Teresa R. Funke's Blog: Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life, page 27

Can You Ever Outgrow Art?

I went with some friends to an outdoor singalong showing of the movie Grease. I turned twelve the summer that movie came out, and my best friend was obsessed with the show, so it holds a special place in my heart. I do recall as I got older, I started to question the suggestion that nice-girl Sandy could only get the man of her dreams by becoming a sexy bombshell. Something about that never set...

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Speaking of Success

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten suckered into watching, listening to, or reading several videos, podcasts, and articles in which the presenter or author promises to dispel common myths about success and tell us how he/she did it differently.

And many of them do start to deliver that message. They tell stories about how their first three businesses failed or how their first five manuscripts didn’t get published, but they never gave up. Sometimes they had to move home with their parents or try last-ditch efforts to save their businesses or projects, but they persevered. They talk about all the lessons they learned as they tried and failed and tried again, and often created a new and better way to do business. And usually they emphasis how they came to realize only in doing what we love do we truly achieve success. All that is well and good.

But in the end, the same thing happens every time. We discover that finally they did sell a million copies of a book or they did build a business they sold for millions of dollars or they did achieve celebrity. There seems to be an unspoken rule that the only people who are really allowed to talk publicly about alternate versions of “success” are the ones who have actually achieved the most time-honored, traditional, acceptable version of success, which is fame and fortune.

I get a little disappointed every time I realize I’ve been duped. I think about all the unsung heroes through the centuries, the housewives and country doctors and little-known artists who invented a new tool or process that improved our lives, but never achieved fame or fortune. I think about all the mom-and-pop businesses that operate in this country every day just scraping by, but filling an important place in their community. I think about all the hair stylists who double as therapists and the teachers who double as parents and I wonder why we can’t hear from them once in a while.

If you’re going to stand up there and tell me success means doing the work you love, then quit telling me how I’ll know when I’m truly successful. Only I get to decide what success looks like for me. Only I get to experience the real impact of my efforts. Only I get to say how much fame or fortune is enough for me.

One definition of success is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Another is “the attainment of popularity or profit.” How come it’s mostly those who have achieved the latter version that we hear from?  If we continue to give the stage only to speakers who have achieved one type of success, our collective perception of success will never change in this country.

It’s time to really mean it when we say, “Success is doing what you love and doing it well.”

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The post Speaking of Success appeared first on Bursts of Brilliance.

Speaking of Success

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten suckered into watching, listening to, or reading several videos, podcasts, and articles in which the presenter or author promises to dispel common myths about success and tell us how he/she did it differently. And many of them do start to deliver that message. They tell stories about how their first three businesses failed or how their first five manuscripts...

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Does Your Unfinished Art Serve a Purpose?

I’ve wanted to write a novel about my Mexican grandmother since I was fifteen. I’ve known all along what the first line would be: “When I was nine years old, Poncho Villa rode into town and killed a merchant in the street.” Whenever I think of that line, I get the shivers, remembering the day my notoriously quiet grandmother let that memory slip out.

 

But it’s never seemed like the right time to tackle that book. I never wanted to try when I was younger because her story was so important to me that I wanted to wait until I felt I was a stronger writer. And then as I grew in my writing ability, I got deep into my World War II stories and committed to finishing those. And now, my writing is taking a new direction. In fact, I’m not sure when or if I’ll write another work of fiction. So, where does that leave Grandma’s book?

 

Is it possible I’ll never pen that novel I’ve wanted to write for 37 years? Is it possible her inspiring story, her American dream saga, will never see the light of day? And if so, does that mean I’ve failed her or failed myself? I don’t think so.

 

See, some of our creative work is meant to get out there in the world, and some is meant just for us, for our internal motivation and inspiration. Just because it never lands on the page or the canvas or the stage doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Every time I think about my grandma’s story and play out a scene in my mind or jot down a line of dialogue, I feel closer to her and to the tale that made me want to be a writer in the first place.

 

I have an author friend who said whenever she starts a new book, she pictures the finished product (cover and all) floating before her. And the knowledge that the final book exists in this future form makes it seem real to her. That’s what keeps her going. I think my grandma’s story is that image for me. It represents possibility in all its forms.

 

I hope I do write Grandma’s novel someday. What a thrill it would be to finally hold it in my hands. But even if I don’t, her presence and her family’s history has worked its way into much of my writing, everything from essays, to short stories, to my children’s book, V for Victory. In many ways, she is still the reason I write.

 

So, if you’re feeling the time isn’t right for a project you know you want to do, but you worry the time will never be right, release that pressure. You’ll either do it or you won’t, but something about that idea has already changed you for the better.

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The post Does Your Unfinished Art Serve a Purpose? appeared first on Bursts of Brilliance.

Does Your Unfinished Art Serve a Purpose?

I’ve wanted to write a novel about my Mexican grandmother since I was fifteen. I’ve known all along what the first line would be: “When I was nine years old, Poncho Villa rode into town and killed a merchant in the street.” Whenever I think of that line, I get the shivers, remembering the day my notoriously quiet grandmother let that memory slip out. But it’s never seemed like the right time to...

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Journey On Just One Step More

I’m too tired to write this blog post. It’s been a long week, full of logistical and emotional ups and downs in both my business and personal life. It’s difficult, you know, when you care about your work, but you also care about your family and your community. It’s hard to sometimes feel spread so thin, without the proper energy or focus to give your all to everything that matters.

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There’s a Reason We Call it the Burden of Social Proof

The other day, I heard someone refer to the “burden of social proof,” and I thought the word “burden” was so fitting. See, social proof as a standalone term refers really to herd mentality. It means “the influence the actions and attitudes of the people around us have on our own behavior.” But social proof, as it is used in the world of marketing, means that your peers or customers are verifying...

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How Are You, Really?

My husband passed a coworker in the hall the other day and said, “How are you?” The man responded, “Fantastic.” My husband said, “Wow, that’s great.” The man said, “When someone asks you how you are, always say fantastic. No one wants to hear about your problems.” This strikes me as sad. I agree with him there’s a time and place to talk about our troubles. For example, if the clerk at the grocery...

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Where Do We Really Belong?

My husband is a channel surfer. I walked in last night and he was watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I arrived at the moment when a wise character was telling the main character, “The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead.” She’s advising her to stop waiting for something (or someone) who is long gone and look to the future instead. Maybe because today is my birthday...

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The Numbers That Really Matter

I’m getting ready to roll out a new book and already obsessing about numbers. I’m wondering how many copies to order in my first print run. Should I dream big or be practical? How many books can I really sell in, say, the first three months? I’m concerned about raising my numbers of social media followers before this book comes out, so my posts will have the biggest impact. I’m taking a daily...

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