Wild abandon should be encouraged

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being yourself, change, control, creative process, dreams coming true, express feelings, fear, goals, higher power, inspire, Jane Butler, Jane Paffenbarger Butler, joy, passion, Steve Jobs, Steven Spielberg, teacher, Tom Hanks, wild abandon

There was a time when I lusted after the kind of life Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have, you know, all that creative freedom to do whatever they want artistically. It seems to me that nothing holds them back. To me it looks like they make the kinds of movies they want whether they are silly or serious, and nothing keeps them from being able to dream up cool ideas to present to us. Steve Jobs was like this too. I used to think, wouldn’t that be great to be able to do that every day? Anything you wanted.

I have read biographies of Spielberg and Jobs so I am aware it is not really that easy. They both have had hurdles to jump over and challenges to face just like any of us. But the thing that struck me out of the blue one day, about this dream of mine, is that creative freedom is literally free. Steven Spielberg needs no one other than himself to grant permission to plow ahead with the crazy and exciting ideas he has. He gets to do it because he allows himself. Sure he has lots of support from folks who help him execute his ideas, but before he had all that he plowed ahead anyway.

Is there someone out there preventing me from being as creative as I want? To say what I want to say?

Well, just myself.

Turns out I have as much creative freedom as my idols. But it is up to me to be brave enough to share my creations with the world, and that’s what makes the difference.

Creating great things instead of making money

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being yourself, biography, creativity, dreams coming true, goals, inspire, joy, natural talent, parents, Steve Jobs

Even though he made lots of money in the end, according to the biography I am reading now, Steve Jobs says he had a “…sense of what was important – creating great things instead of making money…”.

I love this idea, and it fits perfectly with my focus as a parent. My eyes have been on helping my kids be creative, and on helping them become themselves, and not on the typical competitive ideas of trying to be better than others.

When my kids were little we reinforced ideas that defined who each child was rather than what might make him presumably better than someone else. Even as a child Emmett was bookish, intellectual and deliberate, Andrew, physically coordinated, daring and funny, and our girl athletic, curious and with a great sense of humor. Our kids came with this stuff and we just help nurture it. As they get older we encourage them to further develop these gifts, and not so they can make more money by being better, but so they can be more themselves and feel free to create whatever they can with the gifts they have been given.

I love it that Steve Jobs, known for being a difficult man but a great innovator, points out the value of creativity over competition. It rings a bell with me because fostering creativity might be the goal of any parent, not creating a child who will be financially above the crowd. Best grades, best in class, best school, best job….that stuff can happen incidentally if you focus on helping your kids be who they are, not on beating out others.

Live, human, non-caloric comfort

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being yourself, brownies, Catherine the Great, comfort, Diane Keaton, dreams coming true, express feelings, friends, high-fat food, joy, Nook, potato chips, Steve Jobs, Tina Fey, Vincent Van Gogh

Today as I put potato chips in my mouth I said to myself, “I am eating this as comfort food. To comfort myself. Maybe I’ll get brownies next.” So rather than locate live, human, non-caloric comfort I opted for a shiny foil bag that crackles in response when you address it by hand. The live, human, non-caloric kind of comfort is not so easy to locate all the time, and especially if you’ve requested it extensively for weeks on end while sitting on your rear on the couch while others do the work of life.

Not looking to complain about having my foot repaired so I may dance with my man again, but it is kind of a long haul. Today my neighbor turned in my Nook at the library for me, just as I was enjoying a great book on Vincent Van Gogh. Since you cannot renew the Nook, and I’d wasted time on Tina Fey’s Bossypants, and a bit of Diane Keaton’s memoir, and even some of a WWII story, all also loaded onto this particular biography Nook, I didn’t finish Vincent’s tale. I would have gladly learned about Catherine the Great, and Steve Jobs, too, if only they’d let me renew the thing. My neighbors are great, and someone will go get me another Nook when my turns comes up again.

So while I wait for human comfort, or sooner, nonhuman, non-caloric, parchment-style comfort, I will enjoy the immediate power of high-fat food.