Jordan, I can so relate to your sentiments and the emotional tug of war. Naively, I took the path of the creative, a lot like the Fool in the Tarot, stepping blindly off the cliff, my eyes giddy with eagerness and joy. Eventually, the noise of selling the book comes in. I mean, I wrote to be read, and so the reality of that settled in, and I realized, Oh, I'll have to practically drop all the creative stuff to learn the business of it all. It reminds me a little of Wordsworth's lines:
"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers"
But now, each day, I'm trying to set aside those moments to stop and feel the life around me. We are visiting our son in Oregon now. He lives in the forest, and we walk together. Quietly, we walk, listening to the choir of birds. I can't even see them, but I know they are up there somewhere, flitting among the Douglas Fir! How restorative is this!
Most days I'm fairly positive, because I'm busy. But I'm a little stuck on the second book in my series. Spending all my time on socials, writing reviews, or editing the writing I've already done rather than writing new pages. But lately, I've been to too many funerals. Spent too much time reaching out to prop up friends who have lost loved ones, and feeling my age. So yes, this rang very true for me. Thanks, Jordan.
I too have been feeling rather deflated lately. It's hard to motivate myself to write much of anything beyond semi-deranged ramblings in a journal in the morning. But hey, that's something, I tell myself.
I was about to suggest that we meet up at the Bay Area Book Fest as a way to shake some doldrums, but then I saw you're gonna be at the Bay Area Book Fest again! It reminds me that it is now A WHOLE YEAR AGO that I went to your reading at Book Passage and then saw you at book fest. The book fest always gives my soul (and creativity) a boost.
I feel you here! I periodically make peace with the marketplace, an ongoing practice, since I write for myself, and a relatively small audience, and still thank whatever may be out there that I get so much pleasure and joy just from being creative. Going to the grass and the birds renews that feeling another way. Yes, the world really sucks. But it is so beautiful too and there's always good stuff to touch base with. You also never know when someone will find you and tell you how meaningful something you wrote was for them. I heard from someone in China not long ago. No idea how that happened but it did, so I know there must be others.Fame and fortune don't leave lingering satisfactions. Okay, maybe nothing does, but if it requires great hustle it better last.
Thanks, Beverly, I appreciate your words as always. I am with you on deriving joy from the creativity alone. But it's also nice to be in community with other creative people!
Jordan, I can so relate to your sentiments and the emotional tug of war. Naively, I took the path of the creative, a lot like the Fool in the Tarot, stepping blindly off the cliff, my eyes giddy with eagerness and joy. Eventually, the noise of selling the book comes in. I mean, I wrote to be read, and so the reality of that settled in, and I realized, Oh, I'll have to practically drop all the creative stuff to learn the business of it all. It reminds me a little of Wordsworth's lines:
"The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers"
But now, each day, I'm trying to set aside those moments to stop and feel the life around me. We are visiting our son in Oregon now. He lives in the forest, and we walk together. Quietly, we walk, listening to the choir of birds. I can't even see them, but I know they are up there somewhere, flitting among the Douglas Fir! How restorative is this!
Thanks for these wonderful thoughts, Tim!
Most days I'm fairly positive, because I'm busy. But I'm a little stuck on the second book in my series. Spending all my time on socials, writing reviews, or editing the writing I've already done rather than writing new pages. But lately, I've been to too many funerals. Spent too much time reaching out to prop up friends who have lost loved ones, and feeling my age. So yes, this rang very true for me. Thanks, Jordan.
Thanks, Claire. I lean toward the positive,too, but I am so sorry you've been in a time of great loss. Lots of love to you
I too have been feeling rather deflated lately. It's hard to motivate myself to write much of anything beyond semi-deranged ramblings in a journal in the morning. But hey, that's something, I tell myself.
I was about to suggest that we meet up at the Bay Area Book Fest as a way to shake some doldrums, but then I saw you're gonna be at the Bay Area Book Fest again! It reminds me that it is now A WHOLE YEAR AGO that I went to your reading at Book Passage and then saw you at book fest. The book fest always gives my soul (and creativity) a boost.
And I'm sorry to hear you're feeling deflated lately, too.
Wow, it is wild that it's been a year. It was a very happy, book filled spring! Definitely we should meet up there, since I shall already be there ;-)
I feel you here! I periodically make peace with the marketplace, an ongoing practice, since I write for myself, and a relatively small audience, and still thank whatever may be out there that I get so much pleasure and joy just from being creative. Going to the grass and the birds renews that feeling another way. Yes, the world really sucks. But it is so beautiful too and there's always good stuff to touch base with. You also never know when someone will find you and tell you how meaningful something you wrote was for them. I heard from someone in China not long ago. No idea how that happened but it did, so I know there must be others.Fame and fortune don't leave lingering satisfactions. Okay, maybe nothing does, but if it requires great hustle it better last.
Thanks, Beverly, I appreciate your words as always. I am with you on deriving joy from the creativity alone. But it's also nice to be in community with other creative people!