Just Another Artist?

*** UPDATE the hardcover of Water So Deep is now available for purchase on Amazon!***

Last weekend, I went to a retreat with a few good friends. We spent our few days writing our tails off (I got 12,000 words done on Legacy, so YAY!) and also took a short break to detour to a nearby writing conference, where two of my friends were on panels.

We were literally there for a total of two hours, and then we left. In that two hours, I ran into quite a few people with whom I am friends or at least acquainted, and those were only a few of several hundred people who were in attendance at this conference.

One of the hazards of publishing these days is that there are so many authors writing so many books, that at some point or another, we all feel slightly lost in the sea of awesome.

My oldest son and I had a discussion this weekend in which he informed me that he’s not sure he wants to go into art as a career field, because it is just too hard to be anything more than “just another artist.” And it’s true. He is a phenomenal artist. He paints, and draws, and creates some amazing things. He has such talent. But unless he fully commits himself to rising above the crowd, that is all he will ever be.

There are those cases in which one special artist or author breaks through the bottle neck on the first try and succeeds in a way that most of us will only ever dream of, but even those people will at some point have to produce a spectacular product in order to keep their audience/fans happy, or they too will become lost in the sea.

But is that a reason to give up? To go a different direction? Maybe for some people. And that’s okay. But for others, it’s not. It’s really not. Because while all artists need to be paid, we are not ALL in it just for money (although, at some point, we have to at least break even with our time and investments*). Some of us are in it for the love of the thing. Or to change the way someone thinks, or heck, to just entertain someone. And that’s enough for those of us who are in it for the long haul.

Anyway, I guess what I’m saying is that there is no such thing as being “just another author/artist.” Each one of us has something important and unique to share, as long as we dedicate ourselves to doing it.

Are you dedicated to something in life?

*To clarify, most authors/artists only make pennies per hour for the work they do. Love of art can only go so far when it comes to survival. Please remember that downloading pirated books/art greatly risks our ability to continue producing more books/art. Please consider our art at least as valuable as a cup of coffee or a soft drink and pay for it. Thanks!

Little Extras

My son got a job last week. This is a huge accomplishment, since he’s been looking for quite a while. In a sign of our poor economy, 350 people showed up to interview for 22 job openings at a newly renovated and reopening theater in town.

My sixteen-year-old, let’s call him Doc, managed to snag one of those 22 jobs. It’s very likely that most of the applicants were more qualified or experienced than him. What did he do to get noticed, to stand out above the other 349 people?

He worked. Most people who applied stayed just long enough to turn in their applications and be interviewed, but Doc stuck around. He realized that this theater was set to open in a matter of days, and there was lots of work still to be finished. So while he waited for the job announcements, he found someone in charge and offered to help, no strings attached. There were maybe five applicants—all kids—who were willing to work without getting paid. All but Doc were girls.

Doc left my house before eight in the morning, and didn’t come home until seven thirty that evening. But when he got there, he was glowing, because they’d offered him a job and given him a first day schedule.

That’s what he did to stand out and be noticed. To rise above the sea of others who all either needed or wanted that job as badly as him.

We all want something in life that seems either unattainable or just out of reach. The question is are we doing everything we can to rise above the other people who want similar things? Are we giving back to the community and to the world, or do we just expect to be “chosen” on our excellent qualifications and pretty smiles? Sometimes it comes down to all the little extras. Do you want your big thing bad enough to work for it?