Agent? Money? Head Exploding? HARD WORK!

There is a spray-painted banner in Black Rose (my crossfit-gym), that reads: "hardworkhardworkhardworkhardwork" and so on. Like any cheese-ball, inspiration-hungry, word hyphen word geek, I do my best to stare a hole into that banner every time I'm in for a good ol' asshyphenkicken. And I know that those words are the key to success...but I really want a magic formula.

But really, a magic formula? There isn't one, as it turns out, not to success.

The best you can do is work hard and hope to high-fuck that someone likes your work. For a creative professional (or an aspiring one, for that matter), this only mildly boils the brain.

You work hard, you put yourself out there, you think you've created something good (and probably have done just that), but you still aren't rollin' in the ching-chang...money... I'm right there, right now and it had/has been driving me kinda loopy. Honestly, its been throwing me off for a few months. I kept thinking "All I need is an agent!" After I had been thinking "All I need is a publisher!" After I had been thinking "All I need is to finish my book!" I've got the book, but no publisher or agent, and only today did I get some clarity! "All I need is hard work!"

I may have been dealing with some bigger stuff that was hampering me, but I'm stronger than that and damn smart enough to know that I can't stop. I need to push forward especially when things are horrid.

Yeah. I know. It's simple and a fairly face-palm-epiphany that you hear from the day you take on your first chore, to the day you retire, until you're telling your grand-kids the same such.

I always forget that part. Life is not a movie, you don't (generally) strike it rich out of the gate as a creative kind, or have those parents/friends of parents/bang Sandra Bullock in The Proposal (loved that movie, actually...seriously...) that get you into the big leagues. I always forget because I don't register failure, I think, which is both good and bad...but that's for later.

The two things that kick me forward lately are inspiring speeches (always loved these, actually, and here's a good one: http://youtu.be/zuBSRC1zpHw ), and finally...finally listening to other professionals. Both say the same thing that no one wants to hear because they know it's the truth: Keep drying, don't give up etc...

Disney once said, "Keep moving forward..." and yes, a million others have said the same thing. They're all right, it's all sound, and I'm doing my best to listen.

Step 1: Make use of what I already have. Material and talent wise. Things will develop from there.

Step 2: Maintain these things. Repetition.

Step 3: Inspire these things. Feed the obsessive talent-hungry monster in my gut. I'm good at this one.

Step 4: Check back in on maintenance. I'm very bad at this part.

Repeat forever while taking time to relax and enjoy it all. I forget this too.

I'ma try this. I really feel like it's time to grow up. More on that later.