Everyday Canvas

Discipline in Creative Arts, and also, Personality Types

On Discipline in Creative Arts

Psychologists say discipline is the greatest predictor of success, because it shows merit, integrity, and sticking to our ideals. Not only in the creative area but also throughout life, discipline organizes our time and thinking.

Herman Wouk, the novelist, said: "I try to write a certain amount each day, five days a week. A rule sometimes broken is better than no rule." I think he’s so right and his words hit the spot for me.

For some, a dedication to discipline is the defining characteristic of the artist. Although there are always exceptions to this theory, it seems discipline does help anyone in the creative arts. As such, our blogging every day is helping us develop our ideas and usage of the language. Most bloggers can easily turn their ideas into writing, while occasional writers who pen something once a month or two may hee and haw about how to form a legible sentence. Surely, this doesn’t only apply to bloggers. Any kind of everyday writing helps us writers, as the discipline of regularly sitting by their easel or draft table helps those who delve into visual arts.

Good discipline does not heed negative feedback whether it comes from inside the artist/writer or from other people. Disciplined people do not hang on or sweat over other’s standards, except the fullness and strength of their own hearts and souls.

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Blog City's Prompt: Let's talk about personalities. I am told there are 3 specific types:
• Type A, which they labeled as competitive, ambitious, impatient, aggressive, and fast-talking;
• Type B, which is more relaxed and non-competitive, and
• Type C, which is hardworking, but becomes apathetic when faced with stress.
Which one are you? Were you always this way or have you changed with circumstances? How many of these tendencies do you now experience? Were you always this way or have these tendencies increased over time? Your significant other? Or which one do you want for your significant other? I know I ask a lot of questions, answer what you want or all of them. Or use the non-prompt option.

Let me say first that I don’t like classifying people, and I try to accept those around me as they are, unless they are serial killers, criminals, or they mean harm to other people. To believe such classifications and think we are one or the other may mean limiting ourselves and hypnotizing our brains into leading us to act in one way only.

Second, I don’t think any of these classifications apply to any one person because as humans we change from day to day and by the impact of what happens to us and around us. It is true that one of those types can be more pronounced in one person, but then, it may not stay that way. There will be other times, I am sure, that another type will take over the same person.

Judging from what each type entails, I have been all three types at one time or another, as have the people I know. For example a person who’s driving on the road may turn into a type A and show road rage, but then when he is dealing with his own kids, he may act as type B. Still, at his work, he may act as type C.

The only use I see in this classification is when creating a novel. We might start a character to be of one type and slowly change him into a more rounded person, as good fiction demands character change one way or the other.