Creative Well

After watching Blue Jasmine last night and being totally horrified I got to thinking about Woody Allen. The guy's got not more juice left, nothing more to say, when he's reaching for inspiration, for a story to tell, he's got nothing there to grab. Rich famous people, by necessity, have to become very insular, they don't interact with the world in their own way on their own terms if at all. Because of this I think they lose some artistic ability. It is unfortunate consequence of prolonged artistic success it becomes harder to create art.

This past year Quentin Tarintino said he would retire before he started making bad movies. He said something like- directors who have success continue to make movies after they have lost the ability to make good ones. Spielberg hasn't made a great movie in ten years. Lucas hasn't made a great movie in twenty five years. Tarintino himself hasn't started making bad movies but you can't argue that the movies aren't as good. Like him they've gotten fatter, soft around the edges. There's no as much bite to his movies anymore.

Not to say talented artists can't create good art once they've become successful but it becomes harder. They have to work harder, they have to keep striving to be original, to tell a unique story. Some artists have a deep creative well, some strive to replenish it with life experience or research, but some keep dipping the bucket in the same old shallow swampy well and come up with a bucket of mud and call it art- Allen.

The past week or so I've been feeling it bit off with my performing. I've been feeling a bit gray personally and I can tell it's effected how I perform. My well needs replenishing. You have to recognize those moments and do something about them. Fill the well back up. If you don't you're just going to keep creating the same old thing, keep doing the same thing you've done before, recycling something that's already been recycled- it just comes across boring and sad.

There are some artists who circle around the same couple themes and don't very their style. John Irving one of my favorite authors writes about similar things, has similar themes and plot devices. It works because he attacks each story from a different angle, the characters are vibrant and three dimensional and he usually has something incredibly specific he researches in depth about in preparation for each book(i.e. tattoo culture, red light district in Amsterdam etc.). Stephen King also uses similar themes, tropes, and character types. But his stories are original even if they share some of the same parts. His ideas are fresh if at times the packaging is not.

Everything is about balance As artists we run hot, we run cold and we even out. I think I'm at a point where I am evening out and I hope I'm on the other end of feeling stagnant. But now and again you need to assess and think about what you're putting out. Think about your creative out put. Is it thick or is it thin? Where am I finding my inspiration?