Create or be created!

Even before reading The Fountainhead I half understood the importance of trying to create rather than just consume. The book, and Ayn Rand’s philosophies in general however, turn this into almost a religion or a least a moral obligation. Her relentless pontificating, coupled with some inconsistencies in her life and her complete failure to include any happily married couples with children in her fiction, ultimately stopped me from believing that her philosophy was exactly the easy answer that everybody needed to know.

This is old news. It was always difficult for me to not have all the answers to everything. I really do wish I knew it all. I’ve come to instead be content with a level of uniqueness in what I do know. I don’t know many of the things ‘everybody should know’. I don’t know last week’s football results, and I don’t remember the details of history (though I do recall the dynamics). I also think that everybody should know some of the things that I know - but I’m learning to accept that they don’t have to. Even when I’m right.

But today I remembered how important is it to create. This is a lesson from The Fountainhead (and life in general) that should not be ignored. To illustrate this, think of your favourite television programme, movie, play, book, billboard advertisement, brand, or song. Think of the joy it gives you and how much you receive from making a connection with it.

Now consider all the joy you receive from consuming those items and imagine the even greater joy you would receive if you knew you had created them yourself. Imaging being able to reflect on a thousand people who were uplifted by your work when they took a chance to rest and watch your movie, read your book, or work in the organisation you created.

Human beings are actually born to create. I fact, I don’t believe they can help themselves – they must create. And this is where a very interesting problem arises. If you don’t create you will become bored with your life. This has happened to me so I know it to be true. If you don’t create then your life itself will become your canvas.

Many people will tell you that using your life as a canvas is the pinnacle of existence. They will tell you that your life should be a drama; and that this drama is more important than any desire you might have for simple joy and happiness. But using your life as a canvas is the final sacrifice of a human being desperate to create.

Using your life a canvas is the last resort when you have dried up your well of creativity and have nothing left within yourself to inspire you. This is what happens when you are empty and need a drama to kick-start your creative energies again.

In reality, it may be the best way to kick-start your creative energies. Which is why it is so popular and why it is proclaimed as a general purpose cure-all for all of life’s troubles. But it’s not the only way and it can also be an addictively simply solution. Much like Ayn Rand’s childless philosophy.

With your life as your creative canvas their will be all of the exhilaration of a great novel. But there will also be all of the tragedy and all of the loss. In fact the simple quite pleasures of life and love may be lost to this adventure. With this path you will never love until it is too late. Though people will envy your adventure you will only be envied by those who create nothing. Those who have chosen to create on other canvases will not even know of your existence.

(I have a favourite poem. It’s by Matthew Arnold and it’s called ‘The Second Best’. I think it relates to this post. But I can’t find it on the Internet so it almost doesn’t exist.)

Blogging on the margin

I find it interesting to note the types of blog posts that I feel like writing as I get more and more and more interested in work. There have been times when I have had very little to do at work (that I was interested in) and blogging (or prior to my blog, simply the type of writing which now ends up as a blog entry) seemed very important. Blogging seemed like something I should be making time for. Something I should be putting aside time for regardless of any other goals I might have.

Now I've found something more interesting to do (eg. fix up a project at work and learn how to effectively fix up future projects) I'm blogging on the margin. Blogging actually interfers with the other things I want to get done so I need to make a choice. While I used to write (or a least draft) a blog entry when what I really wanted to do was talk to somebody, I don't have time for that now.

It makes me think that the best blog writing probably comes from having something to say. More importantly, the best blogging is actually a commentary on a life outside blogging.