God flys coach.

Creativity is honed in gutters, not on thrones  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ God flys coach Creativity is honed in gutters, not on thrones Watch this [shit](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- Killer Poet: David Ogilvy coined the term Killer Poet. When I'm writing advertising over at [Honey Copy](=), I try to be a Killer. When I'm writing poetry like [Hot Coals](=), I try to be a Poet. --------------------------------------------------------------- I often compare the creative process to divine intervention. I am not partial to any one religion. I think that all religions are writing of their interpretation of the same thing: a supreme, benevolent force that seems to be pulling the strings. The Ancient Greeks called this force the muse; or muses. There were nine of them, each representing a particular genre of the arts. Ancient artists would pray to whichever muse they fancied, before going about their work. British archeologist and diplomat T.E. Lawrence once wrote the following translation of the Invocation of the Muse from Homer's Odyssey... O Divine Poesy Goddess-daughter of Zeus, Sustain for me This song of the various-minded man, Who after he had plundered The innermost citadel of hallowed Troy Was made to stray grievously About the coasts of men, The sport of their customs good or bad, While his heart Through all the seafaring Ached in an agony to redeem himself And bring his company safe home. ​ Vain hope – for them! For his fellows he strove in vain, Their own witlessness cast them away; The fools, To destroy for meat The oxen of the most exalted sun! Wherefore the sun-god blotted out The day of their return. ​ Make the tale live for us In all its many bearings, O Muse. I've tried to speak the prayer aloud a couple of times before sitting down to write but I can't do so without cracking a moronic smile upon reciting the words, "O Divine Poesy..." Regardless, I like to think there is some great connoisseur of art on the other side, helping our collective creative endeavors along. If you, like me, believe in the ethereal's role in the creative process, there is a ritual we can do to keep the angels and muses coming back. Fortunately, this ritual doesn't involve skinning cats, milking bats or pretending to be ancient greek heroes in the modern day. It's simply the ongoing practice of remaining grounded. I have a mantra I say when I feel myself becoming a bit too big for my britches and, in turn, stopped-up creatively... God flys coach. Now, I mean this in both the literal and metaphorical sense. If you just take a good hard look at the anatomy of a plane, only 5% of it is reserved for first class passengers. If we assume that God is a smart businessman––which I am sure that he is, considering he created the men and women who've written all those best-selling business books––then he knows damn well he is going to get a lot more bang for his buck if he hangs out in the back 95% of the plane. I don't know if God has a board of directors that he must answer to. If he does, he likely has to meet certain performance metrics. While I doubt he is at risk of getting canned if he misses these metrics, one would assume he takes them somewhat seriously. Being that a first class soul counts the same as a coach soul, it just makes a hell of a lot more sense for God to hang out in coach. I'm not insinuating that he doesn't care about first class souls. He absolutely does. However, just from a sheer numbers game, it would be ludicrous for God to not do the bulk of his work back in coach. It's just business. But, let's take this a step further. God is probably a tightwad. He likely purchases his clothes secondhand and buys his bourbon from Kirkland. Because of this, he isn't letting the muses and angels fly first class either. They all have to fly coach too, and they're expected not to bitch about it. What I'm getting at is that divine intervention happens back in coach; along with all the fun, interesting and creatively inspiring shit because it is the sky's gutter that are comprised of tragically flawed regular people who aren't rich enough to bury their sins. Creatives––and this includes advertising creatives––really fuck themselves when they start feeling they're above experiencing the world like 95% of humanity. You can disagree with this all you want but it's remarkable just how bland artists, advertising agencies and even companies become after they've made a bit of money and have gained an affection for the finer things in life. Their work starts tasting like watered-down lemonade. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try and make a bunch of money nor wag your finger at a can of caviar––although I've always found it to be a bit overrated––but you must recognize that overindulgence comes with the cost of understanding the greater human perspective. I used to go to dive bars to get drunk. Now I go to dive bars because they're the land-dwelling equivalent to flying coach. Dive bars are a tremendous place to stay grounded, to gather material and to remind myself there are so many people in this world who don't see the world exactly as I do. A few nights back, I found myself at this dive bar here in East Nashville called Lakeside Lounge where I was sharing a smoke with some friends out on the patio. If you want to meet interesting people at a bar, smoke. Smokers are always the most interesting individuals in a room and they all have a terrible habit of forgetting their lighters. So, they will come up to you and ask you if they can borrow yours. You will say yes, of course, because that's what good, coach passengers do. The two of you will then inevitably start to talking. On this particular evening, the first individual who lost his lighter was an artillery officer who was so drunk his eyes looked as though they were staring right through me. He overheard us talking about art and he said to me, "I love hearing people talk about art and culture and all that shit because that's why I do what I do." The artillery officer went on to explain that if the military didn't hold it down, Americans wouldn't have the luxury of talking about art and culture and all that shit. I thanked him for his service and meant it. After going on a drunken spiel about freedom, he grinned from ear to ear like The Joker moments before putting a hole in Robert DeNiro's head on national television and whispered to me, "Deep down I love it––the killing." He then downed his beer, shook my hand, returned my lighter and got in an Uber. Another individual in desperate need of a lighter was a philosophy professor at Vanderbilt. He was the most peculiar-looking fellow I had ever seen with the most fascinating mind I had ever come across. I asked him how he differentiates between religion and philosophy. The philosophy professor said the exploration of religion begins with the assumption that there is something else––else being God, heaven or another dimension––whereas the exploration of philosophy begins with the assumption that there is nothing else. It was a very philosophical answer. I'm sorry but you don't have these kinds of conversations at speakeasies hawking $25 cocktails nor at the front of a 747. People are constantly giving advice at how to become better at one’s vocation. Most, if not all of it, is complete fucking bullshit. Vocation is about providing something of value—be it artistic or non—to humanity. I'd like to think the same rule applies to being a decent human being. And so for us to become better at our given vocations––which is to say for us to become better at being decent human beings––we must develop a greater understanding of people. To do this, we can’t judge people. We can’t judge people because the moment we judge a person, we lose the ability to see them exactly as they are. Our prejudices and insecurities and values muddy up the water and we can’t see the essence of who they truly are. When the artillery officer tells me that deep down he "loves the killing", the moment I allow myself to form an opinion of him is the moment I write him off as a loon. If I believe in any philosophy or religion, it’s to never write anyone off. Every single person has a place in this world; a role. We can decide later on whether or not they're our cup of tea but in the moment they're showing us who they are, we have to make a genuine effort to see them fully. In addition to the [poetry books]( and the [writing courses]() and the [spoken-word project](), I run an advertising agency called [Honey Copy](=). My clients are always surprised by the way in which my agency is able to write so accurately to the people they want to do business with. The honest to God truth is that I’ve met all of these people flying coach or frequenting bars. You get a few drinks in a person and you shut up and they’ll tell you exactly who they are and what they believe and what they want. But, you have to do this without judgment. My concern for humanity is that too many of us are playing God. We're passing judgment as if we are the gatekeepers between heaven and hell. If I were to ever teach [a writing course](=) at a university––and this would be a grave mistake for any accredited institution––my students wouldn’t be spending much time in classrooms. My first assignment would be to buy every student a roundtrip flight to Indianapolis, where we'd all be sat separately in a middle seat. Students would pass the assignment if they started a conversation with the person to their right or to their left by the time the plane touched down in Indiana. Then, on the return flight, we’d practice our vocation with the newfound awareness that we are part of something bigger than ourselves with people who are very different from ourselves. A few of us might even witness a miracle as our pens become jostled by the hind ends of angels and muses bumping through the aisles, going about their work on our fellow passengers. Because God flys coach. By [Cole Schafer](​ P.S. If you haven't yet, give [Hot Coals](=) a spin. --------------------------------------------------------------- I know what you're thinking: Why did I just read a 2,000-word letter from a total stranger? ​ This isn't the 1800s. People don't write letters––and they certainly don't read letters––because nobody has the time. Yet, you just spent 10 minutes of your day reading a 2,000-word letter from somebody you've never met. Why? How? Because I know how to wield the written word. ​[Meet Cute](=) is a creative writing guide that will help you fall in love with the craft of writing while becoming the kind of writer that readers fall in love with.‍ Written by yours truly and illustrated by an AI interpretation of Roy Lichtenstein, Meet Cute pairs 16 raw and wildly entertaining stories with invaluable writing lessons and prompts. [ENROLL NOW](=) --------------------------------------------------------------- [[linkedin]​]() ​ [Update your email preferences]( or unsubscribe [here](​ © 2024 The Process 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205