Part II: Cautious Optimism or, A Challenge for 2013

--> And so, then, here is my challenge to each and every one of you for this regenerated year:

I challenge you to create something new, something original, unique and non-derivative; to be prepared to fail spectacularly in the effort but to be prepared to do the work in order not to fail; to constantly challenge expectations – your own as well as those of the art form; to innovate, not re-create.

I challenge you to turn every single instinct towards complaint or condemnation into the motivation for creation; to be thoughtful, constructive and appropriate in criticism; to keep your mouth shut if opening it contributes nothing but ill-feeling and hurt to the discussion; to learn that others’ success and happiness does not diminish the possibility of your own.

I challenge you to honestly examine your own skill level, attitude and artistry before you seek external excuses for a lack of bookings or support; to refuse to participate in the constant carping and snark and backstage evisceration of people in their absence; to form opinions of others based on your own actual experience and not out of some fabricated factional solidarity or second-hand gossip.

I challenge you to keep your motives honest, your behavior gracious, your expectations realistic and your interactions kind; to do the work and to keep working hard; to love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art, and always to respect the art in others.