No Contest

"But I tell you this, Henry, not another book of mine comes out before yours does!  You and your work mean more to me than my life.  I want the world to know you, the value of you.  I swear it will.  Today I loved the selflessness with which you enjoyed my successes.  You are great, great, great, Henry.  I will never tire of saying it."

From A Literate Passion: Letters of Anais Nin and Henry Miller  1932 - 1953

I'm currently starting a new project with some good friends of mine -- a collaborative venture  -- and damn, it feels great.  Know why?  Because it flies in the face of divisive competition.  So many of us, as artists, get low, I believe, because we lose sight of the fact that we're in this together.  Taking something on as a team is competitive too, but it can also thrill and gel us.  And the successes of our friends (no matter what that might mean) can make us feel sublime.

Competition can be fantastic.  I enter contests all the time, and whenever I read an inspiring piece, it's a great incentive to start scribbling afresh.  Writing with friends can be competitive too -- can drive you all to achieve in a stronger way.  It's also good to understand the part you play as an individual.  (If ever, for example, I sell a book, I'll be spreading the word like wildfire!).  But there's a time for competition and a time for teamwork and it's important to discern which is which.  

I always come back to this:  we must try not to write for the kudos or the money.  (Not that there's a whole lot of it around for us writers!).  I admit, there are times when all I want is to be sold; but there's a hard, bright part of me that knows there's something deeper.  Story isn't about what you sell or print, which is why my friend Wayne and I began Art2Art; and believe me, every time I'm there listening to folks perform, I feel like I'm part of something wonderful.

This is about expression, craft, people, imagination.  Creativity and passion.  First and foremost, always that.