Jason, you’re the opposite of pretentious to me. Your humility is shown in the way you so generously and sincerely encourage so many others artists here on Substack. I’m glad you took some time to fill your creative tank. 🐸
Jason, I've met plenty of pretentious assholes in my time and thankfully you aren't one by any stretch of the imagination.
Let me suggest a book, "At the Existentialist Cafe" by Sarah Blackwell, in particular in reference to Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. They lived their creative lives exactly as they wanted: with purpose, without any hindrance, and on their own time line. They knew to take time out for frivolity and the occasional distraction. It helps to feed creativity.
Ergo, stay loose and you'll get the artistic juice!
Thanks, Ed! That book sounds amazing, I'll check it out and report back. Speaking of juice, I can't stop thinking about doing a Portland area Substack meet up at a bar or someplace.
Totally agree Ed!!! Just focus on whatever it is that you're doing instead of how well you're doing it, how you're perceived while you're doing it, what might happen next... ignore all that just focus on what you're doing like a kid who just enjoys coloring for the sake of coloring.
Jason, I love this. I’m in the process of reenvisioning my Substack--new name, new focus--in a way that’s much weirder and truer to who I am. I have the same worries. I worry that my “pretensions” will have me wandering alone in the desert, too insufferable for human company. But I don’t want to chop bits of myself off anymore to look normal and seem like a good person to hang out with.
I'm excited to see what you do with your Substack! That's exactly how I feel, I'm done parceling out parts of myself, only showing the socially-acceptable bits when all I want to do is grab a stranger and tell them about some fantastic ancient Chinese poem I just understood for the first time.
Love this!!!!! I too am allergic to pretentious hypocrisy hoity-toity know-it-all attitudes and hope to heck that I don't come across that way. And yet at the same time I know I can't control how others perceive me. So I'm with you on walking along the river, reading novels late into the night, having wine and laughter with friends.... bravo to your walk!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚
You my friend are one of the least pretentious seeming people in the world! I'm glad to be part of the same community as you. You are right that I can't control how other view me and worrying about it is a slow poison for my soul. Yes to living an unconventional life of whimsy!
So kind of you to say that!!! Thank you!! And I am deeply honored to be part of the same community as you are!!! I'm glad I know you and that I got to meet you in person recently!!! Let's stay close to the things and people who inspire us to be glad we're alive!!! Yes, yes, YES to living an unconventional life of whimsy ... and beauty and love!!! 💚💚
A wise man once said, every time you speak the truth, you'll feel yourself stronger. Any time you don't, are somehow fraudulent, deceptive of 'pretentious', you will feel weaker, smaller. Pretension is literally debilitating, mentally and spiritually. It takes a capacity for self-reflection to detect this in oneself and find the correct path. The path you have chosen, of an artist, is to speak the truth. You can only grow stronger that way.
To me, the artist's "way of being in the world" is living (when I can) with all my senses and my heart wide open. The pushback I get from the internal voices of my wounded self/wounded family leans more toward "lazy, unproductive, self-indulgent" than "pretentious asshole," but it's not that big a difference, is it?
Worth it, though, to hear when a river is calling you and to answer the call.
that too often we saddle our present and our future with our emotional judgement about the past... then we let that get in the way of using our senses, having an open heart and being here now.... when I'm able to remember that my heart can be more open to the moment. That's one way I'm working on living with my senses open to the moment. It's a challenge sometimes but i feel better when I remember to be here now, relax, no judgements
What's so pretentious about taking a hike along the river, gathering ideas from your work, perhaps producing some along the way? For pete's sake. Pretentious is when an "artist" behaves in a manner where they put themselves above all of us philistines and hacks. That's pretentious! So go ahead and walk along the Williamette ... dammit!
Inspiring, per usual! It was only at the beginning of this year that I began to refer to myself as "a (pretentious) poet" when people ask me that most hated question, "What do you do?" I've considered myself a poet for some time now, years, in fact. But I was always waaayyyyyyyyyy toooooooooooooo afraid to admit such a truth. Then, I began (finally) reading Robert Graves' "The White Goddess." As I cracked it open, after a pretty rough week--perhaps this was why I was a bit more emotional that day as I sat having a beer at my local bar--I read this, "If you are poets, you will realize that the acceptance of my historical thesis commits you to a confession of disloyalty which you will be loth to make; you chose your jobs because they provide you with a steady income and leisure to render the Goddess, whom you adore, valuable part-time service. Who am I, you will ask, to warn you that she demands either whole-time service or none at all... I do not even know that you are serious in your poetic profession." Sitting at the bar after reading this, I began to cry. I then said out-loud, roughly to myself, "I am a poet." Though, admittedly, still part-time, Mr Graves, but I'm working on it! That same tearful day at the bar, I later asked a stranger, for the first time, if I could read a poem to him that I just wrote, a remix of a Welsh poem about a wily fox named, Reynard. He graciously obliged me, but with a truly puzzled look upon his weathered face. I read my poem, a rather good one if may dare to say, and much to my great surprise, this random guy at the bar with just a few kind and honest words, sent me down a path to where I now sit here rambling on about a moment so small in the grand scheme, but a moment so utterly life-giving that now each day I feel as if it is anew.
Thank you for sharing that tender moment. I would love to hear a remix poem about Reynard! Openly admitting one is a poet is tough, and something I still struggle with. One recent turning point for me was when I attended Sue Clancy's gallery opening reception. The only people I knew there know me from Substack, and so I was introduced around as a poet and artist. Nobody else had ever introduced me that way before. It felt almost overwhelming while also feeling right. Sue shared a few pages of one of my books with another of the attendees and the woman gasped, out her hand to her chest and said, "Sunset pilgrim, how beautiful." I'm tearing up right now sharing this. In that moment I first believed that I was a poet. Odd how we often need strangers to help us accept the truth about ourselves--or maybe that's just me
Oct 10, 2023·edited Oct 10, 2023Liked by Jason McBride
What a wonderful experience! I pray it continues, as it's very much deserved. And, you are most definitely a poet, and an artist, nay, a creator (poiesis!) as true artists articulate the struggles big and small, the daily sufferings that we all experience, and make them into something instantly relatable, artistically beautiful, even, hopefully transcendent! Poets attempt, at least in my own personal estimation, to find what heals themselves, articulating (creating) life where it previously was not, and then, god willing, and in some coherent manner, give that spark of life away so that it might flourish ever more amongst others. I see this in your work. Therefore, my thesis, you are a poet.
Eeeek! I never thought of myself as pretentious... Just an oddball lucky enough to live life on her own terms.
I'm sure I'm just a bit sensitive to this idea of pretension as a side effect of taking everything too seriously for too long :)
I can so relate!!!
I think I’ve turned a corner. 👍🏻
Thank you Gail for sharing Jason's substack! It's right up my alley. :)
You betcha!
I’m happy to have you here Julie! Thanks for reading
Great to be here! Thank you Jason.
Jason, you’re the opposite of pretentious to me. Your humility is shown in the way you so generously and sincerely encourage so many others artists here on Substack. I’m glad you took some time to fill your creative tank. 🐸
Thank you, Maureen. I appreciate that
Thanks, Ann! I know my fears in this regard are rooted in my insecurities. but if I give those up I won't have any kind of security. 🤣
Agreed! ⬆️
Thanks!
A river summons is second only to a forest or ocean summons. Sounds like you had a wonderful and necessary time away.
It was glorious!
Keep going to nature ❣️
I’m really enjoying your haiku comics and I love that you go for walks to find your creativity and inspiration.
Thanks! Walking, observing, and then making art from everything is all that keeps me sane.
Agreed! Walking does the same for me and is the basis of my newsletter. It’s good to find other writers who feel the same.
Jason, I've met plenty of pretentious assholes in my time and thankfully you aren't one by any stretch of the imagination.
Let me suggest a book, "At the Existentialist Cafe" by Sarah Blackwell, in particular in reference to Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. They lived their creative lives exactly as they wanted: with purpose, without any hindrance, and on their own time line. They knew to take time out for frivolity and the occasional distraction. It helps to feed creativity.
Ergo, stay loose and you'll get the artistic juice!
Oooh, thanks for the rec!
Thanks, Ed! That book sounds amazing, I'll check it out and report back. Speaking of juice, I can't stop thinking about doing a Portland area Substack meet up at a bar or someplace.
If it involves a tasty brew or well made vino, count me in!
Totally agree Ed!!! Just focus on whatever it is that you're doing instead of how well you're doing it, how you're perceived while you're doing it, what might happen next... ignore all that just focus on what you're doing like a kid who just enjoys coloring for the sake of coloring.
Jason, I love this. I’m in the process of reenvisioning my Substack--new name, new focus--in a way that’s much weirder and truer to who I am. I have the same worries. I worry that my “pretensions” will have me wandering alone in the desert, too insufferable for human company. But I don’t want to chop bits of myself off anymore to look normal and seem like a good person to hang out with.
Thank you. You’re good medicine.
I'm excited to see what you do with your Substack! That's exactly how I feel, I'm done parceling out parts of myself, only showing the socially-acceptable bits when all I want to do is grab a stranger and tell them about some fantastic ancient Chinese poem I just understood for the first time.
Thank you! (And a world where strangers suddenly enthuse in my direction about ancient Chinese poems is a world I totally endorse)
Love this!!!!! I too am allergic to pretentious hypocrisy hoity-toity know-it-all attitudes and hope to heck that I don't come across that way. And yet at the same time I know I can't control how others perceive me. So I'm with you on walking along the river, reading novels late into the night, having wine and laughter with friends.... bravo to your walk!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚
You my friend are one of the least pretentious seeming people in the world! I'm glad to be part of the same community as you. You are right that I can't control how other view me and worrying about it is a slow poison for my soul. Yes to living an unconventional life of whimsy!
So kind of you to say that!!! Thank you!! And I am deeply honored to be part of the same community as you are!!! I'm glad I know you and that I got to meet you in person recently!!! Let's stay close to the things and people who inspire us to be glad we're alive!!! Yes, yes, YES to living an unconventional life of whimsy ... and beauty and love!!! 💚💚
A wise man once said, every time you speak the truth, you'll feel yourself stronger. Any time you don't, are somehow fraudulent, deceptive of 'pretentious', you will feel weaker, smaller. Pretension is literally debilitating, mentally and spiritually. It takes a capacity for self-reflection to detect this in oneself and find the correct path. The path you have chosen, of an artist, is to speak the truth. You can only grow stronger that way.
That's profoundly beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. Speaking the truth is the only way.
Reading your piece gave me such a comforting feeling! It's ok to be who (and how) we are. It's better than ok. It's the only way most days. ☺️
I'm so happy that this resonated with you! Somedays it's a little easier to be who I am than others, but I enjoy practicing
Yes, definitely some days are harder to keep up but it's worth it.
To me, the artist's "way of being in the world" is living (when I can) with all my senses and my heart wide open. The pushback I get from the internal voices of my wounded self/wounded family leans more toward "lazy, unproductive, self-indulgent" than "pretentious asshole," but it's not that big a difference, is it?
Worth it, though, to hear when a river is calling you and to answer the call.
I think you hit the mark perfectly. Living life will my senses and my heart wide open is the way I'm working on living.
When I'm able to remember
that too often we saddle our present and our future with our emotional judgement about the past... then we let that get in the way of using our senses, having an open heart and being here now.... when I'm able to remember that my heart can be more open to the moment. That's one way I'm working on living with my senses open to the moment. It's a challenge sometimes but i feel better when I remember to be here now, relax, no judgements
What's so pretentious about taking a hike along the river, gathering ideas from your work, perhaps producing some along the way? For pete's sake. Pretentious is when an "artist" behaves in a manner where they put themselves above all of us philistines and hacks. That's pretentious! So go ahead and walk along the Williamette ... dammit!
Thanks, Sue 😂
Inspiring, per usual! It was only at the beginning of this year that I began to refer to myself as "a (pretentious) poet" when people ask me that most hated question, "What do you do?" I've considered myself a poet for some time now, years, in fact. But I was always waaayyyyyyyyyy toooooooooooooo afraid to admit such a truth. Then, I began (finally) reading Robert Graves' "The White Goddess." As I cracked it open, after a pretty rough week--perhaps this was why I was a bit more emotional that day as I sat having a beer at my local bar--I read this, "If you are poets, you will realize that the acceptance of my historical thesis commits you to a confession of disloyalty which you will be loth to make; you chose your jobs because they provide you with a steady income and leisure to render the Goddess, whom you adore, valuable part-time service. Who am I, you will ask, to warn you that she demands either whole-time service or none at all... I do not even know that you are serious in your poetic profession." Sitting at the bar after reading this, I began to cry. I then said out-loud, roughly to myself, "I am a poet." Though, admittedly, still part-time, Mr Graves, but I'm working on it! That same tearful day at the bar, I later asked a stranger, for the first time, if I could read a poem to him that I just wrote, a remix of a Welsh poem about a wily fox named, Reynard. He graciously obliged me, but with a truly puzzled look upon his weathered face. I read my poem, a rather good one if may dare to say, and much to my great surprise, this random guy at the bar with just a few kind and honest words, sent me down a path to where I now sit here rambling on about a moment so small in the grand scheme, but a moment so utterly life-giving that now each day I feel as if it is anew.
Thank you for sharing that tender moment. I would love to hear a remix poem about Reynard! Openly admitting one is a poet is tough, and something I still struggle with. One recent turning point for me was when I attended Sue Clancy's gallery opening reception. The only people I knew there know me from Substack, and so I was introduced around as a poet and artist. Nobody else had ever introduced me that way before. It felt almost overwhelming while also feeling right. Sue shared a few pages of one of my books with another of the attendees and the woman gasped, out her hand to her chest and said, "Sunset pilgrim, how beautiful." I'm tearing up right now sharing this. In that moment I first believed that I was a poet. Odd how we often need strangers to help us accept the truth about ourselves--or maybe that's just me
What a wonderful experience! I pray it continues, as it's very much deserved. And, you are most definitely a poet, and an artist, nay, a creator (poiesis!) as true artists articulate the struggles big and small, the daily sufferings that we all experience, and make them into something instantly relatable, artistically beautiful, even, hopefully transcendent! Poets attempt, at least in my own personal estimation, to find what heals themselves, articulating (creating) life where it previously was not, and then, god willing, and in some coherent manner, give that spark of life away so that it might flourish ever more amongst others. I see this in your work. Therefore, my thesis, you are a poet.
Thank you! By your own standards you are also very much a poet. Keep the poems coming!
How beautiful that you chose the way of the artist! Thank you for sharing. (Not pretentious or asshole-y!)
Thanks for reading! (And for reassuring me that I'm not pretentious or asshole-y, I need that from time to time)
❤️
I Appricate your honesty and sincerity in this post, thanks.
Thanks for reading!