The biggest lie

Two thoughts have occurred to me recently, and whilst not entirely related they also aren’t completely unrelated and may sit quite comfortably next to each other in a post.

The first of these thoughts is this: “I’m fine” is quite possibly the biggest lie we tell each other and ourselves. When I say we I’m speaking specifically of the British race. I don’t want to generalise, but the British stereotype is one of tough upper lip, of keeping calm and carrying on and to be honest we aren’t doing much to subvert it.

Why is there something necessarily wrong with talking about your problems? With getting things off your chest, and having a chat to someone who might understand. I’m not suggesting we all need to go into full blown therapy sessions, simply that we might consider the validity of the statement “a problem shared is a problem halved”.

Of course there’s sharing and there’s sharing. Nobody wants to be that whinging person their friends can’t wait to get away from, and nobody wants to be on Jeremy Kyle (at least nobody in their right minds). But sometimes the “I’m fine” lie just doesn’t get you anywhere. The trouble is once you start telling it, it becomes very hard to stop…

Now onto my second thought which is about a lie we should get more used to telling. This is the lie of “I’m the best”. I’ve had numerous conversations in recent months, both with myself and others, debating the ways in which to become successful when there are so many other people just as talented and just as dedicated as you.

What it comes down to is self belief and self promotion, and remembering the fact that everybody wants something different. So there is space for a number of those who are the best in the same field, to cater for different tastes.

One useful way to think of it is through an analogy to prostitution. And I will now leave you to ponder that!

How to spot a #creative type.

As I sit here in bed on my laptop – again – not getting the early night/good night’s sleep I promised myself – again – I’ve created a guide to spotting someone who works in the arts. I’ve realised that there are probably a certain number of attributes that we all share to some degree and I thought I’d share them in case you ever need to spot an ‘artist’.

Firstly there’s the haggard expression that comes from too many nights spent staring at your laptop in bed, generally sending hundreds of emails. This is, for some of us, added to by the getting up early to go and do a job that pays your rent.

To contradict this first point there’s a spark that awakens behind the eyes, despite extreme tiredness, generally when a new idea occurs or simply when talking about one’s artistic endeavours.

But then, of course, there’s the tendency towards depressive tones and self doubt that can also occur when talking about one’s work.

Next there’s a general lack of time, coupled with (and worsened by) an addiction to Twitter and a thumb glued to your mobile.

There’s the ability to go from having a perfectly normal conversation with a friend to eyes darting around from one place to the next, unable to concentrate as a to-do list runs through your head or new ideas start to take shape.

If you look in the creative type’s bedroom you’ll probably find a myriad of lists made on multiple pieces of paper dotted around all over the place in a fashion of ‘organised chaos’. You’re less likely to find somebody sleeping, and even less likely to find a somebody else sleeping with them as who has time for relationships in this world?

Penultimately there’s the ability to go for weeks at a time contacting barely anyone and to often be known as being quite unsociable. There is, however, also the ability for wild partying much like the highs and lows seen with manic depression.

Finally, there tends to be a general niceness of character and a deep sense of love, passion and devotion to what they do. I’ll now leave it to you to spot the creative types amongst those you meet, and to judge their characters of your own accord.