“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” ~ HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN
One of my biggest blessings (and greatest curses) is that I’m a detail-oriented superplanner and hyperrealist. Said another way, I’m hardboiled and quite logical, sometimes to a fault.
I’m also a hopeful dreamer with intense creative passions and ambitions.
The combination is uncommon, I think. And potentially dangerous. If I were hell-bent on my art, I might have greater success unleashing the creativity within. If I focused full steam on my anal-retentive capabilities, I might have greater success in business. It’s this dual focus that keeps me grounded in the here and now and simultaneously longing for more.
And therein lies the danger. Can I combine these two sides of myself into a more steadily profitable business venture (that provides financial flexibility perhaps more so than financial security) while also writing an imaginative, funny, dark, and moving novel that steamrolls my creative boundaries? Is this what Thoreau meant when he said, “If you have built castles in the air … put the foundations under them”?
I hope so. Because in 2013 I’m planning to kick asses and take names in the worlds of business and art. I’m tired of playing defense. I’m tired of scrambling to keep up. I’m tired of being tired.
2013, you’re right around the corner. Watch out, cause I’m coming for you.
