why i wrote THE FIRE INSIDE
Back when I was in the fold, everything good was given to God as credit.
Life, inspiration, and intuition were gifts from God. These amazing things were the Holy Spirit alive inside us, speaking to us, and guiding us.
But even back then, even at my most indoctrinated, I would still wonder - "Yeah, but non-Christians have these gifts as well."
After I made Backslider, I knew that The Fire Inside was next.
I wanted to ask the big questions that all of us ask:
Why are we here?
Why is there life inside of me?
As a creative person, I have a built-in need to make - where does that come from?
Why do we all share this same fire?
The Fire Inside is the "spiritual sequel" to Backslider. If that last zine was about looking back, The Fire Inside is about looking around with fresh eyes. It is about the Fire we all share - especially those of us who decide to live a creative life.
Because in the end, I still believe that the Fire is a gift from God - it's a gift given to all of us.
There are a couple pieces in the zine that have been inside of me for years - these are the core elements that everything else gathered around.
One of the ways my creativity works, is like this - there are "Idea Planets" floating in space of my mind and with time, some of them pull other ideas into their gravitational pull - growing and becoming projects.
These two ideas formed the whole zine.
AS FAR AS WE KNOW
It's becoming more and more likely that there are aliens out in the universe somewhere. But as of right now, as far as we know we are the only beings in all the universes that write, that sing, that express ourselves through art. We may be alone, in all of this space, doing our little works.
So while your poetry or painting may be 1 of millions in the world - our work is singular in the universe. I think that's a beautiful thing to be part of.
SNAILS
I haven't liked most of the places that I've worked, and I don't do well with mornings. But one morning, dragging myself to a place I didn't want to be - I saw something holy and primal.
The sun was out and the morning was crisp. 100's of tiny snails were awake and inspired to greet the day. These small snails covered the wall of a place I hated, each had a little spark of the life that is inside of me - and I found that beautiful.
I stood there and appreciated the life before me - enjoying the brief delay before heading into the much loathed workplace.
These were the core building blocks for The Fire Inside. The cornerstones of everything I wanted to express in the zine.
I don't want to spend all of my time talking or writing about what I've lived through - for me The Fire Inside complements Backslider because it completes the yin-yang energy. That's why I made it.
If you'd like to read it or Backslider - both can be purchased over on my esty.
- Ryan Leacock
Ryan Leacock is a designer, writer and actor who's worked in a variety of creative fields and expressions. He's written short films, commercials, blogs and has just published his second collection of original writings. Ryan has designed apps. websites and hundreds of signs at his 9-5.
Ryan has nearly finished his 4th year hosting the Creative People Podcast, which he self-produces a few times a month.
He currently lives in Kitchener, Ontario with his wife, 4 kids, 1 dog and 2 cats.