I'm making my way through Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's great book Creativity again, and chapter 5, "The Flow of Creativity", challenges me to examine some deep places in my life of creative work. Csikszentmihalyi's seminal work on the study of happiness--Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience--proposes that states and experiences of deep joy are very different that …
Wondering About Critique…
Here's a pretend letter from a pretend reader of a blog dedicated to thinking through various issues related to art-making and Christian faith. "Dear Blogging Person, How does a working artist deal with criticism? I don't mean mean-spirited people dishing out vindictive diatribes, but the simple, ongoing critique of one's work that comes from all …
An Audience’s Misty Eyes
The eyes of an audience mean more to me than their words. At last night's talkback after Man of La Mancha, there were audience members who were meaningfully lost in the experience of the play, eyes a bit misty. The "magic" of the play was working on them; you could see it. Simple delight was …
“Transformation is Possible”
My coaching assignment from three weeks ago was to reflect on what I'd like people to say about me when I die. My report on that reflection is due today, and frankly, though I've put a good bit of time into thinking about it, I don't have it done. It's a funny question, more troublesome …
“Places”
Each night I stand backstage pacing back and forth, running a small ritual that has become important to me as a preparation for a coming night of emotional journeying. The role of Eric Weiss in Brooklyn Boy is a challenging one, one that I relate to all too well. And then, inevitably, my friend Carla …
JEFF BERRYMAN 