True Believer

The above quote from True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements arises from philosopher Eric Hoffer’s observation of how mass movements evolve from the outskirts of society to become agents of significant cultural change. Regardless of social conditions, adherents of a particular movement may conduct themselves as though their ideals have already become manifest, and occasionally bring forth the change they embody. Sometimes, the fringe in fact becomes the new status quo.

I find this quote relevant to creative work, in relation to the work itself of course, the act of conjuring something from nothing, of imagining something into existence, but also to the effort in assuming the role of the Artist and - for those interested - the Careerist.

This is the greatest trick of the creative soul. We envision the person we could be, the art we could create, the stories we could write, the roles we might assume, the music we might play, long before we are able to bring them into being. Our early efforts do not reflect the fullness of our vision, but we can realize our life’s work only if we begin by pretending that we can. When I was young, I wanted to be a writer, so I behaved in the prescribed manner of writers, and in time, I have become what I pretended to be.

Artists who have turned their work into careers have often started the same way. From Madonna and Andy Warhol to modern TikTok personalities - A Nobody acts like Someone until everyone agrees that Somebody has arrived. The greatest roadblock to success as a creator is the artist’s inability to assert that he has something to say before he has the audience to listen. But to find that audience, we have to speak. Our faith in ourselves - our make-believe - is how we power through. This is how we become.

I came across Hoffer’s quote in A Time of Youth: San Francisco, 1966 - 1967, a collection of photography by William Gedney. Though recognized in his lifetime with Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships and a solo exhibition at New York MOMA, Gedney was never as well known as some contemporaries, such as Diane Arbus.

Gedney had always intended for his photo series - which he considered long-form essays - to appear in book form. He curated, designed, and produced seven manuscripts collecting various photo essays, and left plans for seven more, which would have comprised all of his major works. None were published in his lifetime, but - like the quote from Eric Hoffer he selected for inclusion in A Time of Youth - Gedney engaged in the creative make-believe that they would be and they deserved to be. He may have intended the quote to refer to his subjects - counter culture youth in Summer of Love era San Francisco - but in retrospect, it can easily apply to Gedney and his work.

William Gedney’s photography can be found online at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Howard Greenberg Gallery, and Duke University. His photo essays have been collected in multiple volumes, many of which, including A Time of Youth, were gathered by Gedney in manuscript form before his death from AIDS in 1989.

I’m delighted to have found Gedney’s work, all these years later. His San Francisco photographs especially conjure the kind of artistic nomadism I romanticized as a youth, though by the time I would have been old enough to participate, the hippies had given way to the yuppies and free love to AIDS.

A few of Gedney’s San Francisco photographs are included below. I also recommend perusing the work available at the above links. Suggested soundtrack: “Makes Me Great” by Brian Jonestown Massacre, another artist I imagine getting by on the pure force of belief.

Also in this letter:

• Posts from April 2025

• WIP News

• A Parting Song

Monthly Posts
This month, I shared a pop-psychology quiz intended to gauge our ability to be honest with ourselves, along with a link to a study that demonstrated that a certain amount of self-delusion is necessary for high achievement. I also looked at the links between creativity and depression, and between great stories and suffering. I shared some articles that reinforce last month’s examination of creative authenticity, as well as some examples of stories with ambiguous endings, including one I wrote many years ago and might have to revisit someday. I wrote about the brilliant Patricia Highsmith and how her settings were indispensable to the success of her novels, and shared a list of things you can do that are not the same as doing the thing.

Pop Quiz: The Sackheim-Gur
Creativity and Depression
Lions or Lambs
Be Yourself, No Matter What They Say
And What Did You Mean By That?
Magic and Make-Believe
Life in Full Color
Do the Thing

WIP News
My novel in progress is going gangbusters. Not sure if I should credit the excellent writing advice I shared last month or the warmer weather and increased daylight, but the writing has gone spectacularly well the past few weeks. The April blog writing wasn’t nearly as time-intensive as March and I pretty much ignored all social obligations, and that didn’t hurt. Everything in balance.

I also wiped out the deficit in my annual word count goal. I’m on track to write 2 novels’ worth of words by December 31, 2025, even if the two novels on tap aren’t finished in the sense of ready for my editor. I hope they will be though. That is the point, after all.

I reordered my outline and created a much stronger cause and effect chain throughout the novel. Most exciting, everything I already wrote is completely usable, with a bit of editing to account for some new scenes and subtext. My first draft wasn’t far off the mark, but I knew I was missing elements and this 2nd major draft should fill in those gaps.

The most helpful advice I put into practice last month:

• The Mirror and the Arrow

• What to Write Now: Nailing Purpose and Effect

• Double the Stakes: How “Clone Characters” Can Elevate Your Screenwriting

• Everyday Wonder: How to Mine Awe from the Mundane

A Parting Song
I leave you with this wish for the rest of your year. Watch the video below or listen on Spotify.