I've been thinking lately--how do you keep perspective as a writer or an artist? How do you guard your wonder, openness, vision--how do you stay true to your voice--in the face of the obstacles that want to squelch it. And you.
What obstacles?
Oh pesky little things like sales figures, amazon rankings, bestseller charts, finding not one single book of yours in a bookstore... buzzing biting flies that distract you from the main thing, the first thing, the one thing--writing. And if you focus on them, can leave you feeling defeated and despairing. Squelched. Silenced.
And then I read this article about Cy Twombly who died last week. One of my favorite artists. And am reminded where my focus should only ever be.
When asked about reputation and artistic acclaim, he said: "It's something I don't think about. If it happens, it happens, but don't bother me with it. I couldn't care less."
The article says something else: "He seemed to welcome the privacy that came with unpopularity."
Food for thought when next you look at sales figures or amazon rankings. "I couldn't care less."
Would you rather be thinking about your art--or what everyone else is saying or doing?
Are you following someone else's path or blazing your own unique one?
