Let’s Get Out of Here

Thousand Words – Or Thirty Minute Essay – No editing the article is written in free-flow – Grammar Nazis can jump the lemming cliff 👺

Let’s Get Out Of Here – Follow the Inner Being

One of my favourite writers is Samantha Crystalcats. She use’s words like knives to cut through a tough meat satire or spread Jersey double cream on a strawberry scone love story. I love talking to Sam about writing. She puts my thought’s into perspective, and this seems to open my mind to greater creative possibilities.

Samantha visited the shop with her son, the actor Alex Marlowe. While Liz and Alex were chatting about crystals, birthdays and university: I took the opportunity to mention I’d removed most of my titles from Kindle. I answered the question ‘why?’ with the truth: ‘Samantha they are crap’, and that ended the conversation on culling the Kindle library.

I asked her opinion:

“Sam, I’m writing a book about my thoughts on sixty years of life. It’s as nasty as mugger with a rusty cut-throat razor. Full of fucks and bastards and as caustic as a soda bath. But do you know? It is the best thing I’ve typed for years’.

Samantha observed: ‘You know when something is good, Ian. As we age, we discover the intuition is a good guide; it’s the advantage of accumulated years. I find accumulated wisdom helps us see the idiots and not care about their opinion or acts: I want to be left alone to do as I please. Write as you like, in the way you choose.’

‘Yes, but it contains ten’s of expletives. And I worry about the readers’.

‘You are not listening to my answer; you wouldn’t be writing in this style unless your creative self wanted to express something from the heart. How do you know you’ll not appeal to a new and more interesting audience? Why not write as you like and in the way you choose?’

Samantha reinforced the first rule of creating artistic work: we must follow the inner self, the output must be an interpretation of our thoughts. There is no doubt in her message: writing or creating from other people’s perspective produces stale work. My friend is right; one has to write from the true-self. Adapting one’s thoughts to please other people will not work.

My notebook is my thought net. One evening the jottings were focussed on success. So deep went the meditations and note-taking I was still awake at three. A realisation was every time I’d made decent money and enjoyed success; my attitude was mean and unforgiving. In fact, during prosperous times, I couldn’t give a fuck about anyone’s opinion. I followed my intuition, even if the conscious mind said ‘no’ I went with the creative idea.

I now see as time slipped by, I’d compromised my creative mind, personality and inner-being and attempted to fit in with social protocols. As a result, my inner-being became unhappy and discordant. Drink and anger became the mask. Those I knew lived with the hell of my weakness and frustrations. In the end, everything collapsed. Is the conclusion it’s better to follow gut feeling than the opinion of others? I’d say from my perspective; the answer is ‘Yes’.

Furthermore, I’m convinced if the inner-being is unhappy, it will sabotage everything we do. It will encourage failure and destruction of relationships, doing anything to free itself from living within situations it hates. Unhappy relationship? Do some people have an affair: Unhappy at work? Fuck it up. Are you dissatisfied with life? Drink and eat yourself to death. There is a memory of a psychiatrist friend telling me most addicts are committing acceptable suicide. And there could be truth in the idea.

It seems to me self discovery is an essential aspect to living a happy and successful life. Another point of happiness is by choosing carefully those chosen as friends and companions. Understanding relationships with people can only work if we understand or know ourselves. I work better with like-minded people

I’d be a poor friend to a drug dealer or addict. There would be no use in me attending a party given by religious sects. Dialogue with a spiritual guru or a disciple will come to nought. Talk to me about media, writing, organising special events, photography and video production, and my inner creative being comes alive. Talk about public events and shows and community-based organisations, and my being becomes a honey bee, gathering ideas to take to a hive of ideas.

I’m convinced individuals who understand their life purpose. And learn the methods needed to attain the goal will be happy. It may take years to fulfil the inner need but climbing the mountain is always more complicated than standing at the summit. And only when the mountain is conquered do we see how arduous the journey. I have always loved photography and creativity; today, these tools are ninety-nine per cent of my income.

When I am putting together a 13000-word show guide for an event we are organising, the skills involved are writing and collating the document. I will print one-thousand guides and take great satisfaction in seeing people reading it during the show. Before the shows, we have produced videos and tens of articles about our Well Being Shows. And I know visitors come through the doors because of my endeavour.

At the event, I will take hundreds of photographs, audio record and video tens of interviews. In the following weeks, this media will be used to promote our future shows. I like to think my creative mind has accomplished a great awareness of the business we have created. Most important is if my inner-being is asked ‘are you happy?’ The inner reply is a feeling of wellbeing and accomplishment.