Money vs Expression.

However, I disagree that artists are looked down upon by society. Sure there is the cliche of the starving artist, the painter who can’t get a real job, the writer who sleeps on a mattress on the floor in a one-bedroom hole-in-the-wall. But cliche aside, art is everywhere. The financial guru’s on Wall Street have perfected the art of the trade, businessmen are in the art of the sale, politicians in the art of the deal, even psychologists are in the art of the mind – like writers and filmmakers.

I recently had a conversation with my “barber” (beautician, stylist, cosmotologist?) about her “art”. She has so many different weights of combs, so many types of scissors, that I was inspired about the fact that her “art”, her trade, requires so many tools. Like a painter uses colors and brushes, a writer uses words, a filmmaker uses video (let’s face it, most things are digital now), a cosmotologist uses scissors, a lawyer uses contracts. We are all artists, and not all artists are looked down upon by society.

There is a great post going on over at FuelYourCreativity.com about “What Makes Art Art?” that touches exactly on this.

Great post.

Artists tend to be eccentric, that’s true. They see the world in a different light–in shades, hues and colors. No matter what their medium, let’s consider such people artists anyway.

Dylan Thomas was a notorious alcoholic; Ernest Hemmingway shot himself; Shelley and Keats died quite young; and Vincent Van Gogh lived a tortured life and only earned fame posthumously. Many artists have also been womanizers, bankrupt, drug addicts, etc.

One famous study also concluded that a disproportionate amount of people who are artists are also prone to melancholia and suicidal tendencies relative to the general population.
You know, there may be an iota of truth to that after all. Many people have also reported that artists can be quite self-centered and not the easiest of people to get along with. Some are prone to keep to themselves and become reclusive like the poet, Emily Dickinson. Cheers.

(Apparently I feel pretty passionately about this topic — my comment kinda got out of control length-wise … but who needs control?)

Though I’ve always been set on making films, I recently started embracing painting and writing simply due to the nature of the mediums (you can accomplish things without an entire production team — and quickly, too) — embracing my natural instinct to express myself in those mediums has led me to embrace the chaos of life and just let it be.

Only when I stopped trying to control everything did I find myself as an artist.

If you’re interested in embracing the chaos, I highly recommend experimenting with abstract painting — it’s about not trying to recreate an image or control what you paint, rather, letting your emotions guide you and let chaos take care of the rest — doing this will result in much more interesting work (for chaos is impossible to recreate exactly).

As for insanity — It’s my opinion that the people spending 40+ hours a week at a job they hate (plus commute time), arguing about finances with their loved ones, and making sure their 401k is in order, all so they can save enough money for that oh-so-sought-after retirement are the ones suffering of insanity. Honestly, how many divorces are caused by financial reasons? How many people are stuck in an unhappy marriage because they think that’s how it’s supposed to be? How many people complain about their jobs?

And all just so they can retire and actually start living … at the age of 60.

That’s just my opinion though.

It’s also my opinion that you only live once, so the sooner you embrace the chaos, the sooner you’ll start living the life you want to live, which includes how you make a living, doing what makes you happy, and expressing yourself.

Like all artists, a writer is looked down upon by society — how many times have you told someone you’re a writer, only to be asked, “but what’s your real job?” Writers don’t look at the world the same way everyone else, which is why they’re deemed insane. They really felt life for what it was — some saw it as tragic, meaningless, or sad (and often resulted in the writer’s suicide), while others saw it as humorous.

But none of that matters — it only matters that you continue to express yourself, because as long as you continue to do it and continue to grow, then you may very well be able to quit your day job (physically) and dedicate both mentally and physical time on your work.

If you let who you are define what you do, only then will what you do define who you are. If you write, then you’re a writer. If you do taxes, then you’re an accountant.

If you’re like most writers, you probably feel a little guilty telling people you write, when in fact you have little proof. All the more reason to publish your work — its easier than it sounds thanks to the web.

Hop over to oneword.com to share what ever comes to mind for the word of the day in 60 seconds, or visit scribbleplay.com to contribute a short chapter to a library of ongoing stories.

Actually publishing your work will give you confidence and enable you to connect with other writers, which is who you probably feel most comfortable around anyway.

Focus on your life’s work, whether it’s accounting or writing — your life’s work is what makes you happy.

Embrace the chaos of life and let go. Stop trying to control everything — doing this as a writer means that inner perfectionist will fade away and you’ll actually start producing a lot of work.

Take it to the next level — publish your work online and in print.

Those are just one opinion though, what does everyone else think about the struggle to focus more mental time on your work while spending physical time at your job?

Do you feel comfortable telling people you’re a writer when they ask what you do?