GIVE HIM A MASK, AND HE WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH

“MAN IS LEAST HIMSELF WHEN HE TALKS IN HIS OWN PERSON. GIVE HIM A MASK, AND HE WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH.” -OSCAR WILD Nothing could be more true for an artist whether they are an actor, musician, painter, sculptor or author. Having experienced performance in all of these areas accept sculpting, I would have to say that allowing yourself to be vulnerable behind a mask is often times one of the hardest steps for an artist to take, and yet, the results can be the most rewarding. I remember the jitters before going on stage. I also remember how everything seemed to go blank in my mind right before I went on stage, but once I was there, it all came out. The lines and the rehearsals were lost as the first contact with the live crowd opened something up inside of me that was beyond the role that I was playing. I remember hearing and feeling their energy and their breathing. It was actually amazing to me how each crowd had its own personality and my character would change ever so slightly to meet the challenge of the different audiences. I also remember walking off of the stage completely exhausted, sometimes bursting into tears because I had opened myself up completely and left myself on the stage. I remember the discomfort of waiting for comments from others as they looked at my water color paintings and wondering if the comment that they gave me were honestly what they thought when they saw them, or if they were being polite. I made it through each and every one of these performances, losing myself in the character or the media in order to set the crazy, pent up person out for others to see. However, none of these things hold a candle to the intimacy that comes from inside of an author as he expresses thoughts and feelings in such a way that the reader holds the fate of his soul in his hands and turns each page to critique him. It is often a silent and intimate response that will influence and affect the reader for years to come. The responsibility is as heavy as the revelation. Therefore, often times, moving past the fears and insecurities and finishing a book is the hardest art to perform. Having said these things, I place the mask on my face and present to you the first four episodes of "The Wolf of the Highlands", now available on Amazon. The Wolf of the Highlands on Amazon