Teresa R. Funke's Blog: Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life, page 42

The Power of Committment

There’s a project I’ve been wanting to work on for months now. And though I keep putting it off, I also keep talking about how much I need to get it done.

“So what would it take to make you do it?” my husband asked.

“A deadline,” I answered.

But here’s the funny thing about deadlines, when promises are made to other people, clients or colleagues or bosses, we tend to deliver on time. But it’s harder to keep promises we make only to ourselves. It’s difficult to follow through when no one is really holding us to it. That is one of the ongoing challenges for artists and entrepreneurs.

Then there are those self-imposed deadlines that fall somewhere in between. Take this blog, for example. In two and a half years, I have not missed a single post, and I have never once been late. Why? It’s not like I’m getting paid to write these posts and or must answer to a boss. And it’s not like you, dear reader, would really notice if I were a day late. In fact, you’d probably fail to notice if I didn’t blog at all that week.

But that’s not the way it feels. It feels like I have made a promise to you to deliver this blog on time. And that makes this deadline stick. It’s a commitment, see? Same with my newsletter and my social media posts.

So here’s what I did regarding that project . . . I contacted a friend and asked if we could set a schedule to meet to review my progress. And I picked a friend who will offer little sympathy for my excuses. That’s important. I’m going to get it done just so I don’t have to tell her I didn’t.

If you’re finding it hard to follow through on a project you care about, find an accountability partner or set up your project so that people are excited to see your progress, because that makes it feel like a commitment!

If you find that you are still missing deadlines and still making excuses, that’s probably a sign that the project isn’t something you feel passionate about. If that’s the case, it may be better just to let it go. No sense wasting energy beating yourself up over something that’s not a good fit. Better to use that energy to push yourself toward something that really matters!

 

 

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Don’t Waste Your Luck

I had a bit of financial luck recently, which has given me the ability to pull back on some of my paid work for a while and focus on my writing again. While I’m wildly excited by that prospect, it’s harder to do than it sounds.

For most artist-entrepreneurs, there is no such thing as financial security, and our incomes fluctuate wildly at times. We get used to doing what we have to do in order to pay the bills, and when something comes along to allow us the space and freedom to spend more time on our art, we feel conflicted.

We feel guilty that we are “just” working on our art. We feel insecure about whether the good times will last. We worry that people will think we are spoiled artists who simply dabble in our “hobbies” all day.

And it’s hard to let go of the sense of responsibility and worth that comes with earning steady money. It’s hard to focus on our art when we keep thinking we should be spending that time on something that would bring more cash our way.

But as I told my friend, I don’t want to waste this luck. I don’t want to take this gift for granted. Life goes in stages, and for this stage, I want to buckle down and complete some writing projects that have been left undone for far too long. There is value in those projects that can’t be measured by dollar signs.

If my luck reverses, I’ll stir up more paid work. Until then, you’ll find me in my office plotting, researching and writing stories I hope will inform and inspire, and penning essays to help illuminate life in the 21st century.

In the end, when I am long gone and so is the money I made and spent, I trust those writings will live on. That’s why we do what we do. So if you get some good luck, don’t waste it. Spend it on your art! If it hasn’t arrived yet, ask for it. You’ll be surprised what a little faith can do.

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Does the Universe Take Our Ideas?

I was having lunch with a friend the other day, and she said she’d heard that the universe sometimes gifts us with ideas, and if we don’t act on them, it pulls the idea and gives it to someone else.

I startled when she shared this. How many times have I thought of something, told my husband I should do it, sat on the idea, and then cursed when someone else beat me to it? It’s happened with stories, products, even letters to the editor.

I don’t begrudge the universe for snatching back its ideas. I know we have to keep things moving. But I wish it understood that sometimes there’s a right time and a wrong time for artists to produce.

For example, I told my friend there is an essay I’ve been dying to write for two years.

“Why don’t you just do it?” she said.

“It’s not the right time,” I explained.

“Not the right time for you to write it or publish it?”

“Write it,” I said. “I just know.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“Sometimes I’m waiting for my life experience to catch up to what I want to say. Sometimes I’m waiting for more knowledge in that area. Sometimes I’m waiting for the right amount of passion. But I know if I write it too soon, I’ll do a half-ass job. Better to let it percolate till it’s ready. I don’t just want to get it down, I want it to be good!”

So, if the universe is listening, I’d like to ask that you have a little more confidence in us and a little more patience. If you want to see our best work, trust us. We aren’t always dropping the ball. Sometimes there is purpose behind our procrastination. Please don’t take our ideas too soon. We’ll know when the time is right.

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Spontaneity vs Planning

I was sitting in a focus group the other night, and the facilitator threw out an icebreaker question: “What do you miss most about being a kid?” I said, “I miss spontaneity. You know, deciding you were in the mood for tag and then knocking on doors until you found someone who could come out and play.” In the grown-up world, if I want to see a movie with a friend, we have to schedule it three weeks out.

Maybe artists are more attracted to spontaneity than the average Joe because creative bursts so often hit us out of nowhere. Maybe we learn to equate spontaneous brilliance with satisfaction.

I wish I could wake up every day and say, “What do I feel like doing right now.” But the real world doesn’t allow that. The real world demands that bills get paid and kids get fed and errands get run. Like it or not, to a certain extent, every artist needs to plan.

So how do we strike that balance between planning and spontaneous exploration? We’re not really the types to devise five-year plans, and even if we did create one, chances are it would change entirely by year two. Or worse, we’d get so fixated on our plan we’d fail to recognize growth opportunities when they appeared.

On the other hand, it’s bad business to just move forward willy-nilly. It’s not really true that you can “manifest” money, no matter how much we wish it were. It’s not as simple as believing, “if you follow your passion, the money will follow.”

So it behooves us as artists to sometimes step back and evaluate where we are on our career path, revisit our goals, restructure our work days, move beyond projects that aren’t gelling, etc. It takes some periodic soul searching to keep us on our path. And it takes admitting that sometimes we’ve reached a fork in the road and must decide if a whole new direction would serve us better.

We are solopreneurs, like it or not, and if we believe in our art, if we value it and want others to as well, we have to sometimes step back and ask ourselves what we need to move forward. Is it more money? More time for our art? A better work space? A more encouraging group of friends? If so, how do you plan to improve those areas of your work and life? How can you better support yourself so you can bring your best art to the world?

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Inspiration From Artist to Artist

If you know me, you know that part of what excites me as a creative is figuring out ways to bring my art to diverse audiences. Why? I’m a writer, after all, so why not just focus on the written word? As individuals, we like to interact with art in different ways on any given day. I follow my moods to figure out which type of art I’m craving, and I’m sure you do too. I love to read, for example, but I also love to watch movies and live theater productions and listen to music. How many times have you read a book and then watched the movie based on the book? Or the other way around? The two things complement each other, but each medium brings new perspectives and reactions to the work.

I also find it intriguing to see how artists draw inspiration from each other. A songwriter may get his inspiration from a famous painting, or a sculptor may get her inspiration from watching an actor move around on stage.

So in my own career, I have teamed up with artists from other mediums to not only inspire and excite me, but to help me expose my writing to people who don’t prefer to read. I have a theater performance based on my book Dancing in Combat Boots that I have done as a one-woman show, but also with other actresses. I do a concert with singer Colleen Crosson in which I read selections from this blog and she pairs them with fitting songs. As far as we know, that concept is pretty unique and has, so far, been very well accepted.

I am now also offering video versions of some of your favorite posts from this blog. I’ve taken the exact post and recorded it. Why? Because when we hear a piece of writing spoken aloud, we experience it in a different way than when we read it on the page.

I invite you to visit my YouTube channel and check out those videos, including the newest one, “How to Banish Envy.” See if the message strikes you differently this time.

And take note of the animation at the start of the videos, done by my videographer son, and the original music provided by my friend Mark Sloniker. I thought I knew nothing about choosing music for a video, but when Mark allowed me access to several of his songs, I found the perfect 8-second selection. How fun is that?

If you’re feeling in a bit of a rut with your work, maybe it’s time to mix things up. Get out there and interact with other artists and see what you can learn. You’ll quickly discover that, regardless of our mediums, artists are more alike than we are different, but our unique approaches can sometimes fuel the thinking of someone else.

And if you like the videos, please share them with friends. I’m hoping that with the popularity of video, more and more artists and creatives will stumble on my humble “bursts of brilliance” and feel inspired to do their best work. Thank you!

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Be the Change

Recently, for the first time in my life, I’ve been standing on street corners soliciting signatures for a petition. At first, it was intimidating to approach total strangers, but I reminded myself that the initiative I was hoping to see on the ballot was important, and I trusted that other people would see that too.

Most people are polite, even when they turn me down. Several wave me off without a second glance. Only one has been outright rude. The initiative is to help create a Scientific and Cultural Facilities District in our county, which will bring millions of dollars to our area for nonprofits that work in the arts and sciences.

As an individual artist, I won’t be able to apply for the grants, but that hasn’t stopped me from supporting the district. Why? Because I believe the pot is big enough for all of us. It’s my hope that if the nonprofits get access to more funding and can increase their programming, they may include more individual artists in the process. For example, a theater may hire a writer to write a sketch they can take into schools, or the science museum may hire a local artist to create a backdrop they can use at public events.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again . . . we all benefit when artists support other artists.

But I also believe that once in a while, we need to put aside our hesitations and step out of our busy lives in order to champion the things we believe in. Artists are notorious for wanting to lay low, keep to themselves, stay focused on their own work, etc. And to be brutally honest, many artists just want other people to hand them money. They don’t want to get out there and drum up funding for themselves, they want some sponsor to step forward and do it for them. Once in a while, we all need to do our parts to raise awareness and funding for the arts.

Gandhi once said we need to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” What change do you wish to see? Are you working for it, or just hoping someone else will take up the cause? Someday, we’re going to figure this out, how to build a culture that allows artists to earn a fair wage. We are because we are some of the most creative and driven people that have ever walked this earth. And if we work together, someday our kids or grandkids are not going to remember a time when artists couldn’t make a decent living. Those will just be stories from the “old days.” And we will have been at the forefront of change. Believe it!

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The Students Become the Masters

As a writer’s coach, I often advise new clients to learn how to “read like a writer.” In other words, dissect every book as you read to see what makes it work. And if you don’t like a book, don’t just set it aside. Keep reading and ask yourself why? What is it that’s not working? The plot? The characters? The pace? Then ask how would you do it differently.

Inevitably, new writers counter with the same question I once asked . . . “But won’t studying other writers on that level influence my own writing? I want to sound like myself, not someone else.” We want to discover our own genius. I get that.

But think back to when you were a kid. You learned just about everything from watching someone else do it, then from mimicking their actions. If your mom or dad taught you how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, you watched first, then made it exactly as they showed you. But over time, you changed things up a bit. You cut off the crusts or added tomato. You gave it your own flair. So even if you do mimic other writers to begin with, you will eventually find your own voice.

Ah, but if I do that, shouldn’t I be afraid I might plagiarize other writers, people ask. I tell them that if you had to ask the question that proves you are aware it’s a possibility and you will work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. Most plagiarists know what they are doing. It’s rarely an accident.

None of us are born knowing everything we need to know in order to do our art. We need teachers and mentors and masters throughout our journey. Don’t be afraid to let other people show you what they know. And someday, they may learn something from you in return.

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If I Were a Genius

The other day, I was watching a Charlie Rose interview with Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the megahit Broadway show Hamilton. I was recently in New York, and my hotel was across the street from the theater. It was torture walking by it each day knowing I’d have to kill someone in order to get a ticket. How I’d love to see that carefully selected original cast on a Broadway stage. How I’d love to witness genius.

Like most people, I’m fascinated by genius. Everyone from Albert Einstein to William Shakespeare. From Marie Curie to Adele. I wonder constantly what it must be like to be so gifted, to be a hair’s width from perfection. Oh, I realize that most geniuses have problems of their own, but they also have the ability to change the world. What must it feel like to have that power?

I know, I know, there’s genius in all of us. Isn’t that what I espouse in this very blog? That we are all brilliant at times? But realized genius is rare. It’s part inborn talent, part unfailing instincts, part unflinching nerve, part relentless curiosity, part rebellion, part passion, and part burning desire to create something new or better.

So it’s true, I think, that all of us have that potential, but few of us are willing to fully pursue it, because true genius also requires a bit of obsession. And with obsession comes sleepless nights, long workdays, agonizing doubt and frustration, and self-criticism. And frankly, these are things many of us would wish to avoid.

So we jump to our feet and applaud wildly when we witness genius. Why? Because we know it was hard-earned and that it is rare and beautiful and we celebrate that. But also because we gain inspiration just from being close to genius. We feel all kinds of hope, and maybe part of that hope is that someday something will light us up and we, too, will find the passion and energy to release our inner genius.

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If I Had a Million Dollars

If I had a million dollars:

I’d pay for ads for my books to appear on the side of every bus in five major cities.

I’d hire a really good publicist at the going rate of $3,000 per month and have them promote the heck out of my books, blog, and speaking.

I’d pay for endcaps for my books in every independent bookstore that would carry them.

I’d donate library sets of my children’s books to every elementary school in the country.

I’d hire out all my marketing and spend my days just living the writing life.

But I don’t have a million dollars, so I guess I’ll keep doing all those inexpensive things every working artist does in the hopes that you’ll discover and buy my art.

I’ll keep up an active social media presence.

I’ll fight with the templates every month to produce a good newsletter.

I’ll speak for free at writer’s conferences and events to share my knowledge and attract coaching clients.

I’ll do radio and TV spots in the hopes that you will “see me everywhere.”

I’ll keep a box of books in my car in case I run into someone who might want one.

It’s hard not to envy people with big budgets who can pay to get past the “noise,” but for most of us, it’s about striving day in and day out to make connections with people who just might want or need the work we produce. And that might happen in a grocery store line or a doctor’s office or through an unexpected e-mail. And when it does, it’s magic! I wouldn’t trade that for an impersonal TV spot on the Today Show. Well, okay, maybe I would. In the meantime, though, I’ll see you in the book signing line, and I’ll be happy to shake your hand.

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Dying for Something Original

The other day, I was scrolling through On Demand looking for a movie to watch. I skimmed past the ones I’d already seen, plus the ones my husband wants to watch someday, which left me with fewer choices. I scrolled and scrolled, but nothing caught my attention. It was just more of the same.

It seemed like every description went something like this: An unsuspecting stranger inadvertently unleashes an evil spirit . . . or An undercover cop gets pulled into a ring of violent criminals who . . . or Two middle-aged friends try to rediscover their youth by . . . Oh, and I think there might have been a new superhero movie or two and a few remakes of famous 80s flicks.

I’ve always been a film buff, and I was really in the mood to watch a good show, but after fifteen minutes, I gave up and read my book, Cutting for Stone, which was original. It was set in Ethiopia, of all places, with an unlikely cast of characters and some pretty enticing plot twists.

Yes, Hollywood is in a rut, and I’m not the only one who has noticed. It’s a constant struggle, I know, for the big players to balance the need for high revenues with the desire to produce good art. I was chatting with a theater owner once who told me she’d rather show nothing but little-known, high-quality shows, but every year, she feels compelled to throw in a classic or popular play because they bring in the most ticket buyers.

So it makes sense to me that Hollywood or Broadway or the New York Publishers or the big record labels must put out a few blockbuster selections each year in order to keep their doors open, but lately it all seems a bit excessive. I’d like to call out to them to make room for the kind of art that challenges us, pushes boundaries, stirs and inspires, and takes our breath away with its uniqueness. I’d like to call on them to reconnect with their artist souls and trust that if you make good art, you’ll make good money.

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