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Apr 4, 2016

NARRATIVE…

This is an Ultralight Beam, This is a God Dream: Restraint vs. Constraint

Posted on 02/16/2016 by Brent A. Velting

Restraint is defined as, “a measure or condition that keeps someone or something under control or within limits.” It is performed upon something or someone. Restraint is what we did to millions of Africans in ships of squalor, and stables meant for animals, for generations. But this is not a race post. This is a human post.

CONstraint is defined as “a limitation or restriction:” or what Kanye West seems unable to do to his own mouth. If you like, we can make the momentary distinction that a RESTRAINT is physical in nature and PLACED UPON someone or something, where as, for our purposes, lets think of a CONSTRAINT as either a barrier or a mindful habit of thought. A habit that has been honed after years of practice. Constraint, for our purposes, will be productive, whereas RESTRAINTS are something to be removed or escaped from in a physical realm.

Don’t Google restraint. Don’t research our temporary terms too hard lol. Stock images from the internet in 2016 on “restraint” are not intended for the same demographic as my friends and family. I’m a firm believer in “constraining” ones self as far as lifestyle and health are concerned. Having “restraint” performed upon you, is a different conversation and subject. We aren’t having an autonomy conversation here.

So heres what I would like to attempt to do. I’d like to write. about the creative process. I want to hash out why we learn to create and why it seems to be a fully human endeavor. Plants and animals survive, but man creates. As Kanye suggests “this is an ultralight beam, this is a god dream.” We are performing a God act in our creating. Our beings are meant to create.

There seems to be this false sense that amateurs retain during their training and education that they need to put off if they seek to create for a larger purpose (i.e. informing, edifying, moving, or generally garnering attention. ) My friend Mike (made up name to protect his anonymity) brought the subject up to me last week and I haven’t been able to completely process through it. So I’m hoping writing it down will help. I promise to edit thoroughly to save you guys some cringes and thoughts of “oh thats a shame that he writes like a 5th grader.”

My argument or conversation with Mike was one of rhetorical miscommunication and phrasing. He suggested after reading a few of my pieces that my problem lied in vision and CONstraint. I hadn’t answered the question of WHY I was writing and therefore didn’t understand the proper CONstraints that that WHY question brought to my form of creating and communicating.

What I heard Mike say was very different from what he had meant for me to hear. I believed him to be questioning my ability to create in general. What I heard when I first read his critique was, “How gently can I suggest you just write for yourself?” or “A Blog?! SERIOUSLY?!? In 2016? A Blog? Do you have a time machine to go back to 2002?! Are there still ‘blog’ sites?! Please don’t deal with existential wondering by pretending other people give a S@#t! GET OVER YOURSELF!”

Point taken Mike! Nothing like constructive feedback! I’ll certainly take that under consideration while I curl up here in a fetal position and suck my real/imagined thumb. WHO AM I!? WHY GOD?! WHYYYYYYYYYYY!!!???

Totally kidding. Don’t get me wrong, some of those things may have been in Mike’s message, but discouraging or questioning my purpose in general was not Mike’s intent. I see now that his aim was simply for me to question. To hold myself accountable to a purpose. I had heard “RESTRAIN” yourself from forcing incoherent babble onto those you care about, but Mike was simply trying to say, “CONSTRAIN” yourself. In order to communicate clearly and build a message worth sharing, constrain your technique and edit your work. Amateurs believe that they are NATURALS. I certainly believe myself to be a mixture of Hunter S. Thompson, the Olson twins from Full House. and Axl Rose (circa 1991.) God’s voice speweth from our pens! Technique was built into our very DNA!!

Lets all bow our heads and shake them collectively in disappointment. And we stated in unison, “Dear Brent, you ain’t no artist. You just like that pastor you spit vitriol at in your last post. You a wondering spirit who needs a lighthouse. Sheeeeeeeeeeit.”

What professional artists understand as a foundation to their work is that great communication and “creating” are EARNED. Attention to craft and message are seldom given to rank amateurs. Malcolm Gladwell believes in the 10,000 hour rule, by which he means every artist must log 10,000 hours of practice before their talent starts to become a craft or art. Michael Jordan arrived at the gym well before his team did, and he left the floor well after the team was in the showers. This takes work. It takes more work than 99% of people are willing to give. And it is no picnic. You may find yourself at a podium during your hall of fame induction speech, being maligned and hated by people who would have preferred you fostered your social skills for an hour a week rather than spending 90 hours on your craft. They certainly seem to have a valid point. This is exactly what happened to Jordan. It can be a lonely process. And you are going to make big mistakes and sacrifice in places you perhaps shouldn’t sacrifice. But we revere tunnel vision. Greatness is not given, and seldom few will be remembered.

My hope is that there is a happy medium. I want to care for my wife and family above and beyond a craft or art. They are God/My/My partner’s creation, and I hope to put 10,000 hours plus into each and every one of them.

But I’ve been given a separate talent as well. I’d like to honor that. Talent must exist before the creative process is fostered, however, cultivating that talent into a communicative tool is all about time and discipline. This is a difficult road, and likely won’t pay very well. But, “this is an ultralight beam, this is a God dream:”

We foster talents in order to bring God to earth.

We build up our voices to become worthy of being his voice. We study humility and honor in order to be humble in the sight of him who created the creators. We communicate to spread love and draw creation back to its unified self. I hope my 10,000 hours with my children communicates this fact: you build up yourself and your voices in order for the creator to create through you.

We are cup bearers.

So as I write, and as I ask for your thoughts, hold me to a standard of refining a craft that seeks truth, beauty, honesty, and goodness. May Plato, Socrates, Marilynn Robinson, J.D. Salinger and Shakespeare look down in grotesque discomfort with the thought, “oh thats a shame he writes like a 5th grader.”

Grace and Peace to you always.

Brent Velting

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