Creative Rebellion Essays: Change
Ch-ch-ch-changes. Photo by JC Caldwell.
I’ve been remiss in my weekly essays recently as my schedule was overwhelmed with work and changes. It’s all good but it’s a reminder of the always, in-flux nature of reality.
I’ve been thinking about how I might comport myself during these times, navigating the changes in life, in work, and in our political system.
“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change.”
As I’ve written about before, I subscribe to a creative philosophy that is a meshing of Zen and Stoicism. Taking from the former, I focus on trying to be in the “Now” as fully as I can, realizing that the past is a memory and the future is a projection. From the latter, I consider the worst and best-case scenarios and live through them in my head without judgment. Though I do try to focus more on what can go right, rather than its opposite.
Like most people, I find comfort in routine and stability. However, like many things that are repeated without variation, the grooves of unmitigated habit don’t allow for the fortuitous and, as Bob Ross would exclaim, “happy accident.”
Enter change. Things happen and we classify them as good or bad. But the things often don’t have much of a conscience to them. An earthquake. A flood. A fire. These things happen and we don’t have control. I can prepare for an unforeseen potential issue by doing what I can, for example, to thin the brush around my house, as I live in a fire-prone part of the country, but once I’ve done what I can, I don’t worry about it much more.
A less drastic, but still impactful, change may be the loss of a job or the start of a new role. We reel from the feeling of loss of control. What do I do next? What will happen to me, my family, my loved ones? Will I be able to rise to the needs and responsibilities of the new job title?
Who knows? Viewed through one lens there is the downward spiral of “oh no” but the same event viewed through another lens could be “oh yes!”
A thing happens. It’s up to us to decide how to handle it. We may not want to think about it or deal with it, but whatever the issue is, the sooner we accept it as reality, the faster we can think, creatively, of a solution.
Panic and fear drains energy and makes us timid.
Passion and courage increase energy and make us courageous.
Ultimately how we deal with anything comes down to our personal ethics and tenets. Without a sense of what we consider to be right and true, we are rudderless. And without that, it’s easy to feel existential. Meaningless.
“Character is destiny.”
During this time of reset, write down all the things that you consider important to you. Family. Creative expression. Financial independence. Health.
Especially as we go into the next week, realize that things will change, and whether it’s considered good or bad is completely up to how we react to it.
Remember the Persian adage:
And that adage is true for the good times as well as the bad times, so I’ve found it’s best not to get too intoxicated with good fortune or depressed with misfortune. Just keep creatively engaged with meaningful work. And keep in mind that playing around with “meaningless” work often leads to meaningful outcomes.
In the coming weeks, we will be entering into a time of great change and flux. My recommendation is to spend as much time as you can meditating, working out, eating well, resting, and generally taking care of yourself. Take it easy on yourself. Things will find their natural balance after the initial turmoil. The muddy water in the glass will settle to the bottom if we don’t allow agitation to rule our bodies and minds.
Center. Visualize. Strategize. Implement.
It’s going to be okay.
John
What I’m listening to:
Billie Eilish live-streamed concert – My wife, teenage daughter, and I sat down for this epic live-stream concert of the prodigiously talented singer Billie Eilish. She played with her brother and creative collaborator, Finneas. Mind-blowing visuals by Moment Factory, XR Studios, LiLi Studios, and live streaming platform Maestro, accompanied her flawless performance. She’s the David Bowie of this generation.
What I’m watching:
I Am Mother – I know, I’m behind on films that came out last year but I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller about a young woman who was raised by a robot – aka “Mother.” It’s a small cast of just three, which makes it so human and intimate as a contrast against the futuristic setting.
Jojo Rabbit – I’m such a fan of Taiki Waititi. His writing, acting, and directing has such range, from What We Do in the Shadows (both the film and the FX on Hulu TV series) to his work on Thor: Ragnarok. Jojo Rabbit is hard to explain aside from being a comedy set in Nazi Germany that centers on a young boy, wonderfully portrayed by Roman Griffin Davis, who has an imaginary friend who happens to be Hitler.
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