There's a strange absence of the past in your meditation. The creative life has always been virtually non-existent in America. In fact, a great literary critic once wrote that the Americanness of American literature is its disconnection from the populace. Hawthorne, Emerson and those guys were the only people in the forest that read Shakespeare. No one else cared, but they had to smile anyway. H.L. Mencken and D.H. Lawrence are a gold mine on this subject. At 125 lbs, Richard WrightI found his literary in at the Post Office. I recommend the Brit Cyril Connolly's Enemies of Promise for a 1940's take on what is a classical problem.
In other words, the best teachers and inspiration are those who've gone before us. When things get tough, read a Hollywood bio or one of the Impressionist painters or one on Abraham Lincoln. That should get anyone through the stupid comments from family and friends, the romantic rejections by people who over the past fifty years have become brutal competitors, drying up the side hustles. That's why so many men still live at home. In rereading The Power Elite, I've been reminded that America never had salon women. Mabel Dodge was a flash in the pan that ended up in New Mexico. The Suffragettes only met among themselves, cooking up what has amounted to a radical conformity So, we've had no institution in which the brightest women hosted the brightest men in ongoing debates about the largest subjects, with intrigues and affairs to round it out.
I'm surprised that more American artists don't refer to what artists have always referred to- other, greater artists. Instead, we've chosen psychology, which only has a fleeting place for art and which props up the very people who are in our way.
Well this article came along at exactly the time I needed to find it. I've only been reading the blog for a couple weeks, but I'm in the first year of a two-year MA in Film and Media Studies, and my excitement for being in the program has consistently been counter-balanced by my concern with observing other's personal velocities, and comparing myself to my peers (who are also my friends). Doing the work has been the hardest part, and some days I believe in my ideas, and others I do not. But I need to remind myself that I am returning to this type of thinking and writing and working after many years of doing different work. And that readjustment will take time.
So thanks for writing this Ted. Going to bookmark it for when I need to remind myself to be patient, focus on what I can control, and that there is no stop watch telling me I am "out of time."
I wonder why you don't advocate for a real Minister of Culture (like every other country in the world, except Japan and the US). Sure, politics are fuckin stupid here, and there will always be opposition. But when you talk of building out a better film industry / film eco system, this would be the only real game-changer. (We know medicare for all is also a long shot but we also know it is the only way to change this system).
We can all try to build little oasis' of culture scattered across the country, hot-house orchids that will wither when their caretaker dies or loses interest, or think nationally, build politically, plan for the future. Look what happened in New Zealand! From nothing to a powerhouse film industry in a few decades with Government support.
Interestingly, your 'miracle cure' is basically the recipe for good mental health that I learned in my master's program. I fully endorse all these points!
For many years I’ve been told I’m wasting my life or not getting anywhere because I don’t “Play the Game”. While I know I need to remind myself of those game play rules once in a while, I also believe The Game is messed up. So I believe there is more out there. I’m still writing decades later. I’m 51 and maybe finally a script will get sold or produced. I have hope for all the reasons you said here. And, I appreciate a man who brings Rage Against the Machine into a serious conversation. That particular CD saw me through my first script way back then. Thanks.
I have no choice but to believe that because the road I've traveled has been so long and unique. You can't possibly get that wine at 25-35, when most pop careers pop. And who better to communicate to youth what they can't see? Older folks have been everywhere and can speak to more people at once.
Coop, as you know is a skilled Tattoo/Graphitto artist. He recently made a collaboration develop objects with a glass artist using imagery. One of those opportunities to lean into the work...
The quote of Rilke's at the end of "Jojo Rabbit" has served me well, "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final."
Thank you so much for this essay, Ted. I feel like I have had a heart-to-heart talk with a close friend.
I really appreciate the advice on how to armor up for the long haul. I’ve been in tech (design and product leadership) for 25 years. I have to keep going after several setbacks. Your advice applies to non-Hollywood careers too!
Startling realization: I suffer from an unmet need to be creative, generative, and narrative in expression. Your essays are helping me figure out what to do. In my Room of Everything I Have Ever Loved, there are some forgotten boxes.
To retrieve and open them, I may flip your side hustle idea: Work on exploring & generating on the side. That might be my bridge forward for now.
TPP is what I practice. There is almost always a reaction, sometimes I see fear and sometimes find a friend. It does make one unstoppable, so make sure you are moving in the right direction and don't have to retrace your steps. The important thing is to find those with TPP moving in the same direction so you can multiply the pace and increase the distance you travel, accomplishing much more in a shorter period of time. Talk is cheap, if we all put our minds, efforts and creativity together and actually make progress as a group, we will not just travel to our own planned destinations, but far beyond our dreams. Let's each list what we are doing to reach those creative and heart felt goals, then maybe we will see how we can work together to reach them at warped speed.
There's a strange absence of the past in your meditation. The creative life has always been virtually non-existent in America. In fact, a great literary critic once wrote that the Americanness of American literature is its disconnection from the populace. Hawthorne, Emerson and those guys were the only people in the forest that read Shakespeare. No one else cared, but they had to smile anyway. H.L. Mencken and D.H. Lawrence are a gold mine on this subject. At 125 lbs, Richard WrightI found his literary in at the Post Office. I recommend the Brit Cyril Connolly's Enemies of Promise for a 1940's take on what is a classical problem.
In other words, the best teachers and inspiration are those who've gone before us. When things get tough, read a Hollywood bio or one of the Impressionist painters or one on Abraham Lincoln. That should get anyone through the stupid comments from family and friends, the romantic rejections by people who over the past fifty years have become brutal competitors, drying up the side hustles. That's why so many men still live at home. In rereading The Power Elite, I've been reminded that America never had salon women. Mabel Dodge was a flash in the pan that ended up in New Mexico. The Suffragettes only met among themselves, cooking up what has amounted to a radical conformity So, we've had no institution in which the brightest women hosted the brightest men in ongoing debates about the largest subjects, with intrigues and affairs to round it out.
I'm surprised that more American artists don't refer to what artists have always referred to- other, greater artists. Instead, we've chosen psychology, which only has a fleeting place for art and which props up the very people who are in our way.
Oooof. Exactly what I needed to read on a hard day when I was not feeling like I had any tenacity, persistence and perseverance left to give.
Well this article came along at exactly the time I needed to find it. I've only been reading the blog for a couple weeks, but I'm in the first year of a two-year MA in Film and Media Studies, and my excitement for being in the program has consistently been counter-balanced by my concern with observing other's personal velocities, and comparing myself to my peers (who are also my friends). Doing the work has been the hardest part, and some days I believe in my ideas, and others I do not. But I need to remind myself that I am returning to this type of thinking and writing and working after many years of doing different work. And that readjustment will take time.
So thanks for writing this Ted. Going to bookmark it for when I need to remind myself to be patient, focus on what I can control, and that there is no stop watch telling me I am "out of time."
I wonder why you don't advocate for a real Minister of Culture (like every other country in the world, except Japan and the US). Sure, politics are fuckin stupid here, and there will always be opposition. But when you talk of building out a better film industry / film eco system, this would be the only real game-changer. (We know medicare for all is also a long shot but we also know it is the only way to change this system).
We can all try to build little oasis' of culture scattered across the country, hot-house orchids that will wither when their caretaker dies or loses interest, or think nationally, build politically, plan for the future. Look what happened in New Zealand! From nothing to a powerhouse film industry in a few decades with Government support.
great advise!
Interestingly, your 'miracle cure' is basically the recipe for good mental health that I learned in my master's program. I fully endorse all these points!
Like I said, if I can't be a therapist in real life, I can play one on the internet.
For many years I’ve been told I’m wasting my life or not getting anywhere because I don’t “Play the Game”. While I know I need to remind myself of those game play rules once in a while, I also believe The Game is messed up. So I believe there is more out there. I’m still writing decades later. I’m 51 and maybe finally a script will get sold or produced. I have hope for all the reasons you said here. And, I appreciate a man who brings Rage Against the Machine into a serious conversation. That particular CD saw me through my first script way back then. Thanks.
Personal velocity. I think the great new voice will be a very old one that has not engaged until later.
I have no choice but to believe that because the road I've traveled has been so long and unique. You can't possibly get that wine at 25-35, when most pop careers pop. And who better to communicate to youth what they can't see? Older folks have been everywhere and can speak to more people at once.
Karma is a ????? ; ) -
Coop, as you know is a skilled Tattoo/Graphitto artist. He recently made a collaboration develop objects with a glass artist using imagery. One of those opportunities to lean into the work...
Great ADVICE...I meant :)
Shared this with my son. He is not in film but it seems to resonate across any artistic endeavor.
Ha! This is the FIRST one I shared with MY son too!
The quote of Rilke's at the end of "Jojo Rabbit" has served me well, "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final."
Thank you so much for this essay, Ted. I feel like I have had a heart-to-heart talk with a close friend.
I really appreciate the advice on how to armor up for the long haul. I’ve been in tech (design and product leadership) for 25 years. I have to keep going after several setbacks. Your advice applies to non-Hollywood careers too!
Startling realization: I suffer from an unmet need to be creative, generative, and narrative in expression. Your essays are helping me figure out what to do. In my Room of Everything I Have Ever Loved, there are some forgotten boxes.
To retrieve and open them, I may flip your side hustle idea: Work on exploring & generating on the side. That might be my bridge forward for now.
Thank you again for your generous advice!
CB
This is great essay.
Having worked with musicians for most of my career. The biggest ones shared one trait. They never compared themselves to other artists.
Admired others yes, Inspired by yes, but they spent their time creating and on their own timeline
TPP is what I practice. There is almost always a reaction, sometimes I see fear and sometimes find a friend. It does make one unstoppable, so make sure you are moving in the right direction and don't have to retrace your steps. The important thing is to find those with TPP moving in the same direction so you can multiply the pace and increase the distance you travel, accomplishing much more in a shorter period of time. Talk is cheap, if we all put our minds, efforts and creativity together and actually make progress as a group, we will not just travel to our own planned destinations, but far beyond our dreams. Let's each list what we are doing to reach those creative and heart felt goals, then maybe we will see how we can work together to reach them at warped speed.