What inspires: Courage

It’s 11:25 am in Jakarta and mid-day here is melting into a new day on the other side of the world, in New York, where it is 12:25 am on the 11th of September, 2011. As the dawn of the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center Attacks approaches it’s impossible to not to remember that day. Who would even want to? Remembering is the reason today. As I type, a Jakarta’ friend’s son, whose uncle, his father’s brother, worked in the World Trade Center and was lost that day—lost because there was no final phone call or physical remains to bring closure—is sleeping a few final hours (or not) before rising to take part in the 10th Anniversary Memorial. Zubin is one of those selected (by lottery) to read names of victims of those attacks.

As this day of remembering dawns, my thoughts are with those memorializing September 11, 2001. But NOT to remember the attack—as though anyone who witnessed it could forget—it’s a day to memorialize, and especially, to remember the people, as Zubin is helping to do. The people who lost their lives. The people who lost their loved ones. And the people who came together to help, to care, to give on that day and long after—even now.

The New York Times website includes Artist’s Respond to 9/11 videos. In one, choreographer Bill T. Jones talks about surviving, guilt, coping and about how World Trade Center tragedy changed him as a person and an artist.  It’s worth listening to, especially as we go on with our lives while right now today, yesterday, tomorrow, in so many parts of the world, others are coping with the aftermath of tragedy—both human-inflicted and natural: hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, fires (which, although somehow more acceptable, are no less devastating). Toward the end, Mr. Jones shares what has become his truth: Have the courage to love what you love.

It takes courage to live. It takes courage to create. It takes,it seems, even more courage to allow others the same freedoms we expect for ourselves. Remember together today, on the anniversary of the World Trade Center Attacks. Remember and take Courage.

What Inspires me: Going “Jake”

In Art & Soul:  Notes of Creating, artist Audrey Flack recants a conversation she had with fellow artist,  Jimmy Ernst, in 1983. Jimmy begins by saying:

“I’m doing bad work . . . there’s hope.”

Audrey: “I did bad work for a year when I began doing watercolors again after a break of twenty years.”

Jimmy: There was a time when it was not held against artists to show bad work. It was expected in terms of their development….”

For some reason being bad, doing bad work isn’t’ expected any more, nor  is it accepted as “part of our development.” not by us, the creators, and definitely not by others.  We are supposed to be good–preferably excellent–or remain invisible until we are good. But how can we ever get to good if we won’t cut ourselves some slack?

“I think you have to be bad before you get to be good,” Jake Gyllenhaal said in a Jan, 2011 interview in August Man Magazine.

Jake strolling with Jamie Lee Curtis (his godmother) He doesn't look bad...

I’m with Jake. He was speaking about acting, but his words can be applied to just about anything. Take writing. Wouldn’t it be easier, less confining, decidedly more fun (and a little naughty) to let ourselves go “Jake” and write IT–whatever IT is, and how ever IT comes  just  spew it out. Dare to boldly go where we try to keep ourselves from going…bad.

How does this apply to our characters?  What if we let them go “Jake” and be bad before they get to be good?

Hmmmmm… Could be interesting–which, anyway you read it,  is way better than boring, staid, predictable, safe… But oooooh bad is scary and sometime ugly and messy and  icky…what if someone should see it? What will they think of me??????

Dare we? Dare we allow ourselves, our work, our characters to  Just. Be. Bad. Really Bad. Stinking rotten lousy bad.

There’s really only one way to go from there, right?

Go Jake!