rights, and so on are oft-cited
examples. What we don’t usually
hear about is creative courage - the
courage to fully explore the limits
of our own abilities and passions.
The courage to truly express our
inner spirits in all their beauty,
messiness and raw splendour.
To those inclined to pooh-pooh such
preposterous pretentiousness, I
submit that their reaction is merely
that - a RE-action, a Pavlovian
parroting of popular precepts - a
veneer of practicality and scorn
that the collective intelligentsia
has attached to the supposedly
“frivolous” creative arts. If you
search deep within yourself (sorry
there’s no app for that), I believe
you will find there is, on some
level, a truth to what I’m saying.
That veneer is also responsible
(in the opinion of this humble
correspondent) for the distrust
humans seem to have toward
Mackenzie
Clench
12 • BADASSERY MAGAZINE
those who wish to explore every
avenue available to them.
I’m not suggesting that the courage
to express oneself creatively is
more important that the courage
needed to resist oppression or fear
- far from it. I’m suggesting that
it’s equally important. As history
has shown time and again, the first
targets of any oppressor are the
creatives and the intellectuals.
If you have any creative leanings at
all (and trust me you do, no matter
how deeply hidden they might be),
then I urge you... no, I implore you,
to explore them to their fullest
extent. It doesn’t have to be a
career, or even a side job. Plumbing
the depths of your gifts and talents
- especially the ones you aren’t
yet aware of - will add a level of
accomplishment, fulfillment and
joy to your existence that can’t
possibly rendered into words.
When you do so, you inspire others
to do the same, and the resulting
chain reaction has the potential
to change the entire world. In the
end, every creative expression -
yes, even these paltry words - adds
to the sum total of the universe,
another stitch in the tapestry of the
human experience.
Hmm... What began as a
discussion about humans who
venture
into
other
creative
avenues has evolved (mutated?)
into a commentary on creativity
in general. It’s an interesting
development considering that just
a short time ago I had no idea what
I was going to write about.
The muse does indeed work in
mysterious ways, n’est-ce pas?
So who (or what) is „Mackenzie Clench?“ Let’s see… aside from being the
CEO, Scribbler and Chief Fuss Maker of Mackenzie Clench Creative, I’m also
an author, empath and ten-cent philosopher with an obsession for books and
words that borders on the pathological. As a child I was bitten by a radioactive
thesaurus and granted special powers – powers which I have sworn to only use
for good. Well... most of the time. I’m a foodie, a passionately amateur cook
and a sandwich connoisseur who’s capable of spending far more time in a Bed,
Bath and Beyond than is entirely healthy for a human of my age and fighting
weight. My other passions include classic black and white films, music, ballet
and opera (yes really!) and all things steampunk. Want more? I would direct
you my website where my essays and other literary detritus may be found. Like
any good writer (and even a few lousy ones