Inspiration is key to productivity and without the clustering effect and some key external motivation it would be rather difficult to create.
-"So, what inspires you?"
This is a question I get often. I gave it some thought the other day and what's actually served as a true inspiration in the recent past is photography by the artists around me. And I don't just support them because they contribute actively to my own creativity. The more I live the more I think that we attract the kind of art that is, in nuce, congruent with our basic understanding of life, the arts, and the general human experience.
Now I'm pretty fortunate to have plenty of creative input and the work of the dear ones is inspiring. And what's inspired me the most in the recent past is photography, more specifically, literature as represented in photography.
But what can one say when confronted with a piece of art that doesn't necessarily ooze high quality? One needs to give an answer especially when actively encouraged to do so. So, what could be said?
Consider this as I thought it was worthy of reaction.
"Dear Prudence,
My dear, highly educated husband has written a book. While he has many talents, writing isn't among them. He paid someone to edit the book, which helped it somewhat, but it's still awful. I've gone through it as well and cleaned it up the best I could without completely rewriting it. The problem is my attitude—I don't feel it's my place to crush my husband's dream but find it hard to just sit there with a smile on my face while he goes on and on about how life will change when he's a best-selling author. It's not going to happen. I realize that at one point a publisher (or a stack of rejection letters) will make the point without me doing so, but I'm not quite sure how to act now. I love him and want to be supportive of him following his dreams, but I don't want him to waste his time. Do I stand by and lie, or break the news to him somehow?"
How would you deal with this scenario?
Tip of the hat to MR for the pointer.
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