There’s a scene in my novel Radiant Shimmering Light where the protagonist Lilian, an artist, drops important obligations to go to the beach and make a sculpture.
Is Lilian unwell? Is her art any good? These questions rumble beneath the scene.
Lilian feels consumed by her creativity on the beach. It’s the only important thing – her connection to the sand, the ocean and the image alive in her mind and body as she creates.
I never say if the sculpture is good or not, if Lilian is well or unwell. I only describe how she feels when she’s working and what some random observers say when they see her.
She’s making art. She feels amazing.
A year after I wrote this scene, I watched a video of Yayoi Kusama singing in a wavering voice, wearing a bright red wig, two black eyebrows drawn high on her face. Standing amid her infinite pink and black polka dots, I began to cry.
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Like many writers, I began teaching to earn money. My first students gathered in my living room. Eventually, I moved my classroom online and grew it into a small business.
I teach writers how to access creative flow, how to give themselves over to it – how to not be afraid of losing control on the page. I learn from writers as I mentor them and our relationships evolve over the years. I have a bookshelf devoted to books authored by those I’ve taught and my students have started to mentor new writers. My school has grown into an international community.
None of this feels like it belongs in the market economy either. Yet earning my own money makes me feel legitimate and worthy. I don’t have children. If I’m not a mother, and I don’t make anything that can be sold, it’s hard to show proof of my value.
Running a business led me to study marketing and branding, especially the work of Seth Godin and Bernadette Jiwa, who root their philosophy in empathy. My novel explores these themes – I researched while I wrote and continued to run my small business.
Marketing is persuasive; art is generous. Art does not have to provide any answers.
Marketing is persuasive; art is generous. Art does not have to provide any answers. For marketing to work, it must state the problem then give a solution. The price tag goes on that solution.
In my novel, Lilian takes an unconventional marketing job – its rewards are clear. She makes money for the brand and for herself. This is seductive; Lilian has never been solvent before. But as she becomes more productive and makes more money, she begins to unravel.
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Cultivating work-life balance is confusing for an artist. Is your art practice part of ‘work’ or ‘life’? The dilemma for an artist is: how do you let yourself lose control in your art practice, while maintaining financial solvency and mental well-being?
Harm reduction is a controversial health strategy that aims to reduce the problematic effects of substance abuse. Opponents fear that it makes it easier for people to participate in dangerous behaviour. Proponents believe that since there are people who aren’t ready, willing or able to abstain from dangerous behaviour, reducing harm is a way to help.
How do you let yourself lose control in your art practice, while maintaining financial solvency and mental well-being?
For artists who need to make a living, I propose thinking about capitalism this way. What we’ve internalised doesn’t always serve us well – the system is flawed. But we can’t entirely abstain from the market economy. We need a home, transportation, clothes, food. And we want to feel like we are a valuable part of society.
Ursula K. LeGuin wrote, ‘It’s up to authors to spark the imagination of their readers and help them envision alternatives to how we live.’ I take that responsibility seriously in my writing.
In Radiant Shimmering Light, Lilian finds her way through the artist’s dilemma in her own unconventional style. I’ve written a hopeful book; I have faith in creative energy.
Still, I use marketing and branding to build my business. It’s a way for me to make a living, be creative and keep my integrity. I’ve created a space for a community of emerging authors, and I want to reach more writers so I can empower them to imagine. We need compelling stories to tell us who we are and who we can be. We need brave writers to make our culture.
I teach my students to live beyond what they think is possible and to make their writing radically honest. While it’s subversive in some ways, I know my business doesn’t transcend the system – yet. But I see a new way for our culture to expand, and it’s glimmering on the horizon already. Our art is going to get us through.
