fictionsmith

I wrote a letter to myself as a reminder why I do what I do and thus is my personal manifesto.  If any of this helps you, I’m glad it does, but I don’t intend to hold anyone to this but myself.

I’ve been drawn to the made-up word “Fictionsmith,” and in doing so, decided to create a code of what a Fictionsmith does, boiling it down to 5 points.

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1 - Create.
Talking about creating isn’t creating.  A writer writes, a filmmaker makes films, a storyteller sidles up to a campfire.  The fuel of creativity is the mashed up elements in your life’s experiences filtered through your personal processor, so gather raw materials, develop ideas, jot down notes, ask questions, and learn from those that have gone before you be it from personal interaction with the artist or by studying their work.  You have a finite amount of time on this earth, and if you want to create something unique to better society, it’s going to take more development than most people are willing to give it, so judge whether what you are doing is worthwhile and act accordingly.

2 - Don’t go into debt.
A good story should only cost time and maybe a trip to the library to read the books needed to learn the basics of the craft.  With the advent of the democratization of film and self-publishing, tools are cheaper than ever.  Remember that limitations force you to be creative, which can give you a unique voice if you utilize your limitations properly.  Getting yourself into personal debt for your art adds pressure (from others and to your work) as well as kills momentum once your work is finished.  When you can’t afford to pull together a cast and crew and properly compensate them, write books and/or screenplays until you’ve saved up enough money to be able to do so.

Also remember that debt doesn’t just pertain to finances.  You have a finite social currency in time, be it spent with your family, friends, or social networks.  Don’t let your art supersede the need to take care of your responsibility to your family.  You can’t pay back lost time owed as once it’s spent as it’s gone forever.  Curate relationships with friends and take social networking for what it is: a powerful tool but not a substitution for real interaction. 

3 - Help others.
Lessons learned the hard way are badges of honor that many creatives are willing to share their tales about.  If you do your research you can find ways to dodge a lot of the beginner mistakes, but you’ll still fall prey to your own set of pitfalls.  Continue the pattern and help others past these blind spots because it doesn’t benefit you if they fail.  In an industry where people focus on their brand, projects, and themselves, choose to be different and do what you can to see others succeed.

4 - Finish things.
Don’t give up.  Rewrite, revise, relearn.  You will look back on your past art with a more discerning and critical eye because of the lessons you’ve learned, but you wouldn’t have learned those lessons if you hadn’t made the art, even if it feels disappointing right now. 

Developing the habit of quitting a project will keep you from learning the lessons of grit, longevity, and seeing what it looks like when your art is out in the world and how that effects the lives of other people.

5 - Know why you’re creating.
Developing yourself is a byproduct of creating art, but is a selfish endeavor if that’s the extent of it.  Recognizing the beauty and Truth in this world and aspiring to inspire others to see past the mundane is far more valuable.  Good art makes people think how things could be better, great art moves them to act on those thoughts.  The world is dark enough as it is, so let the light inside you show in your work and reflect the God who gave you that light in the first place.

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There are other little things I adhere to such as always keeping a pen and paper on me, choosing never to be negative in social media, and speak directly with another artist if possible (and if beneficial to them) instead of about them in public, but these are the big 5 that most of my thoughts boiled down to.

vcD,
-R