I'm not exactly sure what prompted me to pick this book up, but I'm sure glad that I did. I really wasn't expecting that much from it.....I'm not sureI'm not exactly sure what prompted me to pick this book up, but I'm sure glad that I did. I really wasn't expecting that much from it.....I'm not sure that I expected anything from it, but in the end it had a whole bunch of good stuff to give.
“Recognizing that people's reactions don't belong to you is the only sane way to create. If people enjoy what you've created, terrific. If people ignore what you've created, too bad. If people misunderstand what you've created, don't sweat it. And what if people absolutely hate what you've created? What if people attack you with savage vitriol, and insult your intelligence, and malign your motives, and drag your good name through the mud? Just smile sweetly and suggest - as politely as you possibly can - that they go make their own fucking art. Then stubbornly continue making yours.”
May I have a hallelujah?!?! That passage is what pushed this book from a four star to a five for me because it's spot on. It took me a long while to get that people's reaction to my art did not belong to me and figuring that part out was immensely important to my sanity, such that it is. I draw the public's faces for a living. People can be quite sensitive about their face, so when they find (or would find) what I did for them particularly objectionable they would take it quite personally. Many times my intelligence, talent and general personhood would be insulted....to my face, not through a computer. I cannot say I handled it well every time I was attacked. I cannot say that I handled well most of the time, but I got much better at it once I figured out they were a bunch of mean spirited morons and would say in my head (so as not to be fired or punched) 'Go make your own fucking art!' and....'have a great day!!' Then I would stubbornly continue to draw the faces....so there.
Another thing that I thought was particularly helpful to budding artists out there was a part where Elizabeth was talking about fancy art degrees. If you're parents are not part of the one percent, do not go into crushing debt getting a fancy art degree from a fancy pants school. Because having a degree in the arts, whether we are talking visual or in writing, does not get you a solid good paying job right out of school. Going into debt for a law degree or a medical one...or anything like that will get you a job right out of school that will help you pay off the crazy debt. Many professors in these art schools got where they are because the sat down and drew, painted, wrote A LOT... on their own to master it. There are many ways to educate yourself in this stuff....auditing classes for one. No one ever turned away a great work of art just because the artist did not have a degree. Never has that happened.
“What’s your favorite flavor of shit sandwich?” What Manson means is that every single pursuit—no matter how wonderful and exciting and glamorous it may initially seem—comes with its own brand of shit sandwich, its own lousy side effects. As Manson writes with profound wisdom: “Everything sucks, some of the time.” You just have to decide what sort of suckage you’re willing to deal with. So the question is not so much “What are you passionate about?” The question is “What are you passionate enough about that you can endure the most disagreeable aspects of the work?” Manson explains it this way: “If you want to be a professional artist, but you aren’t willing to see your work rejected hundreds, if not thousands, of times, then you’re done before you start. If you want to be a hotshot court lawyer, but can’t stand the eighty-hour workweeks, then I’ve got bad news for you.” Because if you love and want something enough—whatever it is—then you don’t really mind eating the shit sandwich that comes with it.”
Isn't that the truth? Whatever you do...especially for your paying job, there is going to be suckage and the key is to find what kind work has the suckage that sucks the least. But it will sometimes suck.
“None of it was ever easy, but that wasn't the point. I had never asked writing to be easy; I had only asked writing to be interesting. And it was always interesting to me.”
Stephanie *Eff your feelings*
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Books:
2015
(89)
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