Pride And Love

Getting praise makes me giddy. And then I start craving it and fearing not getting it. It starts taking over my motivation for creatition. Some of it may have to do with how much praise I received as a kid, but I think it's perhaps just my brand of remedy-our-own-death--those things we pursue instead of God that either deaden the pain or attempt to fix whatever dead parts we recognize within ourselves.

Jeremy mentioned that he's had several years experience working on collaborative creative projects (most of mine are either alone or else according to some teacher's/boss's mandate). And he has found that you end up with the best results when all members of the team feel a sense of ownership and have a say. That of course means not only having our own way but also moving out of the way of others.

That sounds an awful lot like godliness, or love. One might even take it a step further and say that the relationships, themselves, are the thing. The relationships and the collaborative work. Anything that gets in the way of those gets in the way of those things worth working for. And focusing on one's own praise certainly does that.

That's not to say that praise shouldn't gratify. It should. But as soon as we elevate it beyond its encouraging and salving role, it only hurts us.

Serve the other person. Serve the work.