Two things that have got me thinking today are Polly Carl's latest essay on Howlround and the newest Steven Pressfield book.
Polly Carl is asking for new definitions of artistic success in 2013. In doing my personal new year assessment, I was already thinking about needing to redefine success for myself, so having this essay is a terrific affirmation.
From the essay:
The problem with predetermined paths to success is that for better or worse, the paths are well trodden, and the deep grooves cause us to try and find a way to make ourselves fit into something that has become ossified and unoriginal. And the truth is that not many theater artists, because they are such creative people, can make it down that predetermined road with any regularity.
Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, has written Do the Work!, a version of his motivational creative philosophies, that focuses on the granular level, the process of making the art itself, in the face of capital-R Resistance. It's a creative drill sergeant, and worth having nearby when starting a new endeavor.
I love when he says:
Act, reflect. Act. reflect.
NEVER act and reflect at the same time.
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