It’s Not the World’s Fault You Wanted to be an Artist
I find myself angry with my work more often than usual. I get angry with the direction I’ve led my life these last couple of months, which leads to anger towards the people around me.
When it gets to this point, I read the following below (sent over by Annie) which brings me back to an even keel:
From Elizabeth Gilbert, Thoughts on Writing
“One day, when I was agonizing over how utterly bad my writing felt, I realized: “That’s actually not my problem.” The point I realized was this - I never promised the universe that I would write brilliantly; I only promised the universe that I would write. So I put my head down and sweated through it, as per my vows.
I have a friend who’s an Italian filmmaker of great artistic sensibility. After years of struggling to get his films made, he sent an anguished letter to his hero, the brilliant (and perhaps half-insane) German filmmaker Werner Herzog. My friend complained about how difficult it is these days to be an independent filmmaker, how hard it is to find government arts grants, how the audiences have all been ruined by Hollywood and how the world has lost its taste…etc, etc. Herzog wrote back a personal letter to my friend that essentially ran along these lines: “Quit your complaining. It’s not the world’s fault that you wanted to be an artist. It’s not the world’s job to enjoy the films you make, and it’s certainly not the world’s obligation to pay for your dreams. Nobody wants to hear it. Steal a camera if you have to, but stop whining and get back to work.” I repeat those words back to myself whenever I start to feel resentful, entitled, competitive or unappreciated with regard to my writing: “It’s not the world’s fault that you want to be an artist…now get back to work.” Always, at the end of the day, the important thing is only and always that: Get back to work. This is a path for the courageous and the faithful. You must find another reason to work, other than the desire for success or recognition. It must come from another place.”
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Chris, thanks for the huge reminder and the awesome inspiration. I needed that! The world doesn’t owe us one dime or ounce of empathy yet we keep creating because we have to. Like a fish has to swim, right?
Good reminder. When you write, you start off writing for an audience of one, which is yourself. If you’re true to yourself and your work shows it, then others like you will find you and find your work meaningful.