Explorations In Reading, Writing, and Publishing
There are few other blogs I follow—would like to follow more—far too busy being a writer…
One other writer I do follow is Lynn Biederstadt of Sky Diaries.
In fact, I’m as careful to leave comments on each of her blog posts as I am to reply to comments here.
I feel the aloneness of being a writer—not loneliness—and feel I should reach across space and let her know I “understand”…
Her recent post, The Van Gogh Teach, begins with her visit to the Van Gogh exhibit in Denver, Colorado.
She goes on to explain a lesson the experience gave her, saying:
“A lesson, as so often happens, made up of many questions.”
I appreciate all her posts but this one has questions about writers dealing with the issue of Recognition—Van Gogh not receiving much in his lifetime.
I’m going to put some of Lynn’s questions here but do follow the link and read the whole post.
Apart from seeing the questions in her finely-crafted context you’ll also receive a bit of the painter’s biography…
Some of Lynn’s questions for serious writers:
After relating some of Van Gogh’s struggle, Lynn asks, “…what does that say about those of us who, in our art, are visited by promise but not, perhaps, by the confidence of brilliance?”
“What do we tell ourselves in the ticking interim as we wait for recognition to find us?”
“Who gets to decide what’s brilliant and what isn’t?”
“Are the determiners the thousand gatekeepers who stand between the art and the recognition of it?”
“If we each hold the exquisite ability to call success to ourselves, should that determination not have been enough to cut him some cosmic slack?”
“At what point does the doggedly original become the unquestionably wonderful?”
“When does nonconformism claim a rightful, righteous place in a shiny world?”
“What inner angel do you call upon to keep going despite yourself…toward the impossible, the sublime, the transcendent?”
There are more questions; and, if you feel the urge to answer a few, please take this link and let Lynn know what you think…
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Data On The Map Began in November 2012
In the past week I’ve seen lots of different people post about this very subject. How to move past self doubt and keep going. Maybe it’s the election making everyone feel insecure. I understand the feeling well, but I try to take a different approach, instead of trying to fight self doubt I embrace it. I am a clown I am a fool.one of the God’s merry pranksters. When trying to fight my doubts, when I try to focus on winning the goal, I get all balled up. Being smart enough to see all the ways things can and will go wrong and how impossibly small the chances for success are. Ahh but in giving up, an odd freedom of action begins. It’;s not about winning, about making that elusive goal, it’s about finding the most interesting way to really frack things up this time.
Adrienne,
Your comment reminds me of thoughts like:
Don’t tell the Devil to get behind you—get him out front where you can see what he’s doing.
Don’t try to conquer the Dark—just shine your Light more intensely.
Evil got ya down? Be Good :-)
No matter what the size of our audience we have no idea the reach of our art. That is the reward the no idea….
I think I get it, Blue—let’s talk in SL about it, ok?
Perhaps Blue is implying that the art is coming from that inner core of authentic self… it is impossible to know how far the effect of that art will radiate out and not worrying about the ‘reach’ and acknowledging that we can never know its full effect will set the writer free…? this is the writer’s great reward, if they can find it, and the flip side is the ‘reach’ may be far far wider than we ever imagined. So don’t worry about it…just do the art :)
Ah, Jane, you’ve helped me unravel that last bit—”That is the reward the no idea…”