“I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation.”
-David Cronenberg
Like many people, I have dozes of different ideas at any given period, the bulk of which are never accomplished due to time and/or financial constraints, or the restraints of my own talent and abilities. It’s often difficult to know what’s best for you, what you could be doing, what you SHOULD be doing, and the most realistic way to approach those goals.
Sometimes concentration and focus are hard to come by, as is inspiration, and it’s all too easy to make excuses for lack of discipline. For better or worse, I come from the school of thought that it’s better to have too much on your plate, than just one perfect carrot.
For those who may deal with depression and mental health issues, also must contend with extreme bouts of exhaustion, anxiety, psychic claustrophobia, and even physical illness. If we add regular alcohol consumption, and many other vices into the equation, it only perpetuates a vicious cycle of creative/productive limbo.
In virtually every aspect, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to self sabotage, which manifests in a variety of different ways, mostly subconsciously.
Likewise, circumstances play heavily in our perceived inability to accomplish goals and tasks. Socio-economic class, job, family, children, and an endless stream of bills and responsibilities. Even just dealing with the constant media and political bombardment in the 21st century often seems like a full time job, which heavily taxes the rational mind.
Yet, we must believe that it is never too late, and there is always enough free time to pursue creative goals, personal betterment, contentment, and fulfillment.
For my own lack of creative output over the past couple of years, I would check it off to all of the above. Job obligations, financial stress, depression, lack of opportunities and just a general feeling of degradation, of sorts.
Always falling far short of my own potential and not really knowing how to break out of that cycle of punishment and pessimism. Most of all, as corny as it sounds, I can’t find my muse and inspiration to really commit and devote my energies to. My compass is spinning.
I still find beauty and ideas on a daily basis, yet feel “tapped out” in terms of my own output, let alone any organized semblance of productive contribution. Yeah, I do the podcast and this blog, and run a couple social media accounts, but find myself at a genuine loss for how to take things to the next level not only as a creative force, but as a better human being.
It’s like having all of these pieces to a complex puzzle where we don’t get to see what it’s supposed to look like when finished and are just randomly cramming it all together to make it fit.
However, the point is to keep piecing it together and chipping away at the stone to reveal what hides beneath. The higher artistic forces work in dimensions of transmutation and alchemical progression which are largely invisible to our five senses.
We don’t always get to see the finished product, and as they say, it’s the voyage and not the destination. Is just living to the best of our ability, the art? What is the best usage of our talents, and where should we direct our creative focus?
For me, horror has always been a not-so-guilty pleasure. What once made me a bit of an outcast in my school years, is now more popular than ever. The same thing goes for comic books. While before I was just a silly little nerd boy collecting comics, it’s now a multi-billion dollar industry with tens of millions of fans from all over the globe.
I’m still that silly little nerd boy and horror outcast, but have become more refined in my tastes and attention. I appreciate horror more now for the cinematic value and artistic merit, and am paying closer attention to acting, direction, and script. I guess you could say I have taken on a bit more of an “academic” approach to the long history of horror fiction in all its myriad categories.
All this being said, I’m going to be making more of an effort to provide “artistic” merit towards my own love and appreciate for horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and that is why I’ll soon be sharing/selling special pieces of my artwork at HORROR TO CULTURE.
Through this outlet of creative expression, I also hope to garner a little financial supplement so that this website, podcast, and original reviews and articles can continue for a long time to come (at least pay for itself).
Now, more than ever, those of us who are of the inclination MUST consider ourselves artists, even when, and perhaps especially when, we may feel discouraged. In a society that rewards stupidity with fifteen minutes of fame “meme sensations” every other week, the artist must take a stand and express themselves at all costs and by every means available.
HORROR TO CULTURE is one such way that I am taking my stand, and I hope some of you out there will appreciate and enjoy the original art that I’ll be sharing here in the coming weeks. It will be a process, there are hundreds of pieces, but I am determined to continue creating and pushing myself as an artist, against a world that would prefer to bury us in bullshit and endless TikTok dance videos.
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Michael A. Dyer is the host of the HORROR TO CULTURE podcast and website.
