I grew up on superheroes and professional wrestling.
Even as a kid, something in me was attracted to the larger-than-life.
I saw characters achieve big things…
Say whatever was on their mind…
Decide not to go into work because they felt like it.
They were completely themselves, with an aura about them that said, “Fuck that, pay me.”
And sure, I knew it was fake but…
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Five years ago I snuck into the Grammy Awards.
I was supposed to have been invited but things don’t always work out as planned.
It all started a year before that when I wrote in my journal: “Next year I’ll be at the Grammys.” (You’ve got to really be careful about the things you write in your journal. If you’re an action oriented person, they may just happen.)
My being at the Grammys was less about my desire to hob-knob with rock stars and more about my relentless drive to always do what I say that I’ll do, to be courageous in the face of my fears, and to live my Life with authority. If you do anything with enough authority, the world will take you seriously.
The following is a brief account of what happened.
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Robert McKee has been teaching creators of all kinds for most of his adult life. In a recent interview about storytelling, he offered a statement that literally paused me. (I’ve replaced his words “write” with “create” because his answer can be used for artists of all mediums.)
“Beyond imagination and insight, the most important component of talent is perseverance – the will to [create] and [recreate] in pursuit of perfection. Therefore, when inspiration sparks the desire to [create], the artist immediately asks: Is this idea so fascinating, so rich in possibility, that I want to spend months, perhaps years, of my life in pursuit of its fulfillment? Is this concept so exciting that I will get up each morning with the hunger to [create]? Will this inspiration compel me to sacrifice all of life’s other pleasures in my quest to perfect its telling? If the answer is no, find another idea. Talent and time are a [creator]’s only assets. Why give your life to an idea that’s not worth your life?”
Why give your life to an idea that’s not worth your life?
Love it.
Here’s to the creators.
To say that Friedrich Nietzsche has influenced my thinking would be quite the understatement. Many of my ideas on self-creation have been inspired by his Philosophies, especially his concept of the Übermensch.
The Uberman is a progression of his original idea. But there’s much confusion as to what the Übermensch was all about (especially after the Nazis had their way with it). So let’s explore what Nietzsche had in mind when he first “spoke” of his Philosophy and also review the supreme differences between Nietzsche’s version of the Uberman and my own.
Here are a few of them:
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I went through my oldest journal recently. It’s big & black, with gaffer tape supporting the spine, full of well-used pages, magazine clippings and questions. It inspires the hell out of me. The journal and the questions. Which is the subject of this post: questions, or rather the asking of proper ones.
Without questions there can be no answers. So both the wise person and the seeker of wisdom must ask good questions. Great questions. Questions that make your skin flush and the hairs on your arm rise to attention.
I went through the beast (my journal) and pulled out the questions that moved me. Questions that paused me. Questions that dared something deep within me to present itself.
So in turn I do the same with you. I dare you to answer these questions. In fact I double dare you. And if we really want to make this interesting, I’ll present a physical challenge: answer them (no doubt) and then act. Do it. Live Your Answer.
I dare you.
10 Questions That Will Absolutely Change Your Life:
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I recently ran across a writer named Raymond Queneau and his interesting collection of stories, An Exercise in Style. In it, he tells 99 different variations of the same story using different writing styles. 99! Talk about creative.
There are times when an artist’s work will move me to the point of dropping everything–immediately–and creating. This was one of those times.
I present to you, An Exercise in Style:
Film Treatment
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