013 - Why Does Lindsey Buckingham Play?

I listened to him and I realised something clearer than I had before

Fleetwood Mac

I listened to him and I realised something clearer than I had before

Welcome to the Editor’s Journal; A daily thought on writing, the creative process, art, work, the world and how it all goes together. Every morning I rise between 5 and 6 am, I sit here in the quiet of my kitchen and I write whatever’s prominent. I have a bunch of article ideas saved, so I’ll either pull from them or write something new. I also write at larrygmaguire.com. I hope you enjoy the read.

I’m sitting on the bus on my way home from work.

I’ve my earphones in my ears. You know the ones, they come with the iPhone and never fit right. I dig Apple products but their earphones are really shitty.

I had a set of Sennheiser bud earphones which were great, but they went for a hop so I’m resorted to using these crappy ones.

My music is on shuffle because I like surprises.

Fleetwood Mac, Looking Out For Love comes on and I listen to Lindsey Buckingham play guitar. He is an amazing guitarist, and I wonder to myself;

Did he start playing to be the best or did he start because he loved it?

Was he compelled to play?

Why did he start?

Then of course my mind went on to all musicians, writers and artists everywhere.

Do writers write for fame and notoriety?

Do painters paint to sell a piece for 50 grand?

Do musicians write music to play to arenas of 50 thousand people?

The Artist’s Manifesto is a short book about staying true to our art. It is a call to Artists and Creatives like you to create from the heart with passion and integrity, disregarding the need for applause and recognition. It’s available from 13th May 2017. Grab your FREE copy here.

The Cart Before The Horse

Of course recognition from peers and the public is nice. In fact, not only is it nice, it is an essential part of the creative process.

We make something or write something from the heart, then other people get enjoyment from it and fund our artistic endeavour by buying our shit.

That’s how it should be.

But often we get lost, we get all mixed up about how this thing works.

We get hypnotised by the lure of bright shiny things and fall foul to commercialism. We naively put the cart before the horse.

We make success important.

With many of us it’s subtle, maybe we even shy away from openly admitting it, but deep inside our minds we have made the results important. We ask ourselves;

I’m doing this a long time, I wonder when it’s going to happen for me?

The seeking of applause and recognition becomes the driving force.

The tail is now wagging the dog.

Why This Fails To Work

All there is, is now.

There’s never a time when it’s not now, and never will be.

Clocks, calendars and stuff exist, sure, and they help make our engagement with each other here consistent. Just like sign posts, maps, menus and that kind of thing; time is a convenience.

Time stands for something. It is an agreed representation of reality, but it’s not reality.

Does Quantum “Theory” Prove That Time Does Not Exist?
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Too many of us try to be, and create in a future place that doesn’t exist in our reality. We are, from a psychological perspective, trying to create form outside ourselves.

We can never get it from there.

All beautiful things come from the inside, from that quiet place. It’s the small voice that calls us there but often we don’t listen. We listen to the outside world.

To podcasts and radio shows, we watch TV and movies. We read blog posts from ‘productivity experts’ about how to be successful. We buy courses about how to make it in business and life.

We fall foul to the world of promises from other people who believe they’ve found the secret. And we spend a lifetime chasing ghosts.

Why He Plays

I don’t know the guy, I’ve never met him, but it’s my guess he plays because he wants to. He must have started playing for the love of it, and although fame and fortune came his way it couldn’t have been the driver.

It couldn’t have been the driver because when you play like that you need to be in it. You can’t create stuff of that kind of originality and quality if you’re outside your own mind.

So then it appears obvious.

We’ve got to get to the wheel and spin it, every, single, day. We’ve got to create for the sake of creating.

That’s how I see it in any case.

The Artist’s Manifesto is a short book about staying true to our art. It is a call to Artists and Creatives like you to create from the heart with passion and integrity, disregarding the need for applause and recognition. It’s available from 13th May 2017. Grab your FREE copy here.

Like Some More of This Kind of Thing?

Howdy, I’m Larry, Writer & Artist. Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff. I write about art & creativity. When I’m not doing that I write short stories about the ordinary lives of people and the challenges they face. My stuff can be edgy, hard hitting, and sometimes controversial, but never contrived. If that’s your bag you can Sign-up To Sunday Letters Here.