SO, I made this “ambitious” (read slightly absurd) commitment to write around 300-500 words or more per day surrounding a list of self-imposed rules that I also try and make sound a little humorous with very little editing or filtering of my thoughts. In doing so, I realized that even though I had a lot of little one-liners stored up to write my rules from, I might need more.
But, I didn’t want to just start pulling quotes from the internet or from famous authors, because what the hell is the point of that? I might as well start an Instagram account and sell robot followers if I go down that rabbit hole.
INSTEAD, I thought that I could just start pulling quotes from my everyday life. Advice that I get or little gems I hear from friends, family, acquaintances, so on and so forth. To me, every person has a well of unique wisdom from their own experience, but not everyone is compelled enough to write it down. Also, unless it’s a quick post on Facebook, many moments of brilliance just aren’t recorded. So, I am going to do my little part in recording a few of those that I hear, see, or read.
I resisted this idea for a variety of thoughts, namely if it’s my rule a day blog, how can I use other people’s quotes? And then, I realized, it’s my fuckin’ rule a day blog, so I make my own rules…
You know what? You can’t be creative if you aren’t having FUN. And you can’t make an impact or manifest changes in your life unless you are having fun.
I had to steal this one from an article I read at the BossBabes.com blog in an interview with the amazing and talented Maggie Lea. Here is the full quote from that article:
“As much as I have done in the past five years, I feel that I haven’t had a truly pure, solid, creative burst of energy since I came back from France in 2006. I felt invigorated to meet so many artists and musicians abroad and to hear their perspectives on U.S. foreign policy. It really gave me a fresh take on my life.
On the year-long trip, I was also working with people at the EU and UN. I lived in Germany, France, Switzerland. Before my trip, I had suffered what I now see as a very not-unusual bout of clinical depression, brought on possibly by living in the ‘burbs, but also having a lot to do with the fact that my sister was mentally ill, and my parents were foreign and didn’t understand her mental illness. I was “Ms. Serious” 100 percent of the time, until I lived in Europe and realized, “You know what? You can’t be creative if you aren’t having FUN. And you can’t make an impact or manifest changes in your life unless you are having fun.” And that’s when I had my biggest creative bursts of energy: when I decided to start having some fun. In the year after I came back, I started some popular literary book clubs, started Cinema East outdoor film festival, started meeting new people in Austin and creating a community that I felt at home at, and started throwing parties at Cheer Ups! I haven’t stopped having fun since. Even amid the dark times, I try to pour that energy into a fun-loving, creative outlet. I look forward to my next big creative idea, though. I think it’s on the horizon. I can feel it lately.”
I first met Maggie when I was in a band called Wildcat. That was when Cheer Up Charlie’s was still on the east side of 35. I remember being terrified to even ask for a slot to play there, because I held the venue in such high esteem. We had started our band in Houston, and moved to Austin in part to try and make a better go of the whole “band” thing. All of the local bands that I knew, or admired, were constantly playing at Cheer Up’s. So, at the time, I saw it as the epitome of success to get a recurring gig there.
Once we did start playing at Cheer Up’s, it was instantly our favorite venue in the city to play. It may have gotten packed and crammed at the venue, but the sound was always pristine and the people were always so amazing and gracious. Unfortunately, our band pittered out for a number of reasons, but I still frequent that place a lot.
But, talking about having fun while being creative. That was one of the reasons I felt like that band fell apart. I took it too damn seriously, and forgot to keep having fun with what I was doing. I see it happen all of the time though, we get so consumed with the business side of our art, or the business side of our business, we forget that we should be having some fun and loving what we do. The other side of that is death to the creative spirit.
So, in the spirit of being fun, my girlfriend and I went and shot a short film all day today with a great production team from here called Mister Films. They are doing a movie a month project for 2016. Go to their page and check them out. And, go have some fun.