I am smack-bang in the middle of the hardest part of my current project.
No longer the fresh excitement and boundless possibilities of the new, nor yet the fragrant and tantalising promise of completion, just the work; the seemingly endless and repetitive no-mans-land of the daily grind.
But still everyday I get up, brew my coffee, and get after it.
This post is about why.
Sometimes, the work feels like a war.
There are times when my body is tired, or broken, or both. Times when my spirit is thoroughly unwilling. Times when the well feels empty, when I have nothing to say; when my fingers are stiff and cold, my voice is silent, and the whole world seems haar-bleached, fog-bound, and grey.
But I am a veteran at this game. I know her rules and I know her secrets. I have witnessed long the tricks and wiles of my opposition. I have been making music, writing things, and performing them live ever since I was 7 years old. In terms of this I am an old lion; and I know well my jungle in darkness.
I have learned over time that how I am feeling in the moment bears no relation to the quality of what may be produced in any given session. Thoughts, emotions, and the body are generally poor indicators of the day’s potential. The things I make when I feel bad and the things I make when I feel good are indistinguishable in terms of quality when I look back on them in the cold light of morning.
When understood properly this one fact removes nearly all excuses.
In any pursuit of worth resistance is a constant. This is not a bad thing. It is the resistance that the electricity encounters whilst travelling along the wire inside the bulb that creates the light which illuminates our world. The surfer is nothing without the wave, the pilot nothing without the onrush of air; and the greatest fighter in the world is but a dancer if deprived of an Opponent.
Creating things of worth and sharing them with others in order to elevate the world is one of the ways that I have chosen to justify my small part of the life that we all share in this fragile, chaotic, and beautiful dance of existence.
It is a good war.
It is my war
What’s yours? ;-)
My name is James Radcliffe and I am a 100% audience supported independent artist.
I put almost every waking hour of my life into what I do. If you find any worth or value in this post, my writing, or my music please consider supporting my mission by purchasing some of my music or spoken word recordings. You’ll get some beautiful art, you can choose the amount you’d like to pay, and 10% of each purchase goes straight to a worthy charity. Every single sale makes a difference in my world and allows me to carry on making things like this.
You can also support me by Spreading the Word.
Reblogging, retweeting, and posting links to what I do on your: Blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc really helps me out. Since I started making art publicly my audience has grown, not because of any mainstream press coverage, but mostly due to grassroots word-of-mouth recommendations from awesome folk like you.
You guys are the reason I do what I do. You are my people and we are in this together. Any victory on my part is a shared victory in my opinion, so let’s shake the very foundations and make something world-sized and worth celebrating, together.
I truly hope you are well. Best wishes, and great big man-sized love.
J
P.S. I am a big fan of the comments section and the conversations that spring up there. If you have any thoughts, questions, or just want to chat – hit me up using the box just below and let’s get to it.
This has been shared. I look forward to reading more of your posts. Thank you so much
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Thank you so much, I really appreciate this, sharing my work helps me to get it to more people.
You have my gratitude,
Have a good one,
– J
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Reblogged this.
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Thanks a lot for sharing this. Again, it is truly appreciated.
Have a good one,
– J
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Your words are encouraging. Thank you. Looking forward to hearing your artistry.
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Thankyou in return for taking the time to read and comment.
Have a good one,
– J
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Reblogged this and commented:
Shared Sentiments
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Thanks for sharing this – I appreciate it.
Have a good one,
– J
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“In any pursuit of worth resistance is a constant. This is not a bad thing. It is the resistance that the electricity encounters whilst travelling along the wire inside the bulb that creates the light which illuminates our world.”
Thank you for this.
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Anytime ;-)
Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to write to me.
– J
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Very inspiring, James.
I took your words to heart.
It i important to keep the fires of passion going.
Thank you.
Cheers.
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Best thing you could have said.
Thankyou.
Have a good one,
– J
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Anytime. Writing is a grind, but a worthwhile endeavor.
Thank YOU.
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Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Both are good ;-)
– J
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– I should clarify, my comment was directed at ‘writing is a grind’. I agree that, whatever it is, it is always worthwhile.
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Hi James, first comments for you. Appreicate your art, your heart and your intentions. I wrote in my diary two weeks before my mother died in a car accident when I was 18-37 years ago now wow….. “My life is a war, my mind the battlefield, my thoughts the wepons my decisions the outcome; life or death”. And so we must choose it seems, continuely between the two. Keep up the good work, keep up chooseing life and creating it!
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Thankyou very much for this. I really appreciate the depth of your honesty – truly.
Thanks also for the kind words.
I will. You too. Be well.
– J
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This is beautiful.
And I love the way you reply to each comment with your soul.
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Thankyou very much, that is really nice of you to say.
And: how could I not? These are My People ;-)
Have a good one; thanks for stopping by,
– J
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Feel ya.
Also, I feel like you have read this book, but if you haven’t I think you would enjoy it immensely: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’s one of those books I like to reread for encouragement. :)
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I love that book.
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Funny that, isn’t it? We are doing what we want most, making, creating, but it’s like drawing teeth, giving birth, pulling straight a broken arm. All we can do is stick with it, not give in, see it through, whatever the outcome. Because we must. It is what we are.
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It can be. ;-)
I am actually in a pretty joyous patch with it at the moment tho. Funny how that happens ;-)
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, big love,
– J
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