Last week’s Quote of the Day by George Bernard Shaw got me to thinking about the dark forces behind the creative process. I believe every artist tries to work out unresolved issues in their lives through their art. Tom Petty, Robin Williams, David Sedaris, and Stephen King, just to name a few, sought redemption from childhood pain in their work. Would the sparks between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler have been so believable had Margaret Mitchell not been abandoned by her first husband? I doubt it.
And yet, the best artists don’t just shake their fists at a cruel, unjust world; they create something that breathes and moves. Their pain drives them to create art that inspires people. The focus of great art is not the author but the audience.
Stand-up comic Tiffany Haddish learned this lesson from none other than Richard Pryor when she was performing at the Laugh Factory Comedy Camp:
I was on the stage telling jokes and he says, “Stop! Stop! What are you doing?” I said, “I’m telling a joke,” and he says, “No, you’re not!” He said, “Look, people don’t come to comedy shows because they want to hear about your problems, or politics or religion. They come to have fun, so when you’re on stage, you need to be having fun. If you’re having fun, the audience is having fun.” And then as I got older I started realizing, “Oh man, I’m trying to do this in everything in life because once I started having fun onstage, you know, people were nice to me. People were kind; it was easier to move forward.”
As George Bernard Shaw advised, “Be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” Tiffany Haddish was lucky enough to learn this from one of the comic greats. The same lesson applies to writers.
M.C. Tuggle, Writer 
Agreed! We’re all conductors…orchestrating emotions, feelings. Our posts are our selfies, in a way. Great point from a wise author. :o) Happy Holidays, Michael. ♥️
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Just Me,
I like your conductor metaphor – in charge, but not really in charge of what happens. However, we can exert some influence over those around us.
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Wonderful post Michael. Thank you. How true the advice by Bernhardt Shaw and the master comedian. we should be a positive force of nature and not a moaning one.
miriam
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delphini510,
That’s our job, to turn negatives into positives.
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Excellent.
I wish more comedians understood what Pryor was talking about. ..as well as writers.
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Long live Richard Pryor!
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This is absolutely truth!
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Wise words. Thanks for sharing them. 🙂
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Enjoyed the post
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A splendid insight for anyone, especially those seeking to create enjoyment for others. Sometimes it’s too easy to indulge in what we, the creators, get from the process, rather than in what we’re offering to others.
The irony being that it’s in the latter, rather than the former, that success, both material, and personal, is found. Thanks!
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“Be a force of nature instead of ….” loved this, and your thoughts on this site. must spend some more time just reading. Thank you for also visiting my blog, unsure when, but I followed your profile and got here. Apologies for not having connected earlier, and thank you for some amazing shares here.
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I’m starting a Page with Quotes from the Community,
would you have a personal quote; check this if you’d like to https://innerdialects.wordpress.com/quotes-from-my-blogging-community/
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