Scribbles & Munch

      Happy Tuesday! Sorry for the lack of a recipe over the weekend. There is an explanation involving negligent juice-shop employees, the Denver Broncos vs. the Seattle Seahawks, and over-size bees as black as coal...but this is neither the time or the place to inflict that level of trauma upon my readers. Instead, I will simply update you that today I am bound for the Oregon coast, where I intend to eat obscene amounts of seafood and frolic on the perpetually rainy beach.
      So there may be some seafood recipes posted this week. Or at least photos of seafood. I'll try to include a recipe if I can take a break from stuffing my face.

      Yesterday I woke up, stretched, got a glass of water, and flipped open my laptop for my regular A.M. internet routine. That involves checking weather report, browsing headlines in a few different newspapers (I like to mix it up from the LA Times, the Seattle Times, the London Times, and the New York Times), and then hitting my usual online comics. I was greeted with the unexpected and unhappy news that one of my all-time favorite webcomics, Shotgun Shuffle, is to be no more.
      You may recall that last mont I posted about the veritable treasure that is the selection of free comics available on the internet. The variety of stories, art, and genres means there is certainly something for everyone, and new awesomeness is popping up all the time. Finding a real favorite makes daily life that much more cheerful! But discovering that said comic is no longer going to be regularly updating on its site is just plain sad; I am genuinely unhappy that I will not have the humor, the art, and the story of Shotgun Shuffle to look forward to three times a week.
     The artist explained at length on the comic website that he is not burned out, and he has not lost interest in the comic, he simply cannot rationalize the investment of time and energy for so little return (financial and otherwise). He openly admitted he has not kept up on his advertising. And he states that he knows his own drive for perfection is a tremendous factor in the time-sink that the comic has become. As a former therapist, I would be the first person to say that it makes no sense to drive oneself crazy, and that self-care must be priority, even if it means giving up on a passion.
      As a former therapist who is also a writer, however, I will also be the first to say that if you're serious about pursuing your passion, then the self-care needs to be present from the beginning, and in perpetuity.
      History is littered with tales of the great artiste who lives fast and wild, creates amazing work, and then dies before his/her time: Ernest Hemingway, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and James Dean to offer a few examples. But despite the glamor and romance that surrounds the memories of such geniuses, I am far more interested in being a Patrick O'Brian, a Norman Rockwell, or a Jason Robards--I want to live a long life, giving me a chance to produce a variety of work and to see it mature. And in order to do that, I believe I must pace myself.
      I have heard many, many successful writers suggest that if one is serious about following in their footsteps, then one must a) write every day, and b) read every day. And I would agree with that. But I think there's more to it than that. Creating usually fills us up in a way nothing else can, but if we don't practice good self-care, it can deplete us instead, and that is sad, sad, sad. So here are Z.D.'s Four Rules to Artist Self-Care:

#1) Pace yourself. The occasional splurge of creativity can be a lot of fun, but if it comes at the expense of real life you're only going to create more stress for yourself elsewhere, and you may actually come to resent your art. Nothing depresses like burn-out.

#2) Have variety in life. Work on your art every day, whether it's writing, painting, dancing, composing, tightrope walking, stand-up comedy, woodworking, etc. Likewise, find something else that you love and do THAT every day, too, whether it's cooking, singing in the shower, playing with your cat, collage art, taking long walks, collecting cool looking leaves, late night card games, etc. Because you shouldn't put all your proverbial eggs in one proverbial basket.

#3) Be honest about your goal. If your goal is to create regardless of social recognition just because you love to do it, that's fine. If your goal is to make a living, that's fine, too. Likewise if your goal is to become the next J.K. Rowling and roll in the royalties. But you have to really know what your goal is, and then stay on top of it. If your goal includes finances or wide-spread recognition, you have to do more than just create, because you're not just an artist: you're a business person. So be honest about it, and do the work. (And PACE YOURSELF!)

#4) Be patient and kind to yourself. Those are good rules for life in general, but they especially apply when it comes to creative endeavors. You're on a journey, and every journey includes side roads, mishaps, and unexpected views. So be zen with it.