What If? My two favorite words. They’ve spawned every creation since the dawn of time. The poet asks “what if?” before he puts his pen to paper; the politician asks “what if?” when she’s proposing a new bill; the humanitarian asks “what if?” when he’s imagining a better world; the scientist asks “what if?” when...
Tag: artist
How to Be in the Flow and Still Keep Living
I’ve always prided myself on being one of those people who never drops the ball, no matter how many I’m juggling. People ask how I stay so organized and on top of things. Oddly, I don’t think of myself as organized (you should see my desk), but I do take my responsibilities seriously. But lately,...
No Rest for the Artist
The other day, my daughter came to spend some time with us after a particularly grueling semester of college. “Mom,” she said to me. “I’m just letting you know, for the first few days I’m home, all I’m going to do is sleep, read, and watch Netflix.” And that is exactly what she did. She...
Make No Apologies for How You Work
The other day, I was conducting an author visit at a middle school, and a sixth grader said, “I read about an author who gets up at 5:00 every morning to write. Is that what you do?” “Honey,” I said, “I don’t do anything at 5:00 in the morning except sleep!” I then explained to...
The Pendulum Theory of Art and Politics
When I was pursuing my history degree in college, I learned about the Pendulum Theory, or so my professor called it. According to the theory, history (and especially politics) swings to one direction until it reaches a tipping point (usually driven by popular mood) and then it swings back. This makes living in a two-party...
Don’t Let Them Tell You It’s Too Easy
Last week I talked about how my professors’ high expectations motivated me. This week, I want to put a slightly different spin on that. See, I was a history major, which meant writing tons of 10 and 20-page papers. One year, I was taking a Native American Studies class. My professor was passionate about her...
Are You Living Up To Their Expectations?
On the last day of classes during my senior year of college, I dropped in to say good-bye to my professors. I was graduating in a few days with a degree in history and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with my education. When the dean asked me about my plans,...
Is This Real?
Have you ever been watching TV or reading a novel and found yourself talking to the characters? “Stop!” you shout. “You’re making a big mistake.” Your spouse or roommate laughs and says, “Relax. It’s not real.” Is that true, though? Because your heart raced. You felt it. And your mind formed the words to speak,...
The Artist in Me Thanks the Artist in You
Today I’m grateful for the artists. The writers, poets, singers, musicians, dancers, actors, filmmakers, photographers, painters, sculptors, potters, weavers, architects, and craftsmen whose art is the axis on which this world turns. Without artists, we would have no understanding of cultures long gone. It is their pottery, cave paintings, and temples which we study to...
Did Bob Dylan Deserve the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Someone recently asked what I thought about Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Opinions among writers on the internet is certainly divided. Some feel there are plenty of accolades and awards for songwriters, and that Dylan has achieved more than his fair share of fame and fortune from the music industry, and that...