there's no greater encouragement in life
than when you dig deep into your self to find something that you feel is true (it doesn't matter what) and try to communicate it in such a way that it retains the same feeling and power (and so often, translation to a medium is an awkward thing) to a particular audience (whether it's someone listening to music you've created, or reading something you wrote, or viewing a shot you committed to film, or even -- and this really isn't as much of a stretch as it appears if you think about it -- hearing you ask him or her out), only to have it met with unmitigated indifference.that's bullshit, of course. there's no more effective way to make people feel small than to treat them with indifference, especially in instances where there've had the courage to go out on a limb in an effort to express something as directly as is within their ability to do.
i should take a step back a second, though, and point out that indifference doesn't generally run all the way across the board, as you can always rely on the peanut gallery to shit itself laughing. i mean, it's pretty much manifest in their self-appointed purpose, so what else should you expect? (irony, by the way, can service a kind of cowardice; a carefully maintained snarky facade can jam the radars as the unregulated self slips away unnoticed like a cockroach scuttling under a piece of furniture.)
the point, always, always, always, is that you actually TRIED, and that's a titanic achievement compared to what most of them can claim.
posted by jomilkman @ 9:45 AM
3 Comments:
thank you both so much ... it makes me happy that you feel that way.
this is more of a general frustration (inspired in a lot of ways by what jack wrote a week ago) with honesty and sincerity and how much/little they seem to mean with people, and i guess i chose the blog to vent at time when it felt like it was coming to a head for me. it's not a response to anyone/thing in particular
it is often easier to respond to silliness than to honesty. honesty can be scary and disappointing and can wreak havoc. i think that's why we soemtimes see what we want to see in another person, rather than the reality of the situation.
however, i do like my snarky facade sometimes....
hey milkman,
i'm with the rest of these. you're a hell of a writer, and i always enjoy reading your stuff. please keep at it.
i've always found it useful to think of that dire straits song, sultans of swing. it's definitely a healthier relationship to your work to do it just because you love it. so basically, fuck 'em. you can make something interesting and lasting out of words and music. if people like it and take the time to appreciate it, in your case anyway it will repay their time. if they don't, it doesn't diminish you or your work.
hang in there man. and keep it up, eh?
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