Sometimes I close my eyes and see thousands of beautiful creative people moving in unison – marching towards a new world ruled by the creative class that is exciting and fun, friendly and sustainable. I don’t imagine that painters will ever go to strip clubs and make it rain – but that they will be able to afford a home in a nice neighborhood with good schools. I imagine that kids in Brazil will be able to follow the poetry scene of kids in Dallas – that the art student in community college is engaged with the art student in South Africa. I often imagine everyone, everywhere, will be dancing.
Most importantly I imagine that an entirely new genre will be recognized for artists – that of people. The ability to motivate, manipulate, and use people to accomplish things in real life will become the realm of artists – an entirely new discipline that combines creativity with business, passion with pragmatism, sense with sensibilities. Although I believe there will always be a place for the traditional arts of paintings and plays – I think the most exciting art being made won’t look anything like the art of the previous century. It will not be confined in galleries – it won’t be reserved for elites, and it will be able to do more than simply wink at itself.
In support of these visions I am writing a book, one of over 250,000 that will be written in the United States in 2011. However, I don’t know why one would write a book alone – why one would horde potential chapters and complicated ideas when there is a crowd of smart people who would love to chime in. So, I will be sharing everything on my new blog – What Every Young Creative Should Know – and talk about things that I think are important for the new creative class.
We live in an entirely different world then our professors and mentors did. Art Schools are barely adapting to these new realities – and people with B.A.s and M.F.As (along with those who aren’t degreed) are entering into this bold new world half-cocked. Skill and creative aptitude is only a third of the battle. There are thousand books that can help you become a more talented artist – this will not be one of them. This book is about the outlook, practical advice, and theory needed to be a successful one – success being defined by living your passion while being able to financially sustain yourself. It will focus on things that I don’t think are necessarily intuitive – mostly about what all of this new technology has done for Creatives and what it hasn’t done.
The common myth is that the internet, social media, Youtube, etc has been great for the creative class – and in some ways that is true. I can type this blog post, have several hundred people read it this week, maybe receive some feedback, and all for free. However, I am competing with a billion other people who all feel they have something to say, who are deciding to use this same free technology to say it, and some of whom are actually saying things that are worthwhile and interesting. The problem is that I am claiming to be a professional – which is really a fancy way of saying that I want to be able to own a car, pay my rent, cell phone bill, loans, museum memberships, Friday happy hour expenses, etc based off of my knowledge and skills. 99% of the people who I am competing against have no such ambition. They just want to have fun – and get some stuff out there. They will give you everything for free. I will, at some point, ask for you to give me money because at the end of the day I want to put gas in my car. 99% of the time you will pick them over me. 99% of the time you will pick free. This book is about how to win the last 1%, and it is something that I believe every young creative should know.
Please join the journey here and tell me what it is that you think every young creative should know.
The lowly candle has played a significant role in many films. It has been used for the scary effect, the dramatic scene, romantic scenes, in comedies, and as symbols of goodness.
In The Abyess (1989) the character Lindsey Bergman has a long section of dialogue in which she symbolizes faithfulness or sticking together with someone no matter what by reminding Bud what she had said before about everyone being alone. She goes on to remind him of what he said and did in response.
“I know how alone you feel... alone in all that cold blackness... but I'm there in the dark with you. Oh Bud you're not alone... Oh, God. You remember that time - you were pretty drunk, you probably don't remember - but the power went out in that little apartment we had on Orange Street? We were staring at that one little candle, and I, I said something really dumb like, that candle was me, and like every one of us is out there alone in the dark in this life... and you just, you just lit up another candle and you put it beside mine and said "No! See, that's me. That's me"... and we stared at the two candles, and then... well, if you remember any of this, I'm sure you remember the next part. But there are two candles in the dark. I'm with you. I'll always be with you Bud, I promise that.”
Bell, book, and candle have been a phrase in western culture since the 9th century. The Roman Catholic Church started a form of excommunication from the church at that time that involved these objects. Someone that had committed a very horrendous sin could be excommunicated in this manner. Twelve priests and a bishop perform the ceremony. They would recite an oath that separated the sinner from the church and say, "So be it!"
Then the bishop rang the bell. This signified spiritual death. He shut a holy book, which depicted the excommunicant’s being separated from the church, and snuffed out one or more candles and slapped them to fall on the floor. This action signified that the sinner’s soul had been extinguished and was distanced from God.
How does that scenario relate to movies? It definitely relates to one, Bell, Book, and Candle, which was adapted from a play by John Van Druten. Daniel Taradash wrote the screenplay. It is a fun comedy from 1958 about modern witch (Gillian) that falls in love with a neighbor (Shep). He is engaged to a college rival (Merle) and she decides to charm her rival’s fiancée into falling in love with her, but her scheme backfires as she finds herself in love with him.
Thus, Gillian loses her supernatural powers; she has to make a choice between love and the powers and the powers lose. When Shep finds out that she is a witch and what she has done he is mad. Gillian tries to cause Merle to fall in love with the first man she sees and other schemes to get rid of her. But Merle finds out that because of romantic love she is now powerless. Meanwhile, Shep gets another witch to break the hold that Gillian has on him and he goes away, but comes back after several months have passed. When he sees that she doesn’t have her magical powers anymore he reconciles with her.
Though it isn’t explained outright in the movie, the relationship to the Catholic ceremony and use of candles is implied in the name of the film. Being a witch is the grievous sin, which the name is pointing at in the film. This movie and the play take place in Greenwich Village. The original play of 1950 evokes a gay element in the village.
The phrase, book, bell, and candle became infused in our culture and it is used in songs, computer games, poems, and board games. It is part and fabric of ours lives and candles are too. There are many candle films to explore. Until next time, don’t snuff out your candle.
Just read a very odd short story by Science Fiction great Fritz Leiber called Night of the Long Knives or The Wolf Pair.
The story took place in a future America that has been destroyed by nuclear war. Much of America is simply called The Deathlands. In the deathlands a odd culture of murder thrives. It is literally kill or be killed.
The story starts with the main character Ray meeting a female deathlander called Alice. They decide not to kill each other but to give in to the second great urge - that is sex. Then they find a plane, a handsome young pilot, and another deathlander who claims to have given up killing. What happens next will change Ray and Alice's lives forever.
