Destroying The Big Bad Wolf

Graffiti on "The Wall" in Berlin
(A place historically  blinded and deafened by "Rules")

I’ve been thinking about the Big Bad Wolf.  Not the one from The Three Little Pigs. This is The Wolf blowing houses down left and right.  Especially anyone’s House of Creativity.

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done.  Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it.  While they are deciding, make even more art.” Andy Warhol

He’s relentless and has huge support from society.  The “Norms” from society give him full support when he calls out, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll BLOW your house down!”

RULES!  Written and unwritten!

I can tell you, he’s mean-spirited and sneaky. A house of straw is nothing for him to demolish! He infiltrates my originality by whispering the rules society hands to him, readily.  He knows they work and when he’s ready to destroy, he’s already weakened the structure by his lies.  He’s done it to me.  Twice.  My straw house was a cinch for him.

He used strong tactics on me.  His power of making me believe (supported by his benefactor—Society):

• I’m inadequate
• I need to “Produce” something to be effective
• I need to be “Careful” in how I create…limit, limit, limit
• I should have a “Purpose”.  
• What I create should have value, $ $ $
• I must conform to “Standards”
• I need to “Succeed”
• I must have "Pride" in what I create
• An authority should “Monitor” my creativity (maybe even criticize and  undermine my intentions)

I have strengthened some of my weakenesses, over time.  It has given me some ammunition against him.  

• I don’t have to have a reason or purpose to create
• I can create just for the fun of it
• I don’t need a seal-of-approval from any authority to create

It hasn’t been enough.  My house of sticks was blown down almost as easily as my straw one.

So, now I’m pissed.  More at myself than the idiotic Wolf.  I’m preparing to take a harder look at the structure of my creativity.  Block by block.  Beam by beam. Joint force-displacement curves by joint force-displacemen curves.  I think this time, I’ll be luring the Big Bad Wolf to climb down the chimney.  He’ll fall into a hot, black, pot of boiling Creativity.  That’ll teach him to undermine the poor, starving artists of the world!

1. I will create when and how I want to create
2. I won’t be “Careful”  I will let it go where it leads me, no limitations
3. My creations don’t have to be worth $$ anything, the worth will be in using my creativity
4. I can create wide-open.  No standards, no rules need to apply.
5. My creativity will be good enough.  I’m adequate.  Not better or worse or amazing.  Good enough. 
6. I will temper my pride, it can get in the way

"If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”

Émile Zola

“What is your muse?”  You ask?  Life, death, nature, people and my past experiences.  Fuel enough for that raging fire I'm preparing, under the black pot.

“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”

Leonardo da Vinci