A moment of zen from The Enliven Guy…hopefully
To my select subscribers (aka – the 6 marvelous folks who have chosen to follow this fledgling blog), I am sorry for my brief absence. Did your heart grow fonder for The Enliven Guy? I hope so! 🙂
Guess what!? Guess what!? I have been writing again. I don’t mean blogging, I mean I have rediscovered my passion for story, for screenplay, for so much more! It is a truly amazing feeling to have lost sight of your passions only to discover them again. In a single, ordinary moment, when inspiration strikes and your brain lights up and you realize that the power still resides within you to pursue your passions, you discover that your connection to the creative spirit – while it may seem tenuous – is, in fact, perpetual. It’s about letting it in. It’s about opening up. It’s about believing in your self. What an amazing feeling. It’s sort of like this:
I had lost my marbles. I had lost’em good! But now they’re found again. I know there is always a chance that the fog that obscures my talents might return but I take great comfort in the realization that a fog is never permanent. The winds of change may bring the fog from time to time but they will also lift it away.
I wish, for all of you, that you may tap into your power. We all have a connection to what I call the Creative Spirit. I don’t see creativity as a trait that only artists posses; I see it as an innate human ability to innovate or, as the Marines would say, to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Semper Fidelis. I hope that all of you can remain always faithful in your ability to transcend those trials and tribulations that come with living and surviving in this modern society. Those tribulations do not define you. The Human Condition does not define us, we define it. Each and every one of us is capable of awe inspiring things and we must never doubt that fact. We must not lose sight of it. I have a new weapon in my arsenal for the battle against self-doubt and while it is nothing more than an idea, it is, perhaps, the most important idea of them all: I have the power! And so do you.
Thanks again to my readers, supporters, friends and family. Each and every one of you is a tributary that feeds the river of my soul. Oh and by the way: my epiphany (or is it an apostrophe?) tonight was ignited as I watched Birdman. It is truly one of the most incredible films I have ever seen and if you want to talk about it, or about the ideas in this blog post, or about anything at all please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. And to all you salivating foodies out there: not to worry, more fun, food and fitness is coming soon to a blog near you. If you want to support my efforts please subscribe to me, tweet to me, sing to me.
I will leave you with one last ancient pop culture reference since I am a big old dork like that:
I mean, come on, how awesome was that!?
Peace and love to you all. Thanks for reading.
The Enliven Guy 
wondered where you were…glad to hear your voice again….what is birdman about. I don’t even know that…
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Birdman was this year’s Best Picture and it is about a disillusioned old movie star trying to revive his acting career with his own Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver novel. It also won for best original screenplay and best cinematography and when you watch it, it is obvious why it was so lauded. The movie itself was more of the catalyst behind the inspiration I speak of in this post. We were taking a bathroom break and I was standing outside when I noticed a creepy, moonlit shadow on the wall. That was the moment when I had my first original story idea in quite sometime so it was quite a meaningful moment for me. Birdman made me realize how much I love movie making. Just a warning for when you watch it: it is very intense due to the fact that it is shot and edited in such a way that the entire movie seems like one continuous shot. Check it out and let me know what you think.
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This is a blog to keep in your toolbox. In the Tower of Babel that we live in…these words are useful and inspiring.
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Was getting a little worried. Glad you have been spending that time finding peace , rediscovering your passion for writing and creativity. Without creativity our world and life would be empty. We should all be living for our passions and our creativity. Looking forward to your next creative blog or play.
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Thanks Patty. Such a good point you make about a world without creativity. What the heck would that look like? Pretty bleak I think. Actually I doubt I would be sitting here typing away on my computing machine were it not for creativity. It is so very integral to what it means to be human and alive. Thanks for the comment. Peace and love to you.
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Ryan, For crap’s sake. You are so obviously a creative writer! Today’s blog is so articulate and inventively descriptive. A frog!? I guess I haven’t ever heard from you on this level. Your words came from a good place in your mind, but they sort of burst into my mind. Keep it up, I want to read as often as you are willing.
I told your dad Birdman blew my mind. Such a rare treat. I’ve always loved Michael Keaton. Did you see him in 1980’s or 90’s version of “much ado about nothing”? He’s a screen presence you can’t take your eyes off of. His speech in Birdman in the bar with the NY critic was perfect screen writing.
My special creative niche is building rubber band balls. I also love to squirt things off with a hose. Squirting is out right now due to the drought. I’m good at vacuuming, but it’s mindless compared to squirting, so I’m a little frustrated.
I put one too many garlic cloves in my tapenade, other wise it was similar to yours, which was delicious on warm crispy pita bread.
I sent you a prize box.
Gary N
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What compliments you rain upon me good sir. Thank you so very much. (Oh I forgot, no “sirs” allowed. Sorry). It’s no wonder you are such good friends with my father as he too is an avid squirter. That sounds a bit illicit though so I think that “sprayer” may be a more appropriate term. 😛
I’ve always loved Michael Keaton too! He is an incredibly talented actor and my man crush on him began with Batman and continued with Beetleguise, Pacific Heights and more. And, no, I have not seen him in Much Ado About Nothing, that sounds pretty amazing. Was that what the man in the alley was reciting towards the end of Birdman? Did you know that there is a recent adaptation of Much Ado out there? It was done by the venerable Joss Whedon, creater of such wonders as Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the tv series), Angel and my all-time favorite sci-fi show, Firefly. He is also somewhat well known for directing a little film called The Avengers. Anyway, I haven’t seen his adaption all the way through yet but it did seem pretty interesting.
Thanks again for the comment, the subscription and the compliments. Don’t forget to watch out for that raw garlic…it’s a doozy…and if you have a moment please elaborate on your rubber band building. Have you built many? Do you have a huge one? What the hell do you do with them?
Oh and by the way, I suspect your creativity extends well beyond balls and squirts (yes, I know, I couldn’t help it). I know for a fact that you are a deep thinker and that you can conduct a good interview so don’t sell yourself short in those regards. Until next time. Cheers!
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I wanted to like this post, but stupid wordpress makes me register, so I will like this with words. Keep writing.
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“Use your words!” 🙂 Thank you Lisa.
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