Imagination

[tealin]

Imagination is fun. Imagination is grand. Imagination can make a hostile world livable, expand the borders of your life, make a new reality, connect you to others, fill a void, reveal deeper truths, and paper over ugly ones.

But sometimes you need Hilary Mantel to talk you down.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Well that hit a bit too close to home. Between this and Taff, I'm gonna need a vacation soon. My world is getting a bit too small.

[tealin]

"I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space ..."

But vacations are always good. Shoot, just leaving the house is sometimes good, and necessary, and surprisingly difficult to achieve ...

FWIW, the first time I heard this I felt like she was knocking on my door and giving me a firm warning, but my takeaway from this is increasingly drifting towards "Don't pick up a morphine habit." ;) Mantel's own experience of the Historical Fiction lifestyle more closely resembles my own baby steps in that direction, and look, she turned out all right!

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, as tempting as it is to compare myself to her, in reality I do not suffer from a drug addiction nor her personal history or health problems. I do relate too strongly to her sentiment of "I can be a writer or I can be nothing".

[tealin]

Isn't that true of most creators, though? I know I certainly feel the same about animating (or, well, bringing life to characters through drawing, moving or no) and I know I'm not the only one.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree that most people who are passionate about something would despair its loss. But I don't know how many people have only one thing they devote themselves to exclusively. That kind of singular focus is a double-edged sword, if you lose your ability to pursue your raison d'etre, you despair the thought of living. I think its important to have other things in your life, be it a significant other, a pet, another passion; anything to protect you from a singularly defined existence, from its loss to its obsession. Though my perspective is tainted by my own experience; perhaps it is fine for others.

[tealin]

It's true that very few people have one defining purpose, but those who are obsessive enough to let one thing consume their life tend to rise to the top of their field, be it animation, historical fiction, jazz saxophone, whatever. It's definitely not a healthy way to be, and having seen what happens to people whose One Thing is taken away from them (or who have confused the One Thing with the professional context that enables it) I have tried, in my adult life, to spread energy out a bit, but ... if I really couldn't draw, at all, nevermind for a job, I know I'd feel like a net drain on the planet's oxygen. I could go into writing or ornithology or Antarctic tourism, but my motive force would be gone. It's amazing to think the vast majority of the human population spends their whole life like that ...

[(Anonymous)]

Not to be corny, but I don't think you could ever be a net drain on the planet's oxygen. I also didn't realize you were into ornithology (birding?) As for One Thing Syndrome, I had a friend who turned his frustrating menial job into his One Thing, it was one of the most unfortunate life choices I have ever witnessed. I've always felt people should have a good hobby, even if their job feels like a hobby already (his did not.)