Embarking on the Hero’s Journey: The Areas of My Experimentation
Joseph Campbell + A.J. Jacobs = the path forward
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It was SUCH a treat getting to talk with A.J Jacobs about life experiments and it has given me a lot to think about over the last few weeks with regard to how to approach experiments here in The Creativity Guild.
To recap, A.J.’s principles include:
You need to be passionate about the area of experimentation
The best experiments improve the world in some way
Experiments should impact multiple aspects of your life
Structure and endpoints make for better experiments and better content
It struck me that year-long experiments are perfect for a monster project like a book, but for an ongoing space like The Creativity Guild, having a time-based endpoint to the creative journey feels limiting. Having done a lot of reflection about where my creative curiosity sits, I don’t want to commit to exploring a single area of creativity in a grand experiment, either.
So here is where I have landed…
Embarking on the Hero’s Journey for Creativity
Steven Pressfield writes a lot (including an entire book!) about the striking similarities between Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and the journey of the artist.
The hero’s journey goes something like this… The hero is cast out. The hero faces countless challenges and adversity, which must be overcome. After many trials, tribulations, and near defeat, the conquering hero returns home, transformed and triumphant.
“The artist's journey is a parallel to the hero's journey in that you and I, the artists-in-embryo, must leave our Ordinary World (the conscious mind) and cross the threshold into the Extraordinary World (the unconscious or superconscious) to find and acquire our golden fleece (the knowledge of, and access to, our gift).” The Artist’s Journey, Steven Pressfield
For artists, Pressfield writes, the gifts the artist returns home with are “the works you will produce.”
This is the journey I have embarked on. I’m not sure I realized I was on this journey when it began, but it is clear to me that I am in the thick of it now. I left my job earlier this year - I cast myself out of my comfortable, secure space. I am exploring unfamiliar territories. I know that there are challenges and obstacles that I need to face and overcome in order to “return home” with the confidence and clarity I am searching for, hopefully bearing the gift of some creative work I have produced.
What does this have to do with A.J. Jacobs and his life of experiments? The experiments are going to be the challenges I must face and must overcome on this journey.
There are SO many areas of creativity that I would like to explore. I want to give myself permission to be fluid and follow this journey wherever it takes me. So I have come up with three initial areas that I’m going to explore and experiment with: writing, comedy, and music.
“The artist discovers herself by the work she produces. Who are you? Dance and find out. Sing and find out. Write and find out.” The Artist’s Journey, Steven Pressfield
That is what I’m going to do!
Challenge #1: Writing
I am REALLY enjoying writing here and for The Creativity Business. I want to do more writing. I want to get better at writing. So much so, that I am going to write a book (!). (More to come on that in future editions…)
I am also really fascinated by the number of companies trying to help writers make a living writing, or helping creators build ecosystems. As someone interested in creativity, content strategy, and content-based business models, I want to play and work in this space. I want to see if I can figure out a model that works for me and others.
So I am going to search for experiments and guidance around writing, author ecosystems, and business models and share it all here in The Creativity Guild.
Challenge #2: Comedy
If you read my first shame-dump of a post about my unfulfilled comedy aspirations and my limited comedic confidence, you’ll not be surprised that I feel the need to experiment with humour. I don’t have an A.J.-esque goal of doing a stand-up set in a stadium or entering Last Comic Standing or anything that grand, but there are so many avenues for comedy to explore - from writing to drawing, from podcasts to video - and I’m excited to play around in several of them.
I can already feel THE CLENCH at putting this in writing. It means I will have to share what I have created here and it kind of terrifies me. What if it isn’t funny? It will be mortifying. However, Pressfield has again influenced my decision to go for it:
“Elite warriors are trained to "run toward the sound of the guns." The artist lives by that principle too. What project terrifies her most? What work is she certain she can never pull off? What role will push her past her limits, take her into places she has never gone? What journey will carry her off the map entirely?” The Artist’s Journey, Steven Pressfield
Challenge #3: Music
I have always loved music. I took piano lessons as a kid. I learned to play acoustic guitar from a couple of awesome Deadheads in university. I have had a guitar in my house ever since and I haplessly strum around irregularly. I have always been curious about music theory, keys, chord progressions, jamming with other people, and songwriting… but I’ve never done it.
I’ve also spent a lot of my career in and around music. From MuchMusic to CBC Radio 3, I had over ten years of amazing behind-the-scenes access to the music world, great live shows, and conversations and relationships with countless artists. It’s been a constant source of fascination and inspiration to me… but I’ve never explored it myself.
What has stopped me? FEAR.
I’m a HORRIBLE singer. I’ve never learned to sing. Singing has been a source of anxiety since I was a kid - I think I still have some buried trauma from having to sing in music class. I did a lot of improv in my twenties, and there were often musical games and scenes. I had equal parts fascination and dread when I had to participate in them - all fear of judgement, failure, and comparison to others.
The big picture around music is this: one of my great creative life regrets to date is that I have never actually played in a band, or played regularly with other musicians. I feel like I am missing out on a magical collaborative creative experience. I recently met with a friend who started a band in his 50s with no musical background at all and it was SO inspiring to hear about his creative journey! (Again, more to come in a future edition…)
Playing music with others sounds like an enormous amount of fun. I feel like I need to put a band together and play music with other people. So I’m going to start doing some music-related experiments. Maybe lessons? Maybe theory? Maybe songwriting? Maybe putting together a jam session? Maybe a band? Maybe I could learn “How To Write One Song” with
???
The Journey Ahead
While these are the areas that make the most sense for me to explore right now, I am also going to do my best to stay open to other opportunities that magically present themselves and to give myself permission to change course if it feels right. I am also very confident that there will be unforeseen challenges on this journey and that I will have to accept them and overcome them.
One final thought from Mr. Pressfield about the challenges on the Artist’s Journey:
“The artist on her journey confronts no foes that are not of her own creation. Her fear is her own. Her vanity. Her need for adulation, for the attention of others, for titillation, for distraction.” The Artist’s Journey, Steven Pressfield
Full disclosure! With the preceding quote in mind, I know one of my toughest jobs on this journey is to be vulnerable and transparent about the state of the journey here in The Creativity Guild. Doing this publicly is a way for Geoff and me to hold ourselves accountable and stay committed, a way for us to meet and share the Artist’s Journey with you, and a way to encourage all of you to reconnect with your creativity and find joy in doing so.
We are not doing this as a vanity project or for adulation and need to stay vigilant on the dangers of succumbing to the “foes of our own creation.”
What is YOUR Artist’s Journey?
So this is where I am headed on my Artist’s Journey. Next time, Geoff is to going to share his Artist’s Journey and his Areas of Experimentation. I can’t wait for you all to read it, because it is a completely different journey than mine and I’m really excited for him 😃
However, Geoff and I are MOST excited about YOUR Artist Journeys! We want to encourage and invite you to start your journey and your experiments with us. We have already heard from many of you, and it’s incredibly inspiring. Novels are being written. Screenplays are being crafted. Podcast ideas are being workshopped. Music-making and painting have restarted after years of neglect. What are you working on? And why are you working on it?
Would you let us know?
If you’re up for it, we’d love to hear if you’re starting a project, trying an A.J. Jacobs-style creativity experiment, or heading off into the wilderness on your journey. We will share updates in future editions in the hopes of building collective momentum, support, and creative output. Drop us a line anytime at geoffandsteve@thecreativityguild.com.
Thanks for joining us. Maybe we can all become a weird little group of explorers like Lord of the Rings or the gang on Scooby Doo? Onwards!