The opinion is beginning to form in the back of my mind that perhaps books should have labels not unlike drugs. “Caution: this book has been known to derail creative thoughts and cause endless anguish.” Or maybe “Do not operate recording equipment after reading.” Maybe I should learn not to mix manifestos with deep creative work. Timing is everything.
Last week I finished Jaron Lanier’s “You Are Not A Gadget” and now I’m reading “Reality Hunger” by David Shields. These are not the books for me to read while doing creative work. Especially when I already charted my course. They certainly would have served my process last summer or (likely) in the coming hot season. Both books beg the question of innovation and look critically at the work being done by creative people today. In “Reality Hunger” there’s the sneaking feeling that too many people are losing sight of where we are culturally and the impact that art is making right now. It’s a great book, by the way. I don’t know that it serves the reader when read front to back but given its design one could easily pick it up, flip to a page, and get something from it. I’m at the 80% mark and would recommend it.
What my reaction to these books has done is place an additional burden on my current process. I’m suddenly very aware of what I’m doing and whether or not it is bringing anything new to the table. Everything is overly self-conscious and I have deep fears about what that will mean to the work. I probably should have picked up a novel instead, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve been waiting for books like this. It’s troubling to need something that gets in the way, in the short term anyway.
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