SELF HELP FOR CREATIVE PERSONS – TONIC FOR THE UNAPPRECIATED – HOW TO DIGEST FAILURE

HOW TO DIGEST FAILURE
Self Help Tips for Creative Persons
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Do you feel frustrated because no one appreciates your creative work?

Even at your workplace, do you feel unappreciated because your boss or colleagues do not value your work or they do not give you due recognition?
Remember, self consolation is the best self help.

Here is some tonic for the unappreciated.

TONIC FOR THE UNAPPRECIATED By VIKRAM KARVE

All persons, at some point in their lives, experience frustration blues. 

This is more so if you are engaged in some creative activity. 

There are many occasions when people just do not appreciate your work. 

Even if people criticize you and do not appreciate your creative efforts you must not get disheartened and stop doing what you want to do. 

The best way is to console yourself and bash on regardless and continue to do whatever you are doing with renewed vigour and zeal.

Let me tell you one way to drive away frustration blues.

When I was in school our Literature Teacher would often yell at us:

“I Am Casting Pearls Before Swine”. 

I did not quite understand her anguish then, but now, I can fully empathize with her when I too sometimes feel the same way when my creative writing is not appreciated.

The idiom CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE means to offer something good to somebody who cannot appreciate the value of it. 

Yes, if you cast pearls before swine, you offer something of value to someone who does not appreciate it and does not understand its value (swine means pigs). 

Suppose you are an artist, a painter, and you show your painting to a person who knows nothing about art and is not interested in the fine things of life.

Or say you are a creative writer.

And you show your fiction or poetry to someone who is not interested in literature.

Well, in such cases: “You are casting your pearls before swine”.

Why are you trying to seek appreciation from persons who cannot appreciate your work because they have no knowledge of your art?

Now, I was wondering, how do you translate this phrase “I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE” into Hindi?

I suddenly remembered a blog post I had written a few months ago titled:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ  

I think this Hindi Phrase expresses the same sentiment as the English Idiom:

I AM CASTING PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Let me tell you how I came across this Hindi idiom:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ  

Translated into English, this means:

I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Now I will tell you how I came across this piece of wisdom.

A few years ago, one evening while surfing channels, I watched a program on Zee Classic Television Channel called “Classic Legends” hosted by Javed Akhtar.

The episode was based on the life of the famous poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.

Javed Akhtar narrated an incident and a quote ( शेर ) by Majrooh Sultanpuri which I will never forget. 

Javed Akhtar met Majrooh Sultanpuri in the evening of his life, when Majrooh Sultanpuri had passed his peak of popularity and he was no longer as much in demand as a poet as before and new lyricists were ruling the roost in the film industry.

Javed Akhtar asked the famous poet Majrooh Sultanpuri how he was doing.

Majrooh Sultanpuri replied:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

which roughly translated means:

I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

This quote is still perambulating in my mind.

The more I delve on it I realize how profound these words are, especially for a creative writer whose work is not appreciated.

So whenever my novel manuscript is returned by a publisher with a rejection letter, or if people ignore my blog, whenever I feel unappreciated, I am going to console myself:

  अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ  

I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

And then I am going to redouble my efforts and bash on regardless.

Isn't this a nice philosophy for creative persons and artists to adopt rather than get frustrated when their work is not appreciated? 

Is this not a much better way to drive away your frustration blues than indulging self-pity and doing harmful things like drowning your sorrows in drink, isn't it? 

So whenever you feel frustrated that your efforts are not being appreciated, ask yourself:

“Are you casting your pearls before swine?” 

Then continue your efforts with redoubled vigour and enthusiasm. 

Do not worry whether others appreciate your work or not. 

Do not crave for external appreciation. 

It is best to work for your own satisfaction.

Adopt this philosophy of life whenever someone does not appreciate you or your work, and say to yourself:

अन्धो के शहर में आइने बेच रहा हूँ 

I AM SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Just like there is no point in “casting pearls before swine” – what is the use of “selling mirrors in the city of the blind” ?

Think about it.

Have a Happy and Creative Weekend

VIKRAM KARVE

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All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Updated and Revised Version of my Article First Posted by Vikram Karve on 25 Dec 2011 in my blog at 12/25/2011 10:34:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/12/i-am-selling-mirrors-in-city-of-blind.html