by Mark Antony Rossi
I’m not the traditional introverted writer. Speaking, unlike most, comes naturally to me. Perhaps it’s because I am confrontational by nature. Maybe it’s because I was born in New Jersey. I may never know the answer since the question is less important than the ability to write, instruct, and broadcast literary matters in a complicated digital age.
How does a writer keep faith in the Arts while so many prefer a paint-by-number career? How do you instill Passion in yourself or others when so many operate on a cynical philosophy of no one cares? How does the artist stir imagination in a society that lost its will to dream?
These were once deeply-held inquires about writing. I noticed they started fading once I began the literary podcast “Strength To Be Human.” By creating podcast episodes I was composing in a creatively unusual manner. Like a strange form of therapy, I grew stronger in my vision of why writing is still so relevant in our lives.
It was beyond the vital importance of writing often disrupted by dictators whom jail and murder writers on a regular basis. It was beyond social media platforms that promote their version of truth and silence voices of dissent. It was an explosion on the cellular level—a recommitment to writing buried by layers of varnish heaped on via the harsh realities of military service, marriage, children, and a mortgage.
While making a literary connection to my audience I also found I was making a connection to myself. Such unexpected results are destined to happen if we ignore fear for a moment and do what our instincts say is the chosen path. What I learned in my decades of writing experience is not the primary lesson to share but rather the strength we must find and maintain to actively pursue a creative purpose.
About the Author:
http://arielchart.blogspot.com
https://strengthtobehuman.podbean.com
https://www.headfone.co.in/channel/strength-to-be-human-literary-podcast/
Artists do what they do because it is who they are, to do anything less is a betrayal of self; and the really good, really important artist (and I use this term generically here to include artists of all various mediums) continue to hone and improve their craft up to the point where death stops them dead in their tracks. It is no easier today than it was 100 years ago to create and to have one’s creation accepted by a large audience, if it is ever accepted by any audience at all; and while the main point may seem to some to be to create something for mass appeal, a big audience (in fact, the creation itself will decide that, and it’s time may come long after the artist has gone), the point is to explore oneself, one’s creativity, and to live one’s life true to one’s self–For an artist, this means self-examination, honest expression, and the long, hard work of always trying to be better. Thank you Mark for being an artist.
Looking back now and then can be a solid barometer of where are you now? Did you learn your lessons, or not? As some know, the artist’s life is not for the meek.