Community + Creativity = Cure
Talking Shit + Talking Shop With A Fellow Creative
Yesterday, I wrote about burnout. The kind that sneaks in, sits on your chest, and tries to kill you. Instead of spiraling deeper into that abyss, I got in my car and drove across town to meet up with a fellow creative.
Enter Dr. Lou Lou Garza (aka Luis Garza, Ph.D.). Artist. Anthropologist. And husband of my dear friend Mike.
Mike and I have known each other for more than 20 years, but this was the first time Luis and I had actually met, to talk shop, swap stories, and talk a little shit too.
The official purpose for our hangout was to photograph some of his recent ceramic sculptures, which are currently on display at the Japan Foundation Los Angeles, just a few blocks from LACMA (aka Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
Like most good creative meetups, the “task” quickly became secondary.
His sculptures are vibrant. Playful. Full of color and personality. The kind of pieces that do not just sit there politely but seem to wink at you from across the room. As it turns out, the work is a direct extension of the man himself. Luis brings that same childlike energy into conversation. Curious. Hilarious. Interested and interesting.
Somewhere between adjusting camera angles and casually critiquing the state of the art world, something shifted for me.
I sometimes forget that being around other creatives is, for me, medicine.
Luis seemed to think I was doing him a favor by helping photograph his work. But the truth is he did me an even bigger favor by helping me get out of my own head.
Hanging out and having lunch with Dr. Lou Lou reminded me that creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It feeds on connection. On conversation. On those small chance encounters that crack your head and heart open just enough to let the light in.
Burnout has a way of narrowing your perspective. Everything starts to feel heavy, fixed, and a little bit hopeless.
But a simple shift, a new voice, a fresh set of eyes, can loosen that grip.
A small change in perception can lead to a small change in output.
A small change in output can lead to momentum.
And momentum, if we are lucky, leads to a breakthrough.
No grand epiphany required.
Just community.
Just creativity.
Just showing up and being willing to play.
Sometimes the cure isn’t rest. Sometimes it’s community and creativity.
Keep calm and rock on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Dr. Lou Lou Garza is new to Substack, so please give him a follow and subscribe once he gets his blog and newsletter up and running. Thank you!
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
03-28 = Alexandra Billings (1962- ) = American actor and activist 🌈
03-28 = Jane Rule (1931-2007) = Canadian-American writer 🌈
03-28 = James Bidgood (1933-2022) = American filmmaker and photographer 🌈
03-28 = Jonathan Van Ness (1987- ) = American hairdresser and tv personality 🌈
03-28 = Lady Gaga (1986- ) = American singer-songwriter and actor 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“I'm grateful for the attention I'm getting. It would have been better 40 years ago.”
James Bidgood
I am delighted by this udate, Clint. I don't "belong" and have never belonged. It has never been felt as a loss. I have been reluctant to accept an identity beyond being "me". I totally understand and empathise with you, though. I am so happy that you shared with Lou Lou beyond him being the husband of a dear friend.
My low sense of identification means that although I loved "Pink Narcissus" so many years ago, I have been very unlikely to acknowledge James (indeed any other director). Names for me are very little more than meaningless labels - authors, artists, theorists, - whatever. No doubt it is my "loss" more than theirs.
Enjoy being "Clint", enjoy your queer siblinghood, your connections and belongings. I love you hella lot.
🌺🌷