True Grist
My wife and I have been rewatching Seinfeld lately.
While doing so, I’ve been reminded of something I really appreciate about comedians: they can take pretty much any experience and turn it into a joke. Even some of the worst stuff can become hilarious when shown in a certain light. There’s a certain magic to that kind of transformation. After all, folks say laughter is the best medicine for good reason.
Likewise, I’ve heard philosophers and theologians express a similar sentiment: that every situation provides an opportunity for work. Food for thought grows out in the open, as it were.
The same holds true for the creative. It’s all grist for the mill.
We don’t have much control over what happens to us, but we can decide how we use it. Every experience—positive, negative, and even the downright strange—can be mixed into our creative pallet and painted onto the canvas of expression.
Nothing needs to be wasted. Nothing.
I find that comforting.
In fact, and I’m not sure why this works, but it’s often the worst things that can lead to some of the most amazing creative results. I’ve certainly seen that happen in my life. Maybe it’s why some of the best songs are the truly heartbreaking ones. There’s an inherent depth to them, growing up from the weighty experiences of life.
The more extreme experiences in life are the ones that wake us up and get us to take notice. They rekindle that inner desire to share our deepest pains and joys with others—to be seen and known.
That isn’t an open invitation to throw caution to the wind and go strolling city streets at ungodly hours, licking public countertops, or leaping before looking. Troubles and trials finds us all eventually. No need to go looking.
But we can take heart in knowing that on the other side of the trouble, or even in the smack dab middle of it, there’s a gem to be unearthed.
When we discover the meaning of each moment, when we’re mindful enough and brave enough to hold those moments up to the light of observation, something magic happens. We’re given a new brush to paint with, new notes to sing, and new words with which to speak. Life becomes a little more wonderful.