The Lord of the Rings trilogy starts with these words: “…One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them…”  That ring, the ring of power, was the cause of untold destruction, and also forged heroes out of humble hobbits.  On this episode we’re talking about the One Ring in the Artisan’s Life.  Not the ring of power.  The ring of fear.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Progress Report on My 2019 Word
Random Riffs – Chicken Soup With Rice and Other Rhymes
Feature Segment – One Ring to Rule Them All

Today’s Quote

There must be more to life than having everything.  –Maurice Sendak

Rhythm of Life – Progress Report on my 2019 Word

In Episode 107, I told you that my one word for 2019 is SING.  I thought I’d give you an update on what’s happened since I chose this word.

I participated in a workshop called “The Music in Me”.  It’s for people in a program with Roger Love, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in years.  Here’s a link to the video of me singing there.

Not only that, but I got my heart back in my singing.  Listen to the episode to hear how and maybe why it happened.  And what might happen next.

And know that I understand.  Sometimes it’s hard to have a heart.  Because when you do, you feel more joy…and more pain.  Others can break it.  Yet, if you want to grow as an Artisan, you need your heart in what you do.

So what do you want to do?  The choice is yours.  I know what I’m choosing now.  I hope you do too.

Random Riffs – Chicken Soup With Rice, and Other Rhymes

Right after “polar vortex” which hit much of the upper US, I posted something on Facebook about the book “Chicken Soup With Rice” by Maurice Sendak.

Carole King even wrote a song to the story.  You can find it here on YouTube.

That got me thinking.  What if I could narrate my day using the same rhyming technique?  So I did it.  Listen to the episode to hear my narration using the rhyming pattern of “Chicken Soup With Rice”.

How about you?  Can you narrate your day using the same rhyming pattern?  Leave a comment.

Feature Segment – One Ring to Rule Them All

There’s a poem that starts JRR Tolkien’s trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”.  It speaks to one ring that rules them all.  It’s the ring of power.  It renders the wearer invisible.  If you wear it too many times, you start to fade until you become almost like a walking dead person.  It eventually corrupts the wearer if they wear it too long.

For an Artisan, there’s a ring that has just as much power.  Renders you invisible.  The longer you wear it the more you fade.  And it eventually corrupts your work.  What’s that ring?  Fear.

So many have talked about fear, especially related to creative work.

Elizabeth Gilbert – Big Magic
Steven Pressfield – The War of Art
Julia Cameron – The Artist’s Way

Now it’s important to acknowledge that there’s good fear.  The world is a dangerous place, and fear plays an important role in keeping you safe.

Then there’s the fear that prevents you from doing the creative work you’re called to do.  Don’t forget that you’ve been created in love to create with love.  And yet fear, the one ring to rule them all, can stop you cold.

Being an Artisan requires experimentation.  Comfort with the unknown.  Fear can’t rule there, or you’ll play it too safe.

• Liz Gilbert – put fear in the back seat.
• Steven Pressfield, Julia Cameron, and Seth Godin – make creative work a daily habit. Do the work as a professional.

This is great advice.  And it works for me.  But not forever.  Every so often I just lose it.  I can’t keep going.  Maybe you feel the same way.

People tell us we’re enough.  We have enough to deal with it alone.  Maybe that’s true sometimes.  But often I think we need more.  Especially where our creativity is at stake.

Brene Brown – “marble jar” friends.  People who make deposits into your life all the time.
Todd Herman – new book called The Alter Ego Effect.   Create an alter ego who is our heroic self.
Erwin McManus – pastor of Mosaic church in Los Angeles.  Jesus calls out the good in us that we don’t see, or haven’t developed yet.  Calls us out to do things beyond what we can do in our own strength.  To be what we can only be with God’s help.  Build a creative community that works together and depends on God.

You can exchange the ring of fear for the ring of love.  Love that casts out fear.  And out of love comes faith and hope.

Fear’s not gone forever, but it no longer has power over you.  It’s like Liz Gilbert says; fear's in the back seat with its seat belt on so it can’t reach the steering wheel.

So put fear in the back seat.  Make a habit of doing the work.  Have marble-jar friends.  Create an alter ego.  And let God call your greatness out of you.

It takes a lot to pursue the life of an artisan.  Want your creativity to flourish?  Don’t wear the ring of fear that corrupts and renders you invisible.  Instead wear the ring of love, and let it rule over all.

Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C's of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What's Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS