Committed: A Memoir of the Artist’s Road

When I first met Patrick Ross several years ago and learned about his creativity seeking cross country trip, I immediately asked when the book on it was coming out. At that time, there was no book, but I knew after listening to Patrick talk about the trip, that there should be.

So I asked again, every year or so. I believed this was a book that needed to be written and one that myself and my fellow creatives needed to read. Well, I got my wish and when I found out it was published this fall, I contacted Patrick for an advanced reading copy. And I am so glad I did.

Patrick’s path back to his creativity is no different from mine or a lot of other creatives I have talked to over the last 8 years I’ve been writing this blog and on my own quest to rediscover my creativity. And that’s what resonated with me most.

The book opens up with a particularly raw scene in which Patrick is fleeing his parents’ home with his children after a heated exchange. This exchange brings to light a dysfunctional family dynamic ignited by mental illness. It is from this understanding that we travel with Patrick along his cross country journey sponsored by the funders of the organization that he led for many years in Washington, DC.

While the intended purpose of the trip is to please his funders, it is through the conversations Patrick has with artists that spurns him to question why he has abandoned his own creative practice. These often emotional exchanges allow us not only to see into Patrick’s internal psyche but also his process of reawakening. It is this process that so captivated me and I knew I had to share with my readers. Below, I asked Patrick the following questions to illuminate this and inspire us all:

Q: What was the one piece of advice you heard from the artist’s that you interviewed that resonated the most? And why?

Patrick Ross: The one piece of advice that most resonated with me at the time was Idaho’s Rochelle Smith (and others, like New Hampshire’s Ernest Whaley) saying you have to tell your story. But the one I find myself hearing most often now is from Vermont’s Sabra Field, which is funny because she explicitly was resisting giving advice: she said the art-committed life is not an easy one, and many would be happier not attempting it. It is not an easy path, but it has been worth it so far.

Q: How did you implement what you learned on the trip into your own creative life?

Patrick Ross: The first thing I did was recognize that while I had a lot of experience as a writer of nonfiction, I had little experience as a writer of creative nonfiction. So In January 2011 I began a memoir-writing class at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, my first-ever creative writing course. I then went to AWP (the annual Association of Writer’s and Writing Programs conference) and walked up to every single MFA program table on the trade-show floor and quizzed them on their creative non-fiction offerings. I ended up choosing the Vermont College of Fine Arts low-residency program, and in late June of 2011 I found myself in Montpelier having pages I had written in my Writer’s Center class worshipped by my fellow VCFA students. It grew from there.

Q: What would you tell other creatives that have abandoned their craft?

Patrick Ross: It’s never too late to come back. You could say it’s like riding a bicycle, in that once you’ve learned how you can always do it again. But I think it’s even easier than that. One still must learn how to ride a bicycle to begin with; we are born inherently creative, so what you’re really doing is returning to your core state of being. The difficulty is what Sabra was referring to, sticking with it.

Finally, I can’t recommend this book highly enough (well, maybe I could) to anyone who has allowed life to get in the way of their creative practice. Patrick proves that there is always a way back to it.