Marcel Proust

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

— Marcel Proust

French Novelist

1871 - 1922

In this holiday season when families come together in fellowship, friends share toasts of happiness, and lovers make vows of eternal love, we should be grateful and give thanks for all we have been given.  If you don't have someone this holiday season, I encourage you to reach out.  Don't hide in the attic, or the basement or the closet.  Make new friends.  Choose new directions.  How you spend this season of joy is your choice.  Celebrate what you have been given.

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Larry Wilde

"Like all creative souls, writers learn over time that while they may be failing, they are not failures.  They learn from their mistakes, and they keep on going.  When it seems they've hit a stone wall, they find a way to move ahead.  Even if it takes them down a radically different path."

— Larry Wilde

American Writer, Speaker

1928 - 

The challenge that many creative leaders face is learning to separate their creations from who they are.  If we identify too closely with our creations, we will not be able to handle criticism or failure.  We must realize that we are much more than our creations.  We are human beings with friends, families and other important relationships.  If we let the failure of our creations to depress or anger us, we are identifying too closely with them.  Sometimes our creations will not find a worshiping or adoring audience.  And this is okay.  Learn not to depend on the praise of others — editors, publishers, readers, critics, etc.  Taste is arbitrary and fickle.  Believe in your work and some day an audience will appear.  

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Flannery O'Connor

"Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."

— Flannery O'Connor

American Novelist

1925 - 1964

Do you remember your childhood?  Some people block out memories of their childhood?  Others have a difficult time forgetting even the most painful memories.  As artists and writers we can mine our past experiences for inspiration for our art.  What events out of your childhood can you use in your stories or your art?  Remember art should transform the actual events into more than just the mere facts like spinning straw into gold.




Here are links to three story poems where I transformed childhood stories and events into more than family history — where I discovered a truth greater than facts.




Mary Lou

http://web.mac.com/hgking/HarleyKing/Mary_Lou.html



Sister

http://web.mac.com/hgking/HarleyKing/Sister.html




Brother Al

http://web.mac.com/hgking/HarleyKing/Brother_Al.html

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Jack London

"You can't wait for inspiration.  You have to go after it with a club."

— Jack London

American Novelist

1876 - 1916

If you wait for inspiration, you may never find it.  Inspiration sneaks upon you when you are working and catches you by surprise.  Inspiration invades your dreams and you wake up with the answer to your problems.  When you pretend that inspiration is not important, it dominates your soul.  

Consider inspiration as a friend who comes and goes at all hours of the day and night bearing gifts that will delight you.  When you open the gifts offered by inspiration, be not frightened by what you find.  Cherish the madness that inspiration bestows upon you.  Taste the sadness when it leaves you naked and exposed to the elements.  

Kneel before the altar of inspiration and pray that you will survive the dangerous journey.  Catch fireflies and offer then as a sacrifice to the gods of inspiration.  Dance with the goddess of inspiration and steal her beauty.  Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for an opportunity to taste of the joy of the gods.

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Claudia Black

"Surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well."

— Claudia A. Black Ph.D

American Author/Speaker

As creative leaders, we can be very sensitive to the comments of others.  If people negate our art, we may stop painting or writing or even creating altogether.  We face rejection from world every day.  "Oh, you are a writer?  Have you written anything that I might have read?"  We face rejection when we submit our work to magazines and publishers.  I once send out the same haiku to two different publishers by accident.  I discovered my mistake when I open the mail one day.  I received a rejection letter from one magazine and the other magazine wanted to publish the haiku.  

Rejection is very common not only for writers, but also painters and actors.  Think about auditioning for a part in a play or a movie and you are judged not only on your acting talent but also on your appearance.  You are either too short, too tall, too fat or too ugly.  

And some people won't even submit their creative work to the scrutiny of the public eye.  They refuse to give others the opportunity to judge or criticize them.

So the message in this quote is very powerful.  Surround yourself with people who respect the work you do, who don't criticize you, who support you and compliment you.  The friends we choose are very important to our success.  

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