Your energy is a disturbance to my creative process
Two days ago, I submitted my piece for a prestigious international literary award. The writing of the story itself was quite straightforward, and it only took me a day. The idea was not new, but I wanted to present it from a different, hopefully fresh, angle. What took more time was line editing and making the structure and flow work for the plot rather than against it.
I have so much respect for the creative process. Enormous respect. Not only is it complicated for the creator, but also for the audience for whom such craft is intended, the customer, the client, whoever the designated recipient is to consume a product.
Three things are requisites of pre-creation:
- understanding of what you can do, a.k.a. the product
- understanding of the audience, a.k.a. the customer
- understanding of what you want the product to do for the customer
Sometimes, the customer is very clear about what they want: a rattan basket, 30x30x30, painted white. Sometimes, they are not. And the artist tries to predict what would "land."
What I have figured out so far is that there are "critics" who sit on boards of Dewan Kesenian or other boards of similar stature, who have the authority to declare the worthiness of a piece. Much like Michelin stars, the Oscars, and other awards/accolades in creative pursuits.
These critics are usually judges in said literary competitions.
Some competition organisers disclose who they are; some don't.
So what do you do, as a burgeoning line cook at a newly opened single-stall noodle shop, who wants to make something and present it to the Michelin judge you know nothing about? Heck, you don't even know how many there are, or if it's just one random person on a Tuesday with nothing to do.
Obviously, the obvious is coming.
Just do your thing. Make it, submit it, forget about it.
Yeah, sure, that is stoic and all, but when are we going to be able to learn and crack the code of the system if the system itself is... changing and mutating and has no pattern other than the obvious ones?
I guess fact is always the greatest teacher.
If I made it, I will learn what sticks.
If I didn't, I will learn what sticks.
Marching forward.