Why I Love Photography and Painting More Than Writing
My humble view on the art of life, being creative, and getting ready for the weekend
Self-portrait by the author
Ernest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
Only a writer could relate. I started writing when I was 13. I was pissed about inflation in 1974. It crushed my dad’s business. My family struggled financially. Mom and Dad started fighting.
Fear is a bitch. What follows is a fun-to-write rant and story about my history as a writer and my later learning to be an artist.
Back to inflation-from-hell in the early 70s. It sucked for everyone. Gas prices went through the roof. My dad’s hotel business started to crash. Fear gripped America as if we were all falling into a black hole.
So I decided to write a Letter to the Editor for our small-town paper. Everyone who can read reads the local paper in 1974.
Writing that letter was fun. Getting a dose of whoop ass from my parents was not.
Screenshot by author
Fast forward to college.
My writing evolved to journaling. I still have the journal I kept while living in France for a year as a college student.
Today, when I read that journal, I see a creative, outlying, misfit who would and could never last for long in corporate America.
“You can make anything by writing.” — C.S. Lewis
I wanted freedom. Creative freedom. Time freedom. Making money definitely helps.
Until I crossed the line from teenager side jobs like raking leaves and shoveling snow to early adulthood.
“The first draft of anything is shit.” — Ernest Hemingway
So I did the best I could, just like the rest of us. Learning was fun, even if nobody read my stuff.
No, I didn’t identify as a writer until I hacked one of the world’s crappiest books with a bunch of other naive consultants and coaches who didn’t know how bogus “Chapter Books” are.
Image credit author, Mount Humphreys, Flagstaff, Arizona
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison
I write for fun.
Over several decades of pounding on my keyboards, I found ways to make money; sales letters, seminar invitations, slide decks, investor pitches, sales pitches, proposals, website copy, email copy, blog copy, and a shit ton of money made not as a writer, but as a consultant who could write and get top-ten search engine results before AI ruined SEO for everyone.
So, for me, doing what I loved led to making money. That’s money well-earned. Work doesn’t feel like work.
Imagine that.
“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” — Mark Twain
Image credit author, - Scottsdale Landing @ Sunset, Scottsale, Arizona
It doesn’t matter what I write because everything I write is fueled by inspiration. I’m a seat-of-the-pants wordsmith. I can type faster than anyone I know.
And no, I don’t look at the keyboard. I own that thing.
The hard part about writing is the editing. But less than $200 a year for Grammarly solves that problem. And it beats hiring an editor like the old days.
“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it.” — Octavia E. Butler
I still crank out thousands of words, documents, articles, and other forms of content that get deleted before they're closed into a saved folder or sent to my printer. As with photography, an artist learns to be more discriminating in their art.
Over time, with practice, we learn. We find our zone. Our sweet spot. Our style. Just like writers find their voice.
We find our way to be creative. Doing what we love.
That’s wisdom in action.
Image credit author, - Dragonfly
In closing, here’s what I’ve learned about myself after writing for all of these years. I love it. I hate it.
And I like photography and painting much better.
Why?
Because if a picture is worth 1,000 words, it’s 10,000 times easier to knock out a great image or painting after practicing these other art forms.
And people notice my artwork far more than my writing. I could be; my writing sucks that badly, or so I think.
Head trash is a bitch, too. But every decent artist learns to deal with that.
Remember: You are an artist here to create the life of your dreams. That’s why I’m telling you all of this. If you don’t believe me, think back to how creative and playful you were as a kid.
I’m an author, strategic coach, and mentor. Discover the power of the Clarity S.H.I.F.T. Method® for improving your career, small business, and life at www.CliffordJones.com.