theo van Gogh written c. March 1882  ❝When I write, I bring all of my truths, even the Judas-truths that make me feel like the betrayer whose dirty hands are resting on the table for everyone to see, including God. For me, writing is less a declaration of those truths than it is my interrogation of them. Uncovering the darkness in me that led to some of the poems about my brother also lights up the hard, bright way in which I love him and the small wars I wage to win him back. The monsters and hoofermen I choose to look in the eyes and teeth when considering my rez and this country’s history are also the truths that have built in me a strength and compassion that help me to survive this world. Truth is that little animal we chase and chase until we suddenly glance over our shoulder and realize it has been chasing us all along.  ❝Writing is a dangerous profession. There is no telling what hole you may rip in society’s carefully woven master narrative. ❝Poem that opened you – ❝Poetry does not provide a narrative for you to subscribe to. Poetry erodes your confidence in narratives as a means of experiencing and understanding the world. I do not think there is anything on this planet that can do that with anywhere near the same ferocity and grace. I cannot speak for other planets. 
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I'm an enneagram 4w5, wearing a 6 cape. An INFP. I am quite creative and philosophical and go with the flow, I love to learn and study, but I like structure. I like knowing perimeters, and resent boxes. Rules make me feel safe and capable... like I know how to work well and satisfy both myself and others.... if I agree with them. The stereotypes go like this: one can be one or the other: The artist is a bohemian who is messy, irresponsible, eccentric, and defies all boxes society attempts to place around them. They're a rebel. And this is me. Those who like rules are probably tidy and strict and inflexible. This is not me, and I'd argue that if this is, you could use some therapy, as we all could. Stereotypes have grains of truth, but we know they aren't whole. I am actually both, a person who resents boxes but loves some perimeters. For example, I believe artists are some of the most rule following folks around, even if they feel free flowing. There's dedication, knowledge, and routine. You can be both. It's healthy. Perhaps the most asked question of artists just starting out, after "Where do you get ideas" is simply, "How?" Lucky for us, everyone works slightly differently, enabling us to seek out those we most closely resonate with, and most like to talk about it. The result is a healthy stack of books and lists about "rules" folks follow, and how they allow for creative freedom. Corita Kent's Art Department RulesIf you don't know about Corita Kent, you should. Kent was a nun who made brilliant, bright, thoughtful, poetic, bold art. She played with shape, color, and typeset in a way that in part reflects advertising, and in part embodies poetry. She's glorious. Following is her ruleset for the Immaculate Heart College Art Department:  Jack Kerouac's 30 Beliefs and Techniques for Writing and LifeOf all people, Kerouac lived out his writing, thus it makes sense that his list applies to both writing and life. I love that. That is how I want to go about things. 1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy 2. Submissive to everything, open, listening 3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house 4. Be in love with yr life 5. Something that you feel will find its own form 6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind 7. Blow as deep as you want to blow 8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind 9. The unspeakable visions of the individual 10. No time for poetry but exactly what is 11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest 12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you 13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition 14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time 15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog 16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye 17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself 18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea 19. Accept loss forever 20. Believe in the holy contour of life 21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind 22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better 23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning 24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge 25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it 26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form 27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness 28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better 29. You’re a Genius all the time 30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven Kanye's Studio RulesSet aside whatever you think about Kanye to appreciate the signs he keeps taped up on his studio walls, as described by Rick Ross. I like the idea of creating a space separate from the rest of the world for creating, a place where I don't feel pressured to prove to anyone else that I am creating by speaking or posting about it.  NO TWEETING NO HIPSTER HATS ALL LAPTOPS ON MUTE JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP SOMETIMES NO TWEETING PLEASE THANK YOU NO BLOGGING NO NEGATIVE BLOG VIEWING DON’T TELL ANYONE ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING WE’RE DOING! NO RACKING FOCUS WHILE MUSIC IS BEING PLAYED OR MUSIC IS BEING MADE TOTAL FOCUS ON THIS PROJECT IN ALL STUDIOS NO ACOUSTIC GUITAR IN THE STUDIO NO PICTURES Austin Kleon's Rules of the StudioThe first artist I turned to for this post was Austin Kleon, patron saint of creativity and creative working. He created this set of rules for himself and his sons, who love to visit the studio. I also recommend his book Keep Going.  Ten Bullets by Tom SachsI love visual artist Sachs' emphasis on space.  1. SACRED SPACE: KEEP TOOL KIT AT THE READY SO WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES THERE IS NO DELAY, EXCUSE OR HINDERANCE BETWEEN YOU, YOUR THOUGHT, AND IT’S REALIZATION 8. RESET. AT THE END OF THE DAY: KNOLL YOUR WORKSPACE, SWEEP + EMPTY TRASH, PRE SET YOUR WORK STATION WITH SOMETHING PLEASURABLE TO COMPLETE. BEGIN YOUR DAY WITH A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT… 9. PROCRASTINATE. IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED GIVE UP IMMEDIATELY, MOVE ON TO SOME OTHER TASK UNTIL THAT BECOMES UNBEARABLE, THEN MOVE ON AGAIN CIRCLING BACK AROUND TO THE FIRST PROBLEM. BY NOW, YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS WILL HAVE WORKED ON IT, SORT OF LIKE SLEEP, ONLY CHEAPER How to Feel Miserable as an Artist by Keri SmithKeri Smith's anti-rule list is practical as can be. We love Keri Smith in this house.  Seth Godin's Rules for Working in a StudioWho better to turn to than a teacher and author? Gobin's list feels both simple and extensive. Don’t hide your work Offer help Ask for help Tell the truth Upgrade your tools Don’t hide your mistakes Add energy, don’t subtract it Share If you’re not proud of it, don’t ship it Know the rules of your craft Break the rules of your craft with intention Make big promises Keep them Add positivity Let others run, ever faster Take responsibility Learn something new Offer credit Criticize the work, not the artist Power isn’t as important as productivity Honor the schedule You are not your work, embrace criticism Go faster Sign your work Walk lightly Change something Obsess about appropriate quality, ignore perfection A studio isn’t a factory. It’s when peers come together to do creative work, to amplify each other and to make change happen. That can happen in any organization, but it takes commitment. Two Books of ListsI get hungry for The Secret, yanno? The one sentence that will change my whole life. I search for it, and following are two books about this exact subject that I highly suggest. You will be inspired. But you will also find that there are no secrets... there is just persistence and listening to yourself and how you work best. You got this. Just trust how you feel and what you've learned. Experiment.  Ways of Being: Advice for Artists by Artists, edited by James Cahill How do you be an artist? Is art a 'career', or a vocation? Do you need a studio or a dealer, and how do you find one? Are artists too competitive? How do they come up with ideas, and what is the point of the private view? Does financial success—or the lack of it—change an artist? What are the advantages of getting older? Based upon advice from a huge roster of artists, dealers and curators; and encompassing every stage of an artist's life—from early works, to debut shows and mid and late-career—this book answers all the key questions that every artist has at some point asked themselves. (via Goodreads)  Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey 161 inspired—and inspiring—minds,... novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, who describe how they subtly maneuver the many (self-inflicted) obstacles and (self-imposed) daily rituals to get done the work they love to do, whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing, drinking vast quantities of coffee, or taking long daily walks. (via Goodreads) Here's the thing...Rules are made to change. Rules are made to develop. Rules are made to give you more freedom and ability. Study others' rules. Be open to the prospect that each project may require a new set of rules. Figure out how your body, mind, and soul work best under different conditions. Map them out. Make your own list of rules... or guidelines, if you will. We're always interested to hear what you think, so feel free to send your list our way. Go in peace, M
 you're a genius all the timeby Jack Kerouac 1. Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening 3. Try never get drunk outside yr own house 4. Be in love with yr life 5. Something that you feel will find its own form 6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind 7. Blow as deep as you want to blow 8. Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind 9. The unspeakable visions of the individual 10. No time for poetry but exactly what is 11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest 12. In tranced fixation dreaming upon object before you 13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition 14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time 15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monolog 16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye 17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself 18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea 19. Accept loss forever 20. Believe in the holy contour of life 21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind 22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better 23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning 24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge 25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it 26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form 27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness 28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better 29. You’re a Genius all the time 30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven  Samuel Levi Jones literally deconstructs history, delegitimizing white supremacist knowledge bases. Did you know, Martin Luther King Jr. was not included in the Britanica Encyclopedia until 13 years after his assassination, despite new editions printing annually. Yet then, he was only included under African American. Jones rips them apart. Turns them inside out. Reframes power. Hangs them on the wall.  Find his portfolio here.   the glorification of pain in art is toxic. to make art you do not need to have pain. if you are an artist who hurts, you are not obligated to pimp out your trauma or pain to make art. catharsis doesn’t have to be public, even if it is your best work. while people have a responsibility to talk about painful things to remove stigma, you are not obligated to showcase your ruin at the expense of your own mental health. you are not obligated to complete the work. you are not obligated to keep a bright face, and you are not required to provide someone else’s catharsis. i think about this a lot. as an “artist” i’m afraid of depending too heavily on negative emotions to create. art is not worth my mental health deteriorating. balance is key, to mental stability, and to skill as an artist (challenge: can you write a happy poem as cathartic and good as your sad works?) i don’t want to base my identity on my art if it relies on my internal darkness. i don’t want to shirk healing in favor of my art. i don’t want to make myself sad to make myself make to make myself happy. “don’t fall in love with falling” -aircatcher, joseph “I can’t live this way just to write a song to play” -just like yesterday, tyler joseph
ps. this post stems from statements from particular songwriters that mental illness is the reason they’re such good artists, and that medication is a bad thing to take if you’re mentally ill, as it blocks your creativity.
i’m not going to discuss medication and illness, but i did want to touch on the above, which is more universal. i hope this comes across: if you need medication or supplements to function, please take it. it’s less that art is hard to make when you’re happy/healthy. it’s that it might be a different kind of art, and it takes practice to make. that’s fine. pps. artists know this. my three favorite artists use their mental state to create and even they have reminders for us: “take a day to break away from all the pain our brain has made” -migraine, tyler joseph “Will I always fall asleep to dream of mending up my wounds, then wake to spend the day reliving every bruise for the sake of a sad song, or a sweet repose, or seeing the blood flow from the stitching like it were a cavalry of demons in retreat, promising to leave me alone? They’re liars.” – A Time To Speak [And A Time To Keep Silent], levi the poet “do it for the love, give a f about the payment / If I’m being honest, I don’t know what I’m chasing / need a space to place my thoughts and the song’s the location / I’m sick of writing all these sad songs / but I’m just being real, it’s how I feel, word is bond / I just wanna let you know you’re not alone” -ruiner, nothing,nowhere “So I been putting all my thoughts in this verse / and I don’t know that if it’s helping or it’s making it worse / i just know its been a while since I felt like I’m fine / I’ve been trying to learn to live my life one day at a time” better, nothing,nowhere namaste, m |
