Last Wednesday, I had to cancel the semester abroad program I direct here at Virginia Tech. It’s simply not a safe time to travel, of course, and logically speaking, I fully appreciate all the good reasons for not going. But it still is a major disappointment. Indeed, I think it fair to say I am grieving at the moment. My motivation to do anything, let alone anything creative, has pretty well flat-lined today. So I will cut myself some slack, reach out for help, and rely on other, wiser people for a bit.
In that vein, today’s loving kick in the pants comes from Hugh McLeod, a second installment of ideas from his book Ignore Everybody. Again, I strongly urge anyone doing creative work to get his book and take careful notes. You will want them within easy reach for day’s like this.
McLeod says that everyone is born creative, but then we are schooled out of it. For some of us, though, that wee voice is still there.
Our wee voice wants us to *make something.* So go ahead and make something. Something amazing and mind-blowing and honest and true and powerful.
If we try to make something for a market, however, we will fail.
Your wee voice came back because your soul somehow depends on your making something — not to make you money or make you famous.
McLeod also says that everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on Earth to climb. We may never reach the summit, and for that we will be forgiven.
But if we don’t make a least one serious attempt to get above the snowline, all we will feel on our deathbed is emptiness.
If we just admit that our private Mount Everest exists, then we are halfway home.
And with that, I am already feeling better.