How to win the BIG Trophy...

Creative:  relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas; especially in the production of artistic work (widgets dictionary)

How can I win the BIG trophy? Well maybe if you were more creative.

People that are creative book the job, get the promotion, and sometimes even win the big trophy.

The journey toward creative bliss is my destination, and maybe yours too?

We often use the word ‘creative’ just in terms of art… But why not exercise this muscle in all aspects of your life.

Scientists have found that if you exercise your willpower muscle in one task, your willpower overall increases. Could this be true for creativity too? My hypothesis: what would happen if we took a break from being creative with our art, and instead were more creative with our family and friends, our job, our exercise regime, and so on... Maybe without you even knowing it, your creative muscles will strengthen and spill over into your art...

So,

How can you be more creative when responding to your significant other’s so-called non-sense?

How can you be more creative at your dreaded day-job?

How can you be more creative with ‘putting out fires’ at your next family gathering?

How can you be more creative with your approach to today, so that today is one to remember?

My theory: You want to be more creative, so that you book the job, get the promotion, win the BIG trophy? Focus on becoming more creative in all areas of your life, and as a result your desire to be a more creative artist will ensue with ease.

Far-fetched, maybe… but I think it’s useful.

Kiss '5 Hour Energy Drinks' Goodbye

 "Fatigue doesn't come from working too hard, it comes from not finishing your work." Steve Chandler

More specifically fatigue comes from not finishing the work of your soul, the creation of your art.

As artists we often spend a lot of time in think-mode, procrastination-mode, don't have enough time-mode.... and much less, much less time in execution-mode.

All for one little reason: Fear

What work do you have yet to complete?

Make a list, title it "PROJECTS I’VE FINISHED" Write down daily the projects you've completed, no matter how mundane… Miraculously your energy levels rise.

"On the other side of our comfort zone, is fear, and beyond fear is bliss." Brian Johnson #boom (more on that soon)

Cheers to: going out and getting it done! (no more 5 hour energy for me)

HAPPY train de-railed

Being a good steward of positive psychology... I find myself always trying to stay on the happy train. So much so I often punish myself for having a bad day.

Why are you so sad??
You should be happy because you're alive!
You should be happy because you have a roof over your head.
You should be happy because you're healthy, employed, middle class, free, and you're loved.

Shame on you for feeling sad or depressed or anger or worried... Or anything but happy.

I try to force myself to be happy. And we all know what happens when you force anyone to do anything against their will... Failure, I'm even more unhappy than before.

With the help of Brian Johnson's Philosopher's Notes I'm reminded that life has 4 seasons, life exists in ebb and flow. The tide goes out and comes in, there's dark and there's light, there's day and there's night. And just as much as life changes so do our bodies. Therefore, you can't be happy all the time.

The more we accept our present state, the better off we are. When we deny our emotions, we're setting ourselves up for a slew of negative effects. When we accept our emotions and love what is whether that be happiness or sorrow, our highs get higher and our lows get higher.

Brian Johnson, "Our highs get higher and our lows get higher." Brilliant!!

So there it is, go with the flow, knowing this too will soon pass...

And in the meantime keep feeding your artist by creating yr art!

BAHHH, my BIRTHDAY is here again?!?!

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Birthdays use to excite me. I couldn't wait to turn 1 year older. Double digits was a triumph, sweet sixteen was a license to drive, 18 semi-legal, 21 'nough said.

But what if… your name isn't in lights, you're not a millionaire, you haven’t met your soul mate!

Life becomes a race against the clock, hold on to your youth OR ELSE... dant da daa!! (Scary music)
 

Birthdays no longer excite you, instead they make your stomach turn. And your ego goes into overdrive proclaiming, "You’re too old to do this, too old to do that, too old, too old, too old!!"

 
Old age takes over!!! ‘Older but wiser’ has very little appeal. Correction: NO appeal.

And everyone that's succeeded, people born in the nineties that have succeeded, make you crazy!!

But then you remember these wise words: Everything that's happened to you up until this moment was suppose to happen; proof of that, it did happen. – Wayne Dyer

So you're 25, 30, 40... And you're not exactly where you thought you would be at your current age. My advice to myself and everyone else that suffers from “BAHHH, my birthday is here again!?!?”

Accept and cherish the notion that you are in the right place now. Everything you’ve done has lead you to this moment now, so stay present, feed your artist on a regular basis, and watch the magic unfold.

Who needs COCAINE when you have yr art?!

 

You're back in the game
It's callback time
5 songs to learn
8 sides to prepare
10 hours til audition mode

You're on 4 hours of sleep
You're pumped up with affirmations

You ignore your criticizing ego
You get present
You smile bright

You give it your all

It’s go time!! And you’re flying HIGH!!

And then...

They ask you to only perform 1 song out of the 5 and only 1 side out of the 8.

You're still hopeful…

And then... You're CUT.

Down you fall...

Fall

Still…

Falling

You hear the echo of your affirmations fading...

And the ego's chatter becomes louder, louder, and louder!!

Crash!! The artistic cocaine high has worn off.

Your  feet hit the ground. The dream of booking this gig dies. You're too old to cry. Too old to have a tantrum. Too old to call your mom... oh wait.

Who signed you up for this hangover?

Who signed you up for this gutter feeling?

Who signed you up for this pain?

YOU did.

So now what?

Ride the emotion. Force yourself to stay present and active. Go take a yoga class, have coffee with a friend, hit up an open call, go out for karaoke… Keep active, to avoid the EGO’s nonsense, because it loves to remind us, we SUCK.

But its the EGO that really sucks.

Remember, you got up and faced your dragon head on. Dragon aka FEAR. And you’ll continue to do so, because that’s what you signed up for as an artist. The cubical dude doesn’t fight his dragon, instead it festers inside of him… and will eventually erupt… hopefully in time for him to still share his art with the world.

Every NO, is just one step closer to a YES, and a Tony, and an Emmy, and a Grammy, and an OSCAR.  Or something like that…

So ride the artistic cocaine high a little longer, because your YES is waiting.

SHIT, it's good for you

I got lost. I got caught up in the whirlwind of my ego. And now I’m back.

Did I do all I could today to become the successful artist I want to be?

 No.

Why?

Because I can’t, DUH!

And then, I follow the ‘I can’t’ with every excuse in the world. And all this steams from the fear of failure, fear of not creating anything worthwhile. And at the end of the day, I not only failed at creating something worthwhile, I failed at creating anything at all.

So I decide to drown my sorrows in a bottle of wine or someone else’s bed… or…

But then it hit me… after reading The War of Art for the 3^rd time, I was reminded it’s not what you create but simply that you create. Eureka!!

So my new goal, create SHIT.

Surprisingly this is quite fun and ironically creating shit, doesn’t make me feel like shit. I wish the same fate for you.

A Million Views

December 2010, I decided to start a writer's collective. My first and second meeting only had one guest. Despite the no shows, Laura and I made the best of it. We shared our current writing projects, and then something glorious happened... Laura asked me if I'd seen our friend's music video that received over a MILLION views on YouTube. What?! Amazing right?!

Laura declares, "Why don't we do something like that... Maybe we can get a million views?"

The journey began... through lots of laughter, and a few tears...

November 2011, we released the very 1st episode of our web series, The Waiting Room. To date we have 3 episodes, and will shoot our 4th in just two weeks.

Create Yr Art Productions presents:
www.youtube.com/user/TheWaitingRoomWeb

We don't have a million views, but maybe some day soon. But as you know, and we know, it's not about the views. It's about the creation of art. This web series is my artistic baby, birthed for all to see.

"Don't wait for someone to cast you. Cast yourself" 
                                                -Edward Norton

Costume Contest of Life

Life is like a costume contest.

If you prefer to have a costume like everyone else…

If you prefer to pick a costume last minute when all the stores are sold out…

If you prefer to not wear a costume at all…

If you prefer to avoid all creativity when putting together your costume…

You’re NOT going to win the BIG prize!

The person who wins the costume contest… is afraid to stand out, but they do it anyway!

So choose your costume wisely. And make no mistake, the less thought and creativity you put into your costume, the more likely you are to NOT win the big prize.

So go BIG or go home.

Dare to…

Make a statement.

Be laughed at.

Be creative.

Push the limits.

Strive to win that prize!!

Create an awesome Halloween costume, create an awesome life.

And soon that prize will be yours.

It may be a stretch… but I think this analogy could be useful.

Knee Pain

A wise one once philosophized that a person only gets knee pain, when she hesitates to move forward on her life’s path. 

After I dumped all my present baggage on my best friend… The cherry on top of my heaping pile of baggage, was that my poor knee was painfully out of socket. She proceeded to tell me the wise words above and than some...

My baggage centered on my career, love-life,  and family, all creating loads of stress from all angles. So what’s a girl to do?

My best friend began to laugh. She said, “Malorie, your life is so together. You’ve accomplished so much; remember that. You wish you were 6 steps ahead, but instead be happy with your present success.”

She than told me that in a talk-back with Jennifer Aniston, when she was asked what advice she’d give to her younger self… Aniston replied, “I’d tell my younger self not to worry SO much.” My best friend brilliantly proposed that she believed, that adult-Malorie would say the same thing to young-Malorie.

Interesting…

She reminded me to live in the present, trust where I am, and begin to move forward on my path.

I’m now home… and my knee pain has significantly subsided.

Beware of your own knee pain.

Move forward despite the fear your baggage creates.

Listen to your heart and create your art.

Blame It On Your Muse

All we have is our art.

That is all we are.

Non-artists love asking the true artist...

1. What is your back-up plan?
2. Isn't it time to get a real job?
3. What if you never succeed?

And to top it off your Ego kicks into high gear every time you embark on a new artistic endeavor!

But then something wonderful happens...

You finally win the Oscar
You finally book a Broadway show
You finally write a best seller
You finally achieve artistic success

You'd think the questions would stop, you'd think your Ego would quiet, you'd think the artistic battle was over...

But then...

The Non-Artist asks, what if you've reached your pinnacle? Aren't you afraid you'll never achieve another masterpiece?

And then we undergo "tortured artist" syndrome.

In extreme settings, we as artists:
Become deeply depressed
Go insane
Overdose  
Or...
End up killing ourselves

Simply because we are our art. And our creative juices have been spent. 

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love picks apart our western ideas about the so-called "tortured artistic" journey in her 2009 TED talk... a must see click here.


Elizabeth made it her mission to find a new set of beliefs about the artistic journey... maybe it didn't have to be so painful? She landed on the Greeks and the Romans. Their belief was far from negative. And here's why...


The Greeks and Romans didn't see the artist as the sole creator of the art. Instead a muse or genius was the artist, and the person was simply the creative channel. Therefore artistic failure wasn't solely the fault of the individual, the blame was shared with the muse.


Why is this important? Next time writer's block creeps up on you... don't blame yourself, call out for your muse to show you the way. Think of your art as a joint venture between you and your muse. Show up everyday knowing you're going to have ups and downs... but you'll still do you're best to channel your muse.

And when you fail, it's not entirely your fault, blame it on your muse. Blaming your failures on your muse allows you to avoid "tortured artist" syndrome. Being an artist doesn't have to mean a lifetime of struggle. Maybe you never will create something as brilliant as your break through art piece... OR maybe you will, either way...

Don't take failure personally, this will lead to your destruction; simply blame it on your muse, and continue to create yr art.

And yes, it's easier said than done.

Tunnel Vision

We all know comparing ourselves to someone else is bad news. But sometimes we need to be reminded. My Ego loves to use this “comparing” tactic against me, and it does a great job at making me feel less than. 

MY LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES = SHITTY

HER/HIS LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES = WAY MORE FABULOUS THAN MINE 

Maybe it’s true, and maybe it’s not.

And then I remember, this is my journey, not someone else’s journey. It’s my rollercoaster ride, my story, and my life.

Where you are right now, is right. And where you are going, is right.

When your Ego switches into overdrive, alerting you how much better everyone else is compared to you… focus all your energy on your journey only.

Ask your muse for guidance, and Tunnel Vision. 

My Dragon

“On the field of the Self stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon.”

Do The Work, Steven Pressfield

I always believed overnight successes were impossible… or in other words, one’s success may appear to happen overnight, but in actuality that’s never the case. But then, a real overnight success asked me out on a date.

Over dinner, he explained there was prep-work and lots of talent behind his good fortune, but he did ultimately agree he was an overnight success. I couldn’t help but hold a mirror to my own life… this mirror A.K.A: my dragon of resistance screamed:

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH THE LAST 24 YEARS, MALORIE?!

WHY ARENT YOU FAMOUS?!

WHY HAVENT YOU CREATED SOMETHING BRILLIANT?!

An achy feeling over took my body. My dragon told me to curl up and die. She insisted I drown my sorrows in someone else’s bed. And she continued to remind me how shitty my artistic journey has been, and yes, how unproductive.

Despite the intense flames from my dragon, I kept my cool, and the Overnight Success didn’t seem to notice my raging fury. Dinner ended, he kissed me on the cheek and we parted ways.

As I walked home… the pity parade gallantly followed my every move, singing gleefully “You Suck, You Suck, la la la!!”

I was losing the battle.

And then…

I began to write.

I scheduled artistic meetings.

Embarked on a new book.

And sang with all my heart.  

The achy feeling dissipated.

This wasn’t the first battle and it wasn’t the last. And for the time being my dragon has been pretty quiet, but I know she’ll creep up again soon. It’s a good thing I know her weakness.

And who knows maybe you’ll be the next overnight success… and until then create while you wait.   

I love you like a negative STD test

When was the last time you wrote a poem?

My freshman year “Writing the Essay” teacher, Rajiv Joseph assigned each student to write a weekly poem. Poem day, which I think was Wednesday, was always something I looked forward to. Before we began the typical class lecture, we’d all share our weekly genius with the class.

A few things I remember about my freshman year classes… I read a lot of plays and essays, I wrote a lot of essays, and POEM DAY.

The poems were never graded. It was simply a chance to create art just because.

So today when I was working a L’Oreal promotion at Duane Reade; a far from glamorous gig, I noticed a cashier writing in her notebook.

She confessed that when the store wasn’t busy… she writes poetry. She proudly announced that just yesterday she wrote a love poem for her husband. When she read it to him, it brought tears to his eyes. (I got that warm fuzzy feeling all over)

For the sappy romantics out there, an ode to your lover is probably apart of your daily routine. But for everyone else, when was the last time you wrote a poem?

She brought me back to freshman year Poem Day. Besides the fact that poems are artsy and such… I couldn’t help but wonder why my teacher had us write poetry??? Was it…

To hear the crazy thoughts of college freshman?

To take time away from “Writing the Essay” curriculum?

To spark creativity in general?

Who really knows, I’d assume to spark creativity, and to get us out of our heads and into our souls… Or maybe the method of his madness was just to have fun, to break up the monotony.

I wonder if Rajiv writes weekly poems… I do know Rajiv writes brilliant plays. 

I find myself creating art solely for an intended goal… it’s been awhile since I’ve created art, just for art sake. So I’ll try my luck at a poem this week. And maybe, just maybe it’ll lead to writing brilliant plays. 

I'm not super proud of this jargon below... but I thought what the hay!!

22 February 2006

This is a testimony of my true love:

I love you like a negative STD test

I love you like an afternoon rest

I love you like my easy bake oven

I love you like some late night lovin

You can preheat my oven any time

You're my consensual sex crime

I love you coat check boy

I want to make you my bedtime toy

Rapture, Smapture

In honor of the supposed rapture…

“Life is too short to hate what you're doing everyday.”
                                Tribes by Seth Godin

Whether dooms day is upon us or not, life is short.

Do you relish in misery?

If you didn’t hate your job, would you have nothing to talk about?

If life didn’t suck all the time, would you have no reason to open your mouth?

Well if that’s the case, man up and change it! What are you waiting for? Finally begin your creative journey. Fulfillment is possible. Discipline yourself to take steps toward your artistic dreams everyday. Your life story will shift and morph, and misery will be but a faint memory.

Hold close to your heart this simple phrase…

“The pain of discipline weighs ounces, and the pain of regret weighs tons.”
                            Jim Rohn

So choose your path. I’ve chosen mine.

Goliath Lost

Every artist must remember, Goliath lost.

We all get fired up, excited, and determined the minute we set a new life changing goal… but then reality sets in. We are reminded by our family, friends, and our Ego to pursue non-childlike dreams.

Be a nurse.

Be a lawyer.

Be content with the way things are.

Enjoy mediocrity.

So when all odds are against you, when you’re ready to give it all up, when you’ve failed countless times, remember Goliath lost, and the little guy won.

You’re the little guy. You have the power. Make your heart’s desire come to life. Share your art with us, we are waiting for you.

Every “NO” means you’re just one step closer to “YES”—Les Brown

I've Broken Out In Hives

This afternoon I found myself sitting in the audition waiting-room surrounded by beautiful auditioners. I kept my headphones in, in order to avoid the pre-audition jargon. 

As I pretended not to listen to the girls chatting it up; I heard one mention that she was "soooo nervous" she was beginning to break out in hives. I assumed she was the typical over dramatic actor, you know the kind that gives the rest of us a bad rep, so embarrassing. I kept my head down and focused my energy on Seth Godin's latest blog posts.

Finally, the drama queen, Ms. Hives was called into the audition room. A few minutes later, she left the room and wished us all good luck... Her good luck sincerity prompted me to raise my head and thank her. And as she smile and turned, I saw splotches of hives all down her back. 

Wow! She really wasn’t over reacting... All her bottled up nerves had manifested in a real break out!!

I wanted to run after her and say "I'm sorry I didn't believe you... Please can I help you overcome your nerves?" 

But then I thought... who am I?! Really?!

I then thought some more.

Too late.

My mind was racing, but I couldn't quite pin down what my heart and mind were trying to release.

And then it came…

Dear Ms. Hives,

Learn to accept the emotion you are feeling. Don't try to deny it or make it into something else. Accept your nervousness, rather than becoming frustrated with it, and maybe your hives will dissipate.

Or maybe, the hives stick around…

But consider this, “Henry Fonda was still throwing up before every stage performance, even when he was 75” (The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield).

In other words the fear, the nerves, the frustration, the anxiety is never going to go away… It may subside here and there, but your emotions have a life of their own, it’s YOUR life. So why not use those crazy, funky, scary emotions to your advantage?

Feel those emotions. And before you know it, one emotion will shift and morph into another emotion. This new emotion could be better or worse, but feel it. And when we finally give over, we undergo truth. This truth helps us to create art from the stuff that really counts, the soul.

And finally...

Whatever we are most afraid of…

Whatever our Ego likes to tell us we SUCK at…

Whatever we’ve given up on and then started again a million times over…

Whatever gives us HIVES…

That nemesis, that thing, that dream…

is what we need to dedicate our lives to.

 Like Henry Fonda and his nausea… you’ve got your hives. It’s a sure sign you’ve chosen the right career path.

“Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel towards pursuing it.”

Steven Pressfield, Do The Work

In my own vernacular, the definition of Pressfield’s Resistance: a force of nature arising in anything from thoughts, to people, to a skin break out that tries to stop you from achieving your dreams.

Become aware of the fear your Ego creates, and let it steer you toward the creation of your art.

Wishing you so much success!

Sincerely, 

Malorie Bryant

Do the Work by Steven Pressfield is dedicated to helping you accomplish your biggest endeavors, and dare I say, DREAMS. I highly recommend you read it ASAP. It came out April 21^st, it’s hot off the press. I ordered it day of and I’m now reading it for a second time. It’s a must. Plus it’s only 98 pages, with a large font. Have I convinced you?!

Trees Never Grow Only Halfway

The harder you work on your art, the luckier you get.

By working on our art, we create energy to propel and attract us to people and circumstances to make our efforts come to fruition in big ways.

Therefore, we’ve got to do all that we can and not settle for anything less.

In a seminar lead by Jim Rohn , he discusses that humans are the only species that don’t live to their fullest potential. He argues that a tree grows as high as it possibly can, and that a tree would never grow only halfway. But we as humans are given a choice:

1. Live to your fullest potential

Or...

2. Don’t live to your fullest potential

It may look and sound easier to settle for less than…To endure the mediocre… To embrace the status quo… To suffer the chains of happy hour, TV watching, and social networking. But in the long-run it’ll come to bite you in the ass, in the form of disease or debt or depression. 

It's my belief that if we strive to live up to our fullest potential in every area of our life, we can extend our lives.

Have you ever noticed how good you feel, when you finally complete an artistic endeavor?!

Your energy increases exponentially... Every success brings more positive energy, and momentum ensues. And it’s this positive energy that increases our immunity, which in turn extends our lives.

A friend of mine told me that when she gets back pain, it always seems to pop up when she's not expressing her creativity.

I also had a friend tell me, now that she works a desk job; her energy and drive is much less then when she was pursuing her artistic career path. And although her current job allows her financial stability, her artistic self is suffering. Money is great, but only if you can support your art at the same time.

I often times feel depressed or frustrated or lazy, when I'm not working on my art on a regular basis. My mind gets cloudy, and I feel stuck... and then I pull/drag/tear myself away from my Ego, and into my creative plane. My mind clears and I begin to see light at the end of the tunnel. 

The challenge that arises:

Choose to lead a life of fulfilled artistic potential. Do all that you can for that day, week, and year. And your success will beget more success.

Recess for Yr Soul

Today I walked by a school playground during recess. I couldn't help but fall in love with all the sounds I was hearing, from the screams, to the shouts, from the laughter, to the tears. So many visceral emotions being expressed.

It made me giggle, because I thought if more adults took time out of their day for recess, how much happier would we be? Images of adults in suits running around and screaming seemed funny, and yet a little asylum-esque

If we screamed, and shrieked, and laughed, and played with all our might would we be happier?

My guess is YES.

Maybe that's whats missing from adulthood, the pure unadulterated, outdoor playtime. A playtime without mind altering substances.

When was the last time you just played?!

Entering into my third week of working every day, I yearned for some free time, free time to relax and fulfill my human needs. And when I walked by the playground, I realized I not only need free time, but I need playtime too. A playtime dedicated to exploring my emotions out loud!

These thoughts rekindled why I love creating my art...  It provides my soul with the recess it desperately needs.

So what's your soul's recess?

Make the appoint to add recess to your daily life, and experience your soul's revival.

Watch out for ROUTINE!!

Routine can get the best of any artist.

Therefore the true artist must learn to live a life of uncertainty, leave the routine to the non-artists.

Once you except uncertainty as part of the process of becoming a great artist, you'll see life's problems merely as challenges. You'll begin to see how each instance the big, the bad, the ugly, and whatever else, they all are propelling you toward your art's creation.

Of course it's easier to go to grad school...

It's easier to have a normal job...

It's easier to wake up every day and do the same thing...

And yes its much, much HARDER to not know your plan of attack at any given moment, or month from now, or a year from now. But that doesn't mean its any less noble to be uncertain, quite the contrary, it's the true calling of an artist.
(Now that doesn't mean we don't set goals, but instead we set flexible goals, that propel us toward our art everyday, month, and year.)

Learn to embrace living in uncertainty, while still taking action toward your artistic goals... And this uncertainty will lead to your greatness.

We grow up in a society where it's excepted and encouraged to follow the same routine, go to school Monday through Friday, go to work Monday through Friday, follow the herd, that's routine a its best.

But don't let routine stifle you're creativity. You need to live in the unknown to find your genius. Let your muse fill in the gaps along the way, and your art can't help but flourish.

Dead Dog Syndrome

"Nobody kicks a dead dog" 
(Famous words worth remembering often)

Let's be honest if you do make it big, which I hope you do... get ready for criticism from all angles. But consider this, if  people are talking about your art either positively or negatively at least they're talking, your art did it's job :)

Avoid dead dog syndrome, and make your goldmine idea come to fruition. Take it all the way, because why not, if you don't, someone else will. 

Embrace the criticism, it's the nature of the artistic beast.