Universal Artistic Consciousness

As an artist I am aware that inspiration comes in many forms and muses. Some are fortuitous, forced, accidental, cultivated, or simply too impossible to explain. I have found that my lackadaisical approach to developing ideas sometimes leaves me a little out in the cold when it comes to finishing the idea and fulfilling the call of the muse. On more than one occasion I have brainstormed, outlined, developed, researched, and even drafted an idea that I’ve held onto just long enough to see a similar, if not almost identical idea presented to the public. I experience no jealousy, or resentment, only a moment of crestfallen loss. I realize that I was in touch with a kind of universal artistic consciousness whereby I had access to vivid silver threads. I used these to slowly, EVER so slowly sew together a narrative. My sedentary approach causes for many unrealized fabrics and tales.

I am not sure if it is fear of finishing a project and then being judged or simply an artistic ADD that causes me to jump from new idea to new idea, but one thing is certain: I have to stop the repositioning of myself. I find myself constantly moving away from things and often rarely going back to them. Sometimes it takes years to revisit an idea. The recent development of the film Hunger by Steve McQueen that just won an award at Cannes has made me realize that I need to develop ideas and follow through. My play, Maggie and Marcella, is a very different variation on the story presented in McQueen’s film; however, it is based on the same incidents. I am proud and deflated by the release and subsequent success of this film.

At this point, I think that the lesson to be learned is that even if the product already exists, I still need to finish mine. There are no true “original” ideas, so I needn’t fear treading into pre-discovered countries. With this in mind there are several ideas that I once abandoned that bear revisiting. Please note on the right hand status bar my new title: The Damage Done.