The other day someone asked why I write for Ms. In the Biz.
The tone they used made me want to kick them in the shins with my LA-weather appropriate stiletto boots. However, in that next second, I remembered that violence is never the answer (and why scuff up the new boots?).
Because when I really sat down and thought about it, the snarky person had a point. I’m not an actress. I’m not in the movies, unless you count my brilliant extra work in my husband’s independent films. (In fact, if you look me up on IMDb, it says this: “Nicole Larson is know for his work on Melissa & Joey (2010) and Son of Ghostman (2013).” Son of Ghostman is indeed my husband’s film, but I have never met a Melissa or a Joey, and last time I checked, I’m certainly not a man. I digress.)
I don’t specialize in set design. I couldn’t be a makeup artist because I’ve been wearing the exact same “face” for the last seven years. I am nowhere near a costume designer (I just spent the last month putting together a Halloween costume for the hubs, not once touching a needle and thread, but using an abundance of fabric glue). The only thing I’ve directed is a crappy “How To” video for my old wedding planning company.
Nope. I’m none of those things. I’m a blogger and a fiction writer. So again, I need to ask the question: Why do I write for Ms. in the Biz?
Why would the actual beautiful actresses that sprinkle the pages of the website listen to me?
Why would they take the advice of a writer who IMDb mistakes her for a man?
And then I realized the answer was simple… Because we are all creative.
At the heart of every actress, producer, writer, comedienne, musician, director, and PA is a deep need to express our creativity. Our need to entertain. Our need to paint a picture. Our need to tell a story. Because that’s what all creativity is: The deep, thirsty desire to tell a story in any way possible.
Along my journey as a creative (which is riddled with red wine sloshes), I have learned my most valuable lessons from those outside my industry. My filmmaker husband has taught me what perseverance and hard work can do. My wedding planner friends have taught me to remember that creativity should also be visual and personal. My actress friend has taught me how to take risks. My self-professed “non creative” sister has taught me that you don’t need to consider yourself a creative type to get lost in a good book. My entrepreneur friends have taught me that it takes more creativity to birth a thriving career than it does to embark on a hobby. My photographer buddy reminds me what it’s like to share my creativity with pictures. My actor pal has taught me that you can—and should—see the world on the back of my own creativity. My doctor best friend has taught me that staying mindful and in the moment is essential…especially for creatives who can be all over the place.
Fiction writer or not, I can learn as much from the beautiful actresses on Ms. in the Biz as they can from me. We’ve all had our own creative journey. We all have had our plummets to despair and our catapults to success. We’ve all been looked at funny and looked up to in awe. We’ve all been labeled as reckless and as someone’s inspiration.
We are all teachers, us creatives. And the most successful know to look beyond what they are accustomed to.
Because at the end of the day, no matter where we are in the grind…we are all creatives with our own story to tell.
And that, my friends, is why I write for Ms. in the Biz.