Me, Myself and ________.

Posted on by dannygregory

The forms of art I work at are solitary. Writing, drawing — I start with blankness and have to look inside myself to fill it up.

So many other artists have collaborators.  Choreographers who work with dancers. Pianists who work with Mozart. Directors who work with screenwriters and cinematographers and editors. They have sand in their oysters, something to push off. I start only with me.

But I wouldn’t trade with them. I never have to compromise, dilute, or share. My hands stay on the reins and I pick the path, lonely and rocky though it may be. I own the blame and the glory.

What I make is mine. And that’s fine.

15 thoughts on “Me, Myself and ________.”

  2. “Me, Myself and ……”
    Thank you for this contemplation. Who’s there? is an awesome place to start everyday, maybe several times a day. I have a daily practice that provides a space to check in with myself and it informs me in just this way; so, I also love your statement, “I start with blankness and have to look inside myself to fill it up”, it’s special when we can “inform” and support ourselves.

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  3. Danny your musings, lately, are helping me to clarify my thinking about a decision to continue (or not) working as a volunteer for a Steering Committee of an organization to which I belong. “I start with blankness and have to look inside myself to fill it up.” We, all, need to do that but our society tells us to suck it up and soldier through. I realize that I have not been giving myself the permission to do just that, “…fill myself up,” and hence have nothing of great value to give. I need to be selfish and take a step back to fill myself up so that dealing with others becomes fun again rather than a resentment or a chore.

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  4. Selfishness comes to mind, especially for an artist. You have to guard against other things, people, activities, etc. that can take over your creativity and eventually feel drained. This is why you make art before breakfast, right?

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  5. Throughout the years I’ve pursued. Achieved and enjoyed several different dreams. As I got older however, I discovered that only writing and (within the last year and a half) drawing fill, fuel, fulfil and inspire me – the unapologetic introvert and lover of silence and solitude. Thank you for telling my story – “What I make is mine. And that is fine”.

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  6. It’s not only forms of art that are solitary. I often think how we are all solitary, even if we have close partners and family no one knows what’s going on in our heads. What’s within ourselves may be all that will sustain us when the chips are down so it’s best to exercise that inner core with creative pursuits.

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  7. This surely resonates with me. I love working alone. Deciding what I will write, paint, sketch or sew. I can say at one time I was concerned about this. Perhaps I would turn into some crazy recluse, asking myself “why” I so enjoyed the solitude. I thought that I should be out with others collaborating and creating. Don’t get me wrong. That , too, has its purpose. But there is something magical about starting with nothing but myself and my ideas and walking out of my studio at the end of the day with whatever it was I created…..What I made was mine. Thanks,,Danny. Karen

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  12. Your post coincided with thoughts about why I keep getting involved in collaborative projects which, while they undoubtedly have aspects which give me great enjoyment, ultimately are not creatively satisfying. When I saw the beginning of your post as it appears in my email I was expecting a piece about the benefits of collaborating, so when I read it in full I really appreciated the sense of fellow feeling and wholeheartedly agree. Good stuff.

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  13. “Pianists who work with Mozart” – hahaha Danny that’s great! – I’m with you at every word of this post and … “What I make is mine. And that’s fine.” — You’re a real poet Danny, Congrats! – I didn’t know this! 🙂

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  14. This is so true. If you are strong enough to reach beyond the loneliness and oppressiveness of solitude that can sometimes degrade the freedom of solo work, then what you produce is something you thank no one for but yourself. And often you find that you are your own best friend, your own inspiration, your own reservoir of experience and material. You learn yourself, understand your innermost workings, explore spaces in your mind you didn’t know existed when you delve inside to release the subconscious in all its glory. You are an inspiration.

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  15. I have to agree with you on this one. I am having the time of my life as I journey on this path of art discovery with sketching and watercolors.

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