Reflections on Render: Art as Community

© 2009 Elizabeth Mock

On Twitter, Neil Gaiman once said that he was sitting at a coffeehouse sipping coffee and writing in his Moleskine, and this entertained him. He found this funny because of the misconceptions that exist about writers. Authors rarely sit around in a coffeehouse staring dreamily and writing Deep Things in their Moleskin journals.

We're of much stranger stuff than such romantic notions. If we're in a coffeehouse at all, it's because we are in a desperate need for a caffeine fix or a place away from the distractions of home. It's much more likely to find us wearing a fuzzy bathrobe over our street clothes as we bribe ourselves with the prospect of a shower if we just finish 1,000 more words. Regardless of which image of authors you have--frenzied or romantic--there remains the impression that writers are solitary creatures.

While it's true that the act of drafting requires us to lock ourselves away to get work done, the act of creation, producing art, is a highly communal effort. Over the course of Render's production, I realized something significant. While I was so excited to get the story into my readers hands, I was just as excited to show off the other talented people who contributed to this book's creation.

Because a book is so much more than the words of the page. The story is the heart, the catalyst, but that original story, in a way, transcends when it becomes a book. The final product is an effort of an artistic community, not a solitary writer.

Countless times over the production of Render, I was bursting, waiting to show off the cover art that Claudia created, or the maps that Anne drew, or the book trailer that Adam produced. I wanted to hold up their creations to you and say, "LOOK how ridiculously talented these people are!"

The process of collaboration with these artists and friends has been on my favorite parts of creating Render. After every correspondence or conversation, I was always buzzing with creative energy, ready to tackle the most grueling plot snarls. They each were helping me bring my world and my story into focus. They were helping give it external reality. For so long, these characters have lived in my head, and they now stood in a world that had existence in more than my singular, subjective imaginings.

I have always had critique partners throughout my novel writing endeavors--people who pushed me to better characterization, tighter plotting, and more dynamic pacing. This was the first time, however, I had other artists contributing their perspectives to my novel--artists who work in a different medium than my own. Claudia brought her visual artistry with my cover art. Anne brought her visual artistry with my maps. Adam brought both his musical artistry and video production skills to my book trailer. With each of these, a dimension, a layer was added to my story and my world. Each helped bring it to life.

When I look at the final product, I am humbled by what we have created.

Art is, by its nature, both a solitary action and a communal effort. There are about fifteen people who contributed in some way to Render. For each one of their individual involvements, the story, the book improved.

Because art requires and creates community. In some ways, it is the expression of a community. Beyond the direct involvement of those in its creation, art also creates community amongst its consumers. When you find someone who has read a book you love, there is an immediate connection forged between you. Your shared experience of the art allows your world and your lives to overlap.

Within a community, art can also inspire others, who in turn inspire you. The work that Claudia, Anne, and Adam did always sparked and revved my creativity more than anything else. If you follow this blog regularly, you have heard me GUSH over the piano piece that my student, Michelle, composed for  Shatter. The first time she played it for me, I nearly cried. It was driving and haunting. It was my story, but it was expressed through her music. Michelle has also written a theme for Faela and Kade. I can't release that piece to you--yet.

I listen to both of these pieces whenever I draft. They inspire my creativity and instantly transport me back to my world and my old friends. The fan art that my readers have created is the same. Their art, depicting my characters, inspires me to further acts of creativity.

Art breeds art. Community breeds creation.

If you are stuck, feeling uninspired, I would suggest you seek art, seek community. Isolating yourself and starting at a screen will do little to inspire you. Because it is rarely within ourselves that we find inspiration. It is in each other that we truly discover something inspirational.

Happy reading and happy writing.