Man’s Search for Meaning

“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

I just finished Man’s Search for Meaning, and my goodness, I did not come away as the same person that started that book. I have never experienced anything like it.

This book is about Viktor Frankl’s experience in concentration camps during WWII. He gives anecdotes and connects them to different psychological ideas. I am a lover of psychology, so that is a big draw for me; however, there’s plenty to take away from it.

Here’s a tidbit about Frankl from his website.

“With a lifetime that spanned most of the 20th Century, Viktor Emil Frankl (March 26, 1905 –September 2, 1997) was witness to a transformative period in world history. He is most known for being a Holocaust survivor, but in reality, this represented a short period in his long life. By the time he entered the concentration camps at 37 years old, he had already spent much of his adult life as a psychiatrist and neurologist, specializing in the treatment of suicidal patients. He had also developed his own psychotherapy….” Read more on his website

What do you think about the search for meaning?

Be Obscure

“God and other artists are always a little obscure.” -Oscar Wilde

This quote made me feel better because my goodness, do I love being home and away from it all. I know, I know, we gotta get out and socialize. But the amount of books I want to read, the writers’ lives I want to hear about, and the art I want to learn. I think people are important, but I gave a large portion of myself and my life to people I thought wouldn’t let me drown, and there I was gasping for air. That’s when I realized, fuck that shit. I’m going to sit in the dark corner of my room, paint my nails, eat snacks, and drink fun drinks. That makes it sound like it was an overnight occurrence.

It wasn’t.

Be obscure.

So, what makes you smile?

Art Solves 99% of my Problems

“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.” – Cecil B. DeMille

I’m rolling my eyes at this quote because I don’t want to think of art as something I’m addicted to, but at the same time, I can’t function without it. It solves about 99% of my problems. Things are just a million times smoother when you can lay it all out on the table and find the beauty in it. The ability to find the beauty in our creations can be the most challenging part of it all. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a clear portrayal of a creator’s inability to find the beauty in their work, and spoiler alert that became Frankenstein’s own demise.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my most favorite books. What are your favs? Do you have a top three?

Why Not Both

“It is not length of life, but depth of life.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

We could spend our time welcoming both a long and deep life. I look forward to having both. We don’t have to do this thing where we have to pick between two extremes. We can just live. If we want depth, we should welcome depth. I personally think it’s okay to desire a long life without placing too much stake in living forever. Our time will come eventually; that’s what we all know for sure. But to invest in long-term health, I think that’s beautiful. I think it’s quite artistic to want to live.

Writers, A Question

 “Never write anything that does not give you great pleasure. Emotion is easily transferred from the writer to the reader.” -Joseph Joubert

I’m not sure the emotion is easily transferred. I’ll have to ask my readers about that. Yes, grammar feedback, but how did it make you feel? I forget to ask that when I request feedback. I think with my writing style, that’s an important question.

When you get eyes on your draft, what questions do you ask your readers to look for?

Art Will Lead You By the Hand

“Don’t be an art critic, but paint, there lies salvation.” – Paul Cézanne

It’s interesting because my first thought after reading this is: but we need art critics. That’s not the point here. Gaining feedback as an artist is imperative. I’m sure someone as skilled as Cezanne respects those who helped him perfect his art. What is being said here is that salvation lies in painting rather than criticism. The freedom from the weight of social expectation comes from the act of creating over and over and over again. There’s a point you reach in art, where you are grasped by the hand of creativity and flung into a world that requires no explanation. It is spirit. It is sacred and secret. It is holy and separate from the world where man pounds shit into your skull. That’s a bit dramatic, but the point is that there’s no salvation in being the critic because being the critic means you must rely on social norms in order to judge.

When you’re ready to be saved from the harshness of the world, art will undoubtably lead you by the hand.

Living Out Loud

“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

There it is! The good word for today. I’m not always loud, but I do my best to live that way. As writers, we get to live as loud as we want. We may limit our medium to words, but our life is ours to mold and make art out of. This isn’t limited to writers; I just want to talk to writers today. Writers, live your lives! Find your will to live while you share your stories.

What does living out loud look like to you?

Art Writing and Soul

“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” -Leo Tolstoy

Art is how we process what we experienced. Those who do the work of the soul, connect deeply to art and can explain way. Those who don’t are given the tools to express what they feel. Either way, art connects us to our soul.

Lost and Found

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” -Thomas Merton

If art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves, I can’t help but think of how life would be if we treated it as a work of art. I don’t know that we ever truly lose ourselves, but continuing to learn to accept the deepest parts of ourselves is art. In a way, that could be considered finding ourselves over and over again.

I personally live my life as if this is my art. That’s what works for me.

What do you think about treating your life as a work of art?