Listen To The River

I never knew George Lucas went to Grand Prairie High School.

But he must have, he wrote, "If there is a bright and shinning spot in the universe, this is the place farthest from it."

Growing up in the 50's in a small Texas town, the one thing I wanted with all my heart was to get the hell out.

It took a while, but I finally did, I got the hell as far out as I could. any farther and I'd be in the ocean.

Back in those day I thought geography was the master of all folks and we were naught, but the slaves of our place. I know better, now. I know that a place has nothing at all to do with what you are and what you create. Sure there are limitations, if you want to do musical comedy you'd better be in Manhattan. If you want to do avant-garde nude photography it better not be in Cincinnati. If you want to be a world class collector of Milliard Fillmore memorabilia, you'd better be...I have no earthly idea.

I found out that you can overcome the location where you live. There is a wonderful thing called the Internet where you can travel to the farthest reaches of the earth and never have to pass through a body scan.

Live in a blue-collar community and yearn to apprentice with The Donald? You can do it on the Net. Want a shot at becoming the next Stan Lee? (He's the Nacho Grande of Marvel Comics) Draw and write your graphic novel and publish it on the Net. Want to be Anne Rice or Stephen King? Write your book and get it critiqued by a writer's group on the Net. Want to be Mondrian, Rodin, Pollack, Klee, Klimpt or Mucha, paint, draw, or sculpt it and put it on the Net. Anyone can copy your work, but only you know how to create it.

You are no longer geographically limited. You can create your own cyber-community and live in a creative whirlwind.

You can also live in a community like ours, where creativity oozes from every rock and tree and every living thing, sounds strangely like the Force. And it feels just like that, you see so much great art and meet so many gifted artists and enjoy so much artistic freedom that you get jaded.

Then, thank goodness a pal gives you the slap up side of the head that makes you open your eyes. I got one this morning.

I like to think I am the best writer working on the Net or any other place. The fact that major publishing houses have consistently ignored my submissions is a flaw in their character. Then I get this link.

http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

It's a long piece and you may not have time to read all of it. But bookmark it and come back when you have time. There is so much good information in this piece, I wish I had written it. I didn't, but I did read it from masthead to edit box and I loved it. Do yourself a favor and read it.

There's an old Irish saying, "If you want to catch fish, first you must listen to the river."

And just so you knows, my pal Barbara Tibbetts, writer and photographer of Maine and the finest Internet Data Miner there is sent this to me. Damn it is good to have friends.