One quick note: you’ll hear me reference my college office—that’s because I wrote the book while I was still a college professor.

* * *

U is for Unfinished

All around the world, in homes, offices, and studios, there are unfinished works of art that will never see the light of day. Does one of them belong to you?

When I’m sitting in my office, I see lots of great art. On the wall to my right are movie posters for two of my favorite films, Citizen Kane and The Searchers. On the wall to the left, there is a print of Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Return of the Prodigal Son.

On the bookshelf beside me are models for some of my favorite vehicles, including the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future, and the Mach 5 from Speed Racer. The bookshelves behind me hold hundreds of books and DVDs. The iPhone on my desk contains hundreds of songs, dozens of podcast episodes, and a few dozen apps.

And the MacBook Pro I’m using to write this book is also a work of art!

All these items were created by people who finished their work. These products and works of art began as ideas in someone’s mind, but they didn’t stay that way. Their creators worked on the concepts (usually collaborating with others) and the ideas began to take shape. But most important, they finished their work.

This is where it’s easy to get sidetracked. You have a great idea, you start to work on it, and you build momentum. You might even share it with a few people. But then as you work on it, you start to lose steam. Life gets busy, you lose focus, and you don’t finish your work.

Sometimes our work ends up like the movie Superman Lives. You say you’ve never heard of this movie? That’s because it was never finished.

In the 1990s, the Warner Bros. studio decided to resurrect the Superman franchise. They cycled through a few directors before landing on Tim Burton, who had given the studio great success, particularly with 1989’s Batman and its sequel, Batman Returns. Screenwriters worked on several drafts of a script. Production staff worked on sets and special effects. Nicholas Cage was cast as Superman and filmed screen tests with the redesigned costume.

But after years of development and endless problems, the studio shut down production. A great deal of time and energy, not to mention millions of dollars, went down the drain and Superman Lives was never finished. What could have been one of the most interesting movies from the 1990s ended up as just another “might have been.”

Everyone has a “might have been” story. It may not be a big Hollywood movie, but I’ll bet you’ve started something you’d love to finish. It might be a book, a piece of music, a painting, or something you’re building or making with your hands. You want to finish it, but you just can’t seem to find the time.

In the bottom of someone’s desk drawer, there is an Oscar-winning screenplay. It just needs to be finished.

On someone’s hard drive, there is a New York Times best-selling novel. It just needs to be finished.

In someone’s closet, there is a painting worthy of display in a gallery. It just needs to be finished.

On someone’s college transcript, there is a degree listed with most of the required classes already taken. The degree could open doors and unlock someone’s potential. It just needs to be finished.

In someone’s journal, tucked away on a bookshelf, are sketches that could be the basis for a comic strip or an animated movie. They just need to be finished.

On someone’s sketchpad are drawings for a remodeled kitchen, basement, or treehouse. They just need to be finished.

On someone’s CDs or hard drive are rough demos of Grammy-winning songs. They just need to be finished.

Is that someone you?

If so, what can you do to turn your “might have beens” into reality?

What creative art do you still have unfinished?

The post U is for Unfinished – Excerpt from “The Artist’s Suitcase” appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

* * *

B is for Blank Page

The blank page represents the space where you create your art. It can be a computer, studio, canvas, or a literal blank page. When you look behind the page, you’ll see two creatures: the Monster and the Muse.

First, there is the Monster. The Monster feeds on fear and likes to taunt you with these kinds of thoughts:

This won’t be any good.

Nobody likes what you’re doing.

You’ll never be a real artist.

When are you going to give up these silly dreams?

Every time you think about quitting, you feed the Monster. Every time you tell yourself your art doesn’t matter, you feed the Monster. Every time you listen to the naysayers and the doubters, you feed the Monster. Every time you let your dreams slip out the back door of your life, you feed the Monster.

Steven Pressfield calls this force “Resistance.” In his landmark book, The War of Art, he writes, “Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed it with power by our fear of it.”  The Monster feeds on fear, and you must starve it to death.

But there is also the Muse. The Muse is a magical creature that brings out the best in you. The Muse speaks words of life, hope, and beauty:

You were born for this.

You’re making a difference in people’s lives.

There are people who love what you’re doing.

You have amazing potential.

The Muse feeds on faith and it is the wellspring of creativity within you. (As a person of faith, I believe God has an awful lot to do with this.) The Muse gives you the power to inspire, teach, and bless others.

Every time you pick up your pen or paintbrush, you feed the Muse. Every time you put your head down and do the work, you feed the Muse. Every time you improve your skills, you feed the Muse. Every time you serve someone with your art, you feed the Muse.

Look behind every blank page and you’ll find the Monster and the Muse. One feeds on fear. The other feeds on faith.

Which one will you feed?

The post B is for Blank Page – Excerpt from “The Artist’s Suitcase” appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

On today’s episode, I share wins from the Daily Writer Community and share a chapter from my book The Artist’s Suitcase: 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey. The excerpt is below.

*  *  *

“U is for Unfinished”

All around the world, in homes, offices, and studios, there are unfinished works of art that will never see the light of day. Does one of them belong to you?

When I’m sitting in my college office, I see lots of great art. On the wall to my right are movie posters for two of my favorite films, Citizen Kane and The Searchers. On the wall to the left there is a print of Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Return of the Prodigal Son.

On the bookshelf beside me are models for some of my favorite vehicles, including the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, and the Mach 5 from Speed Racer.

The bookshelves behind me hold hundreds of books and DVD’s. The iPhone on my desk contains hundreds of songs, dozens of podcast episodes, and a few dozen apps.

And the MacBook I’m using to write this book on is a work of art in itself too.

All these items were created by people who finished their work. These products and works of art began as ideas in someone’s mind, but they didn’t stay that way. Their creators worked on the concepts (usually collaborating with others) and the ideas began to take shape. But most important, they finished their work.

This is where it’s easy to get sidetracked. You have a great idea, you start to work on it, and you build momentum. You might even share it with a few people. But then as you work on it, you start to lose steam. Life gets busy, you lose focus, and you don’t finish your work.

Sometimes our work ends up like the movie Superman Lives. You say you’ve never heard of this movie? That’s because it was never made.

In the 1990’s, Warner Bros. decided to resurrect the Superman franchise. They cycled through a few directors before landing on Tim Burton, who had given the studio great success with his Batman movies.

Screenwriters worked on several drafts of a script. Production staff worked on sets and special effects. Nicholas Cage was cast as the Superman and filmed screen tests with the redesigned costume.

But after years of development and endless problems, the studio shut down production. A great deal of time and energy, not to mention millions of dollars, went down the drain and Superman Lives was never finished. What could have been one of the most interesting movies from the 1990’s ended up as just another “might have been.”

Everyone has a “might have been” story. It may not be a big Hollywood movie, but I’ll bet you’ve started something you’d love to finish. It might be a book, a piece of music, a painting, or something you’re building or making with your hands. You want to finish it, but you just can’t seem to find the time.

In the bottom of someone’s desk drawer, there is an Oscar-winning screenplay. It just needs to be finished.

On someone’s hard drive, there is a life-changing novel. It just needs to be finished.

In someone’s closet, there is a painting worthy of display in a gallery. It just needs to be finished.

On someone’s college transcript, there is a degree listed with most of the required classes already taken. The degree could open doors and unlock someone’s potential. It just needs to be finished.

In someone’s journal, tucked away on a bookshelf, are sketches that could be the basis for a comic strip or an animated movie. They just need to be finished.

On someone’s sketchpad are drawings for a remodeled kitchen, basement, or treehouse. They just need to be finished.

On someone’s CD’s or hard drive are rough demos of Grammy-winning songs. They just need to be finished.

Is that someone you?

If so, what can you do to turn your “might have beens” into reality?

What creative art do you still have unfinished?

Connect with Kent:

https://DailyWriterLife.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders

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The post Finish the Work: An Excerpt from The Artist’s Suitcase appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.