Artistic Integrity

Image credit: Peter Mazurek

It's weird for me to write two blog posts in one day since I usually post seldom and sporadically, but receiving constructive criticism for The Newfangled World has got me thinking about the struggles artists have between being true to themselves and making a living. That sounds really cheesy to me, but let me explain what I'm talking about. The main reason I submitted my story to Leading Edge wasn't to get published, although that would've been great, of course. The main reason was because I'm not satisfied with the story, and I was hoping they could help me make it better. Oddly, even though it was intimidating for me to write the story in the first place, it's much, much more intimidating to me to figure out how to go back and make it better. Unfortunately, the criticism I received doesn't seem very helpful. Maybe I'm just too connected to more story, maybe it's too personal, but their suggestions seemed, for the most part, kind of out there. I'll have to read it over again, but the characterization of Malcolm Lee as an egoist seems so weird to me. The main criticism I understand is the scene with Malcolm's family. I'm very torn about that scene because it does seem out of place and break up the story, but overall, I feel like it's important to have a scene to establish Malcolm's love for his family. So I may end up changing it, but I do want to keep a scene with his family.

One of the big problems I run into is that I care more about how I feel about my creations than I care about how other people feel about them. Yeah, it's great when other people seem to like them, and I love that, but whether or not I like what I make is more important to me. That's a bad attitude for anyone who wants to share what they create.

Prejudice Vs. Understanding

Image credit: Nathaniel :: Tutvid.com

Watching 42 the other day, which I enjoyed, I couldn't help but draw parallels from the civil rights battles they fought in Jackie Robinson's time to the civil rights battles that are being fought today. Anyone might tell you that racism is alive in America, but I think we can all concede that the situations for racial minorities in America have gotten better and continue to improve. Therefore, the civil rights movement of today has shifted focus to the LGBT community.

Gay marriage is going to be legalized in the entire United States. It's just a matter of time. It's crazy that an idea that was so foreign to me just a few years ago now seems inevitable. I remember in junior high and high school that kids would use the term "gay" to refer to things or people they didn't like. Of course, I don't think they were thinking of the word in the homosexual sense, but it was still definitely a word that was meant in a derogatory sense. I never thought much about gays in high school, and now it seems like the gay movement is everywhere. The conversation is everywhere as well, and people are being forced to question their preconceptions and beliefs.

The Real Me

Image credit: Margan Zajdowicz

"For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom recieveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light . . ." - D&C 88:40.

I'm pretty sure I've only ever heard this scripture used in relationship to courtship and dating. The old adage that opposites attract is usually inaccurate. Most romantic couples have similar interests, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, education, religious views, political views, etc. I remember young men's leaders and seminary teachers interpreting this scripture as saying become who you want to marry.

When I develop romantic feelings for a woman, I become totally smitten. I begin to think she's totally amazing. It makes it hard because I feel like she's out of my league, and then I start to wonder about that scripture. Surely, if I'm so attracted to that woman, surely I have some of the same attributes as she does. But then I wonder, am I attracted to her because of the man I am or the man I want to be?

Kinship and Disappointment

Image credit: N.A.

Alex Davis died yesterday. It feels surreal. This is the first time that someone I felt close to has died. Yes, my dad died when I was 6, but I barely remember him. I remember Alex. I remember mowing lawns with him, jamming with him and my bros., and I remember how much fun we had. I also remember that even though he was a fun and happy guy, he had his share of heartaches and disappointments. I remember how he loved football, but suffered an injury that didn't allow him to play anymore. I remember that he loved a girl that he thought he could never be with. Those are tough things for anyone to deal with, and I remember that it was hard to remember that he was just a teenager because he seemed so mature for his age. He might be surprised to hear me say that.

Thinking about what I know about Alex's life, it made me look back on my life and the disappointments I faced. Growing up, my two biggest goals in life were to get married and go on a mission. Then I didn't get a chance to date the girl of my dreams who I was sure I was going to marry, and I didn't go on a mission because of problems I have with the Gospel and because I'm scared. It's been over a year since I've had a goal I've been working toward or wanted to work toward. I'm going to school, yes, but I constantly have doubts about the major I picked. As silly as this sounds, sometimes, after I read a great book or watch a great movie or TV episode, I feel like I was made to tell stories. Like my calling in life is to write stories that entertain and/or inspire people. But sometimes I look at all the books, movies, and TV shows that have been written, and I wonder if I could possibly add to it.

Uncommon Sense

Image credit: Sufi Nawaz

Whenever I hear about common sense, I like to joke that credit cards are replacing common cents. Har, har. But seriously, I don't believe in common sense anymore for two reasons: one of my roommates, and, of course, preschoolers (since I mention them in many of my posts).

First, my roommate. He defies logic. To me, it's common sense to wash your dishes in a reasonable time frame. By reasonable time frame, the same day as you use dishes would be ideal, but life gets in the way, so I think three or fours days is a reasonable time period. Leaving dishes out for weeks on end is something I would deem unreasonable, especially since we have a dishwasher. To me, it's common sense to not turn the living room into a hydroponics garden. (As a side note, he's growing Venus flytraps to eat the bugs that are possibly spawning because of the dirty dishes he leaves out. Oh, I love irony.) To me, it's common sense to listen to music at a moderate volume and not blasting out of the speakers so the whole apartment can hear it, whether they want to or not (most cases, not).

Offense Taken

Image credit: Dmitry Mayatskyy

Our society has gotten to the point where people who get offended are looked down upon. Now, there are some cases in which offended people bug me. For instance, I have a hard time believing atheists are actually offended by the Pledge of Allegiance containing the phrase "under God," and I'm annoyed when people overreact to offensive things. Overall, though, I think that our society would be better if people were offended more. To clarify, I'm not saying that I want people to go around complaining constantly about all the offensive things to be found in our culture. In most cases, avoidance is the best and easiest solution. However, I really think that our society's values and morals are degrading, and it's definitely causing problems.

Take me, for example. I have seen way too much sex and violence in movies, TV shows, video games, the Internet, books, and the media in general. After experiencing all of that, I've become desensitized to sex and violence, and that bothers me. What's more, it's hard to convince myself to try to re-sensitize myself, if that's even possible, because I enjoy things that have sex and violence. For example, one of my favorite TV shows is The Office. The awkward humor in that show makes me laugh my head off, and between the character's interactions and the Jim and Pam love story, The Office means a lot to me. Those of you who have seen the show know that it has a lot of sexual humor. The sexual humor bothers me, but it doesn't bother me enough to get me to stop watching the show, and that's a problem.

Rejection

Image credit: Sigurd Decroos

One of the things I love about preschoolers is how real they are. They've only been on this earth for a few years, and most of their time here has likely been spent in a loving home with a loving family. They haven't had enough time to experience a lot of rejection. Because they haven't been rejected much, they don't have many of the social barriers that humans naturally develop as they age. They commit faux pas such as picking their nose, passing gas, or crying in public without a second thought or any feeling of abashment. Preschoolers will very easily let you know if they're upset or let you know if they love you, things that become harder and harder as life goes on.

As we grow and experience more, we learn to put barriers around ourselves. We learn to hide parts of ourselves. At school, work, home, play, everywhere, we're constantly bombarded with subtle and not-so-subtle messages that we're not good enough, smart enough, good-looking enough, etc. Some friendships that we think will last forever fall apart. People are human, life happens, and the sum of our experiences teaches us that we need to be careful with who we trust and careful with who we give our heart to.