HOW IT WORKS

by Rob Lopresti

Listen up, because this is how it works.

When you are engaged in creative activity two parts of your brains are involved. Some people call it the unconscious and the conscious minds. Some call it the left and right brains. Some say the muse and I, but I don’t like that, because it suggests that part of the process isn’t being done by you. It is.

I like the terms the Miner and the Jeweler.

The Miner is the guy who goes down into the crud in the back of your brain and pulls something out. Maybe it’s just an idea. Maybe it’s practically the finished work. But he brings out his trophy and hands it to the Jeweler, who has to clean off the muck and make it pretty.

The Miner is a quiet, tempermental guy. He can’t communicate well with the outside world, even though you can’t write (or produce other art) without him. Ever heard someone (maybe you) say : “I don’t even remember writing it. It’s like I wasn’t there when it happened!”

Well, you were there. But the part of you that was hard at work was the Miner, and the part that does the remembering and communicating with the outside world, is the Jeweler, who may not remember what the Miner was up to. But – and I can’t emphasize this enough – they are both part of you.

Why does that matter? Because if you think of the ideas as coming from outside, you are looking in the wrong place, which is likely to limit your success.

You can’t force the Miner to do anything, but you can influence him. And, if you are like most people, you have probably spent most of your time teaching him to be lazy and obstinate.

I know, I know. You think you sit around all day saying “Boy, I wish I had an idea for a short story. If I could get my hands on an idea, I’d jump on it like a starving man on a loaf of artisan bread.”

And then, when you were driving home, you saw that guy in the big hat and funny clothes and thought huh. I wonder what THAT’S all about? And when you got home did you grab a pen and paper and start taking notes?

No. You turned on a rerun of The Simpsons. And the Miner noticed. Because he was the one who pointed out the guy in the hat and poked you in the side with that question. Now the Miner thinks “So, that’s what you do with the gifts I give you, huh? Don’t hold you’re breath waiting for another one.”

You can’t give the Miner orders, but you can negotiate. ‘Next week we will talk about how to achieve a labor agreement with the Miner.