So I think what Ryan is said is that when self-confidence comes your way keep level headed about who you are and your insecurities and when insecurities surface examine yourself and remove them. One is an opportunity for humility and the other for improvement.

It reminds me of:

“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt”

-Bertrand Russell

P.S. Where is Ryan’s “books to base your life around” list?

The issue you guys are discussing comes up in “The War Of Art,” which I’m sure you’re aware is on Ryan’s list of “Books to base your life around,” and it definitely deserves it’s place there.

“Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artists?” chances are you are.

The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death”

(I owe Ryan’s reading list for introducing the book to me, and his note-taking method for being able to find the passage quickly. Thanks)

“Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artists?” chances are you are.

The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death”

(I owe Ryan’s reading list for introducing the book to me, and his note-taking method for being able to find the passage quickly. Thanks)

No, I’m not flattered by it.. why? Because I do not consider myself to be a writer. Truth be told I’m more of a hack, and no one is more aware of it than myself, and I feel like if ever wrote something I am truly proud of than I would be worthy of being able to call myself a “writer.”

As for the “published works” two were books, both funded through grants and not necessarily indicative of being anything other than a hack. I also have a story called ’30 days notice’ which is on a site called changethis.com. The story is labeled as “creative nonfiction” and I don’t think it takes any special skill to write about your life. True fiction writers, in my opinion, can be called real writers. http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/53.06.30Days

Journalism stories, poetry, comedic sketches, blogging, plays, newsletters, technical ghostwriting for a manufacturer, annual reports for a foundation, appeal letters, endless resumes and cover letters for other people, well no, none of it adds up to being “a writer.”

Re: ” What happened to taking an opportunity or a compliment with grace? You couldn’t let a total stranger walk away with the impression that someone he thought “looks like an artist” (meaningless) actually was one? You can’t make a purchase in this economic climate that was previously out of reach without being pathological?”

I guess I lack grace and have a hard time with accepting compliments…. and yeah, it was a meaningless enough comment, the fact I felt the need to deconstruct or analyze it just shows how self absorbed I am I guess. The fucked up thing about “social media” is the fact you can even be a fly on a wall to such conversations or comments. It seems like the smart thing to do is opt out from it all so why are there so many people that haven’t?

Regarding making a purchase in this economic without being pathological, I guess the ‘Bag Lady Syndrome’ strikes regardless of whether it’s the boom years or lean times…. Having a father that died when I was 15 and a mom that wasn’t working and a house we couldn’t afford and then struggling through college with three jobs and always having a job will kind of give a personal financial hang-ups, or not be as easy with money as someone that comes from a more privileged background. In many ways I’ve never given myself the permission to be a writer because I don’t want to be completely broker either.

Thanks also for your kind words on your not knowing I’m a writer based on these comments. I believe people are what they do, and I’m not trying to impress anyone with stream of conscious responses to blogs and whatnot. In general I write because it’s like a pacifier and calms me down, and I love the fact time passes so fast when I’m writing.

Embarrassing. I apologize.

“In my thinking, you can use a bad economy in two ways. Arbitrage: picking up the underpriced empty objects and coast on the surplus. Or, like a tide: take note of what was left exposed when the water went out and cut all that shit from your portfolio.”

I think that this is too simple. There are lots of good reasons to buy stuff NOW, while the tide is out, but there are ALWAYS good reasons to trim the fat. By invoking narcissism, I think you’re painting people making big purchases now with too broad a brush.

The third way to navigate this economic situation is to buy all the things you *already needed* AND jettison all the shit that dragged others down. i.e. now would be a great time to move your family to a better location AND trade in your luxury SUV.

I’m sorry if this still seems off track, I just didn’t think spartan vs. narcissist fairly described the situation. I think the third player is the conscientious opportunist. There are a lot of winning strategies here aside from Fight Club style asceticism.

I’ll leave the rest of your questions unanswered since they all suffer from your same inability to make good inferences or assumptions.

I don’t know if I understand the meaning of this sentence, but it sounds like you’re economizing now out of necessity. In the rest of your post, aren’t you counseling that we economize DESPITE all of the newly accessible Vessels o’ Status (e.g. plasma tv, car, apartment)? It all still seems like good advice to me, but this makes it sound like post hoc rationalization for your own situation.

Also, you’re blending the psychology and the economics of the situation. Being on the profitable side of an arbitrage does not automatically mean you’re on a hedonistic shopping spree. If you needed/wanted a house…and you are leveraging your advantage in the current market to get one…you could, conceivably, take that opportunity without overstating your own role in making the purchase. That’s not narcissism, that’s intelligence.

You can be humble and enabled at the same time.

@ Kojisan: “a friend of mine posted a picture of me that he took, and one of his friends (who I don’t know) commented “she looks like an artist” to which I replied “i am not an artist” and then my friend replied “she is a writer denying that it involves any artistry.

Ugh..”

So after writing all your life and having “published several things”, the fools surrounding you insist on calling you a writer. Frustrating, I’m sure…

Kind of seems like you’re flattered by it, what with your entire post styling yourself as the exact thing you claim to reject. If it helps, I never would have accused you of being a writer if you hadn’t mentioned how often you get harassed about it.

Does everyone here have a hard-on for their own humility? What happened to taking an opportunity or a compliment with grace? You couldn’t let a total stranger walk away with the impression that someone he thought “looks like an artist” (meaningless) actually was one? You can’t make a purchase in this economic climate that was previously out of reach without being pathological?

And nobody sees the irony in bragging about how little they have to brag about?