End Note
By Alex Ness
May 19, 2023
I still don't know what the end result of tests and such will be. But the depth of sorrow from waiting for hours and days and months and indeed, years, has worn away my ability to endure more. So beyond thanking those who've helped me, and there are many. Beyond listing great works, and explaining why I love them. I will answer the 5-6 questions I've received recently, discuss some works I consider my favorites. Still working on the big review project.
Q&A
1) Who is the one creative person who makes you want to create, from all eras of time?
The one creative is very difficult to answer because we are all a sponge, gathering without distinction, the single creative who made me want to create should be Jack Kirby, as he made me realize that work doesn't have to be perfect or beautiful, to be successful. Peter Gabriel or Billy Corgan inspire me deeply with the wide variety of thought, placed into music. But while there are brilliant creatives who have all changed my being, I think Jackson Pollock was the one who did more for me than any other. He illustrated ideas using abstract means, making a world's madness and beauty perceivable in ways that any straight forward representational would suffer in comparison. A world held captive by fear of the Atomic weapon era, could never be shown, the emotional aspects, the crushing madness of the idea of a war that intentionally causes our species extinction is impossible without using something outside of our minds, so the abstraction is needed to know and show our response, intellectually. Ezra Pound is sort of thought to be half mad, well I think he makes me think much deeper than any other creative.
2) Why is art used to express one's response to the disasters and victories? Is it the same as when the Romans built Arches to recall the triumphs or the parades for victory? Are we that vain that we need to remember in art the killing of an enemy?
First off, yes humans are that full of vanity that they want to forever be remembered for their greatness. And that ends up being translated as hubris. Where the mind is so arrogant and mindful of his own greatness, that the past is just perceived as one step towards the ultimate greatness and achievements of our species. I think art is used to depict our rise, fall, and everything good, bad and indifferent. We wish to be great but instead, we depict ourselves as great, so even if we fail, we can still tell the world how we wish we had been. Another term for what we use it for, is propaganda.
3) If you could relive your life starting at any point, would you do so? Why or why not?
I'd never relive my life, any portion of it, even if I were allowed to change the things I did or said. That isn't because I find myself so damn perfect. It is the opposite. I know I can't change what I've done, and it wounds me. And honestly, knowing I can't truly change any of the choices made, words spoken, actions taken, to go try again, would be foolish and filled with hubris, and pain re-inflicted.
4) I've watched you on Twitter and elsewhere, being kind to many different people Christians are said to hate. I wonder then what makes you different? If you are a Christian but everyone else of the same faith are unable to do the things you do, makes me wonder about Christendom. Are you different because you really aren't a Christian, or are you different for some other reason? Not blowing smoke up your ass, I just want to know what the difference is, because I suspect there are fine, bright, joyful people who are Christians, but the ones I see are toxic.
I'm by no means better than other Christians. I'm a failure and deserve the punishments offered in the bible for those who lead others astray or are hypocritical. But in the public setting, I'm an introvert, but also as a poet and historian I have two traits that allow me to practice what I believe. I'm transparent, so that I can better be honest about my outlook, and by that help others see what I am saying. I'm a sort of reporter of facts. If I lie or try to be what I am not it will become evident. I know from previous emails from yourself that you are curious how a Christian can support gays, trans, and look at other genders, races, and more without judgment.
I confess, my ability to not judge comes from having two reasons. My parents were perfectionist, and so much of their perfectionism came from self judgment, and that is toxic. The other aspect of life that made me different, came from marrying a woman who had such a heart for the broken, the lost, and the wounded, that even if I disagreed with her on a different idea, or view, I had to remember, she was someone who deeply believed whatever she believed, and she taught me how to be kind.
If someone is different in orientation, gender, race, religious views, practice in living, my views are unimportant. God loves them, and I'd be a fool to act differently. I might not love as much as possible. I know God does, and whatever any extremist has to say, God's ultimate call for you is to love your neighbor as you would have them yourself. That is a message of love and whatever your orientation, race, gender, views, I believe you are every bit as equal to me as possible. God doesn't make mistakes. But I certainly make mistakes and far too many of them.
5) When I first read your reviews, I feel like I don't often agree with you, but I now think that I find what you say to be rather honest, and makes me want to read again the things you just reviewed, and see if there is something wrong in my view. You made me love Mike Grell's work, which I haven't experienced before. I tried Savage Dragon from the early era and late, and find it to be far better than my original views. I plan to read the Badger and Nexus next. What is the secret recipe you are using to achieve this?
I've often said, mostly to other reviewers and comic journalists, I find too many good or fun works compared to awful ones, and to focus on the works that smell of dog poop rather than the great works I am doing a disservice to the reader. I don't usually call what I do reviewing, any more at least. I try to refer to what I do as offerings. Because at one time I'd get over 150 items a month to review, and 120 or better were good, interesting, fun or better than my expectations. To then focus on the ones I disliked, was rather unfair, I thought to the ones that I liked. So I decided to offer the best works, and maybe discuss one bad comic. I did this for a reason.
When talking to a mentor, Jamie Delano, he said people are so cynical in our present era, they won't believe your good reviews, if you don't also review something bad. He said, "so just throw in the odd turd now and then." So while I don't get anywhere near that many items for review now, I try to keep on the same outlook. My guess why it works for you is that you aren't cynical. And if you are willing to reread things from a new outlook or an outlook ready to change, you are open minded and bright. Few people are so. Most intellectuals aren't nearly as curious about life and arts as they'd like to think.
For me, I learned greatly from highly educated, with many degrees in science Rich Chapell taught me about a lot of subjects by his refusal to be anything but one who shares his outlook. I used to be a single issue voter. He changed that. I used to wonder about certain things, and he said, maybe there is no answer. Don't assume you are wrong about your first instinct, but also, prepare in your mind to not be right. Life is too short to assume you are right about everything because learning the truth is far more exciting and fulfilling than assuming you are right.
I am not certain where my life will take me, whether I live passed summer or even if I am healed fully. So I get asked about future projects. I am not against the thought but it might seem foolish to some to even consider it.
I am going to try to write 4-6 short stories or epic long poems, and have them illustrated by some fine talents. Then have each of them numbered and signed. A sort of more personal work, aimed at a last work in the arts. I've 5 works coming out perhaps by the end of 2023, with a talented person who I am blessed to know. My portion's been done, but we've not announced it yet. So perhaps in its own way, it will seem similarly personal. I don't know. And I've a work with a number of people, an anthology that considers how stereotypes, legends and myths don't really explain a subject, using both fictional narratives and non fiction. I am not yet certain, but if I live, I'd like to do a Life or Ravens II, to end my run as a creative person. I'll aim from their on on blogging and writing less. I've spent 16 years writing 60-80 hours a week and that has exhausted me.
WHAT TO DO WHEN IT IS JUST YOU
Solitaire games have both an advantage and disadvantage regarding multi player games. If you are alone and have the time to spend, you can play certain games alone, enjoying your time, focusing upon time alone with something worth doing alone. I've played all sorts of games alone, and some do it better than others, regarding ease of play, interest in play, and resolving issues within the game that are bound to collide. I've worked at a number of comic/game shops and discovered games to play alone, and in one glaring case, the wording of a player character's abilities meant he could use a part of the game meant as a penalty as a benefit. It took a few years before attending a convention where the maker of the game appeared. I asked them about, they had a look on their face of frustration, and said, we had to rewrite that character and the penalty so it was clear in the second edition As it was, I didn't care for the game, but my friend did. I tried to explain it to him what I was told, and he refused to believe me. Oh well. But as a solitaire game, that loss of nuance and actual confusion made playing a bit more difficult. For me, the clarity and ease of play have to be balanced by fun. Shown below are the games I found the most fun, clearly written, and worth the time spent playing. Your mileage may, obviously, vary.
GETTING REVIEWS?
I
can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email
Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address.If you send hard copies for review I will try to always review them,
but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these
at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry
that I'd dispense them for free to others.
My Creative Blogs:
My 5000 poem Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Cthulhu Alien Horrors CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Support: Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com/2022/06/for-sale.html
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